News and Updates
Neighborhood Meeting Aug. 19Our next neighborhood meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 19. Due to park building closures during the last two weeks of August, this meeting has been relocated for August only to the Northeast Library, 2200 Central Ave. NE and will run from 6:30-8 p.m. due to library hours. Note the earlier start time. Our Board of Directors meeting on Aug. 26 will be moved to the WPCiA office, 2314 Lowry Ave. NE, with the usual start time of 7 p.m.
New Problem Property Protocol
Watch for the rollout of our new Problem Property Protocol (PPP) and checklist to help residents take action and get results. Details at the Aug. 19 neighborhood meeting. Also on the agenda that night: update on future of neighborhood organizations; update on plans (if available) by Bethany Covenant Village (2309 Hayes St. NE) to demolish home at 2323 Hayes St. NE for possible expansion.
Questions Remain About the Future of Minneapolis Neighborhoods
WPCiA continues to monitor city council discussions on the future of neighborhood organizations in Minneapolis and the widely acclaimed Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP). Earlier this year WPCiA neighbors passed the following motion regarding this issue:
"WPCiA believes the following updates must be made to the Framework for the Future:
Extension of the TIF districts in the Common Project to make up shortfall from the original commitment to the program, and index of funding sources discussed to date;
An independent multi-jurisdictional Governing Board (overseeing a neighborhood revitalization program) with real responsibility;
Program staff that report to the Governing Board;
Neighborhood-selected representatives that constitute at least 60% of the Governing Board's members."
In addition, the Board of Directors on Feb. 26, received further details on the above issue and a new proposal set to go before the Minnesota Legislature soon. Due to the time-sensitive nature of the legislature proposal, the following was approved by the Board of Directors:
"Capitalizing Neighborhood Improvement in Minneapolis and NRP
Purpose:
• Create a stable, committed, definable, and long-term source of funding for
continued investment in the improvement of neighborhoods in Minneapolis.
• Complete the original commitment to residents that was made when the
Neighborhood Revitalization Program statute was enacted.
Background:
When the State legislature passed the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP)
legislation in 1990 (Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 469.1781 and 469.1831) the
expectation was that the program would receive $20 million each year from the TIF
districts and other revenue sources of the City’s Common Project over 20 years for a total
of $400 million to revitalize the neighborhoods of Minneapolis.
In 2001 the State legislature adopted tax law changes that greatly reduced the revenues
from the Common Project that were the primary source for the $400 million. In fact, the
City of Minneapolis, in its most recent projections, is showing total program revenues to
NRP of about $300 million by the end of the original funding period (2009). This is $100
million less than the amount originally committed.
NRP and the neighborhoods of the City have met their commitments. They have:
• developed and implemented impressive neighborhood action plans
• invested in improvements to the housing stock
• helped accomplish economic revitalization in depressed neighborhoods
• improved the physical and civic infrastructure of Minneapolis
• leveraged over $1 billion of additional public and private investment in
neighborhood improvements
NRP is an urban success story, held up as a model across the country and even
internationally.
Investment in neighborhoods, however, continues to be desperately needed. The number
of mortgage foreclosures in Minneapolis is only one indicator of the need for continued
attention to neighborhood revitalization.
In mid-2009 the pre-1979 TIF districts in the Common Project are due to be decertified,
eliminating the main source of NRP funding.
Proposal Regarding NRP for the 2008 Legislative Session
Amend the existing statutes relating to NRP to do the following:
1) Extend the life of the pre-1979 TIF districts currently scheduled to decertify in 2009 to
2019.
2) Require that the excess tax revenues generated from the TIF districts (after any
existing annual debt and contractual obligations of the districts are paid) be reserved for,
and transferred to, the appropriate local government jurisdictions in the same proportions
as they would be directed to the local taxing jurisdictions if decertification had occurred,
with the City of Minneapolis portion to be split equally between the City and the NRP.
The revenues designated for NRP shall be transferred directly to the NRP annually within
14 calendar days of the date their amount has been finally determined.
3) Require that the governance of the NRP must be by an independent Governance Board
with at least 60% of its members elected by the neighborhoods developing neighborhood
action plans and with other members to be the Mayor of Minneapolis, the President of the
Minneapolis City Council, and representatives from the Minnesota Legislature, Hennepin
County Board of Commissioners, Minneapolis Park Board and Minneapolis School
Board.
4) Assign the following responsibilities to the NRP Governance Board:
• hiring, firing, and managing NRP staff,
• approving neighborhood action plans and their modifications,
• preparing and administering implementation contracts for strategies in approved
neighborhood action plans,
• monitoring neighborhood action plan implementation,
• designating neighborhood organizations for participation in NRP,
• other activities required to cost effectively implement and manage the NRP program
and monitor and support neighborhood organizations, and
• documenting the benefits resulting from NRP projects and activities."
Donation “Tip” From Your Friendly Neighborhood 501(c)3
Federal rebate checks are now arriving in your mailbox and your bank accounts. Since this money is a windfall, you may consider paying off bills, adding some to savings, or purchasing a new TV. You could also contribute a small portion to a charitable organization. With the poor economy and tight City and State budgets, charitable organizations are having trouble providing services when people need services most. Whether you have an organization in mind or not, it may help to note that charitable donations are tax deductible. A gift of 10% will go a long way for most local charities and you get the satisfaction of knowing that you’re helping to build a better community and didn’t have to take away from any of your hard-earned cash - you’re just reinvesting a portion of what is being granted to you. Windom Park Citizens in Action is a charitable organization (501c3) dedicated to making the neighborhood a better place to live, work & play. We would gladly put your donation to work for you locally. Contact the WPCiA office for more information or send a donation to our office:
Windom Park Citizens in Action
2314 Lowry Ave. NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
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