April 1, 2009

Minneapolis City leaders and representatives from the U.S. Census Bureau today marked one year until the beginning of the 2010 U.S. Census. April 1 is Census Awareness Day, and City leaders are using it to encourage everyone in Minneapolis to fill out and send in their Census form, because getting an accurate count of residents in the city is more important than ever.

 An accurate count has a significant impact on people in Minneapolis-- it’s estimated that every 100 people missed in the Census count leads to a $1 million loss to the people of Minneapolis over the next decade. That’s because more than $300 billion in federal funding is allocated to communities based on census data every year. Having an incomplete count means a community won’t get its fair share of that funding. That money goes to support things like school lunches, Head Start programs, home energy assistance programs, Medicaid grants to states, assistance for families in need, and job training and placement for adults, youth, and dislocated workers.

In Minneapolis, that $1 million would translate to full time employment for 35 people; prevention of 2,000 foreclosures; gap funding assistance for 40 rehabilitated affordable housing units; 10,000 medical or dental visits for uninsured patients; lead poison testing for 33,000 children; or help getting 25 new businesses off the ground by providing low interest loans, thereby creating many new jobs in the community.

The results from the 2010 Census are also taking on a significant meaning across Minnesota, because the state’s voice in Congress is linked to the state’s population. If Minnesota’s population doesn’t keep pace with some other states, the state could potentially lose a seat in the House of Representatives. The figures are also used locally—they help determine everything from state legislative districts to school district boundaries.

March 13, 2009

Minneapolis’ new 2009 budget focuses on public safety and infrastructure

Mayor R.T. Rybak and the Minneapolis City Council have approved a new budget for 2009 that makes public safety and infrastructure top priorities, despite significant cuts in state funding. The new budget, which was unanimously approved March 12, includes cuts to every City department. While every effort was made to reduce job losses, the magnitude of the needed cuts means that staff reductions were unavoidable. In the revised budget, 59 city staff positions were eliminated. However, no jobs were eliminated in the police or fire departments, and the City’s accelerated investment in infrastructure will continue.

The City was forced to revise its budget because Governor Tim Pawlenty cut $13.1 million in funding to Minneapolis at the end of 2008 and has proposed another $35 million in permanent cuts through 2010.

“We accomplished this enormous task because we paid off millions of dollars in debt, reformed and restructured City government finances, and delivered City services more efficiently,” said Mayor Rybak. “Our wise fiscal management, combined with one-time economic recovery dollars from the federal government allows us to preserve our commitment to public safety. If not for that strong long term fiscal stewardship by the City of Minneapolis, the problems we face today would have been much worse.”

If allocated equally across the city, the Governor’s proposed cuts to Minneapolis for this year would have led to the elimination of 161 jobs, including 57 sworn officer positions and 19 civilian positions in the police department and 27