City briefs - July 20

The U.S. Department of Justice has issued the results of their investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department, and is now seeking community feedback on the findings and what can be done to address them. They will be hosting a public listening session on Tuesday, July 25 from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Sabathani Community Center, 310 E 38th Street.  People can also share input by emailing community.minneapolis@usdoj.gov or calling (866) 432-0268. 

 

In June, the City Council approved an 8% pay increase and a $6,500 bonus for upper level, nonunion, appointed leadership positions, excluding the police chief, in the police department (MPD) who remain with the department through September. This includes city employees with titles of assistant chief of police, deputy chief of police, police commander, and police inspector. Eight Council Members voted to approve the raises and seven voted to approve the retention bonuses that will be paid after Sept. 30 if the eligible employee was actively employed full time and available to work since June 26. 

 

The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) has opened a comment period on the MSP Airport 2040 Long-Term Plan that they began drafting in 2019.  The plan will outline future facility and infrastructure needs at the airport, as well as how to address future environmental factors including noise. On July 11, there was a public presentation at the Sabathani Community Center and written comments on the draft plan are being accepted through an online form, by email, or by mail until 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21. To learn more, visit www.mspairport.com/long-term-plan.   

 

The city, through it Homegrown Minneapolis initiative, has joined the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Food Matters project along with other cities, like Baltimore, Denver, and Nashville, to help reduce food waste through policies and programs and reach the city’s goal of recycling and composting 80% of citywide waste by 2030.  

 

By the end of the year, black plastic to-go containers will no longer be accepted under the city’s Environmentally Acceptable Packaging Ordinance that limits what can be used as take out containers in Minneapolis. They will be added to polystyrene, plastic-lined paper cups and plates, and stryrofoam containers that have been banned since 2015.  The material cannot be sorted or sold by recycling facilities and they are not being recycled. 

 

Hennepin County is hosting a community collection event from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 11, and Saturday, Aug. 12 at Patrick Henry High School, 4320 Newton Ave. N. where county residents can dispose of unwanted garden and household hazardous wastes. Visit Hennepin County’s household hazardous waste collection event webpage for a list of items you can bring to the event, to review safety guidelines, and to see the list of all 2023 events.

 

Starting July 19, people calling 311 will be greeted with “Thank you for calling Minneapolis 311. To continue this call in English, say ‘English’ or press 1. [In Spanish] For Spanish, say ‘Spanish’ or press 2. [In Somali] For Somali, press 3. [In Hmong] For Hmong, press 4.” Callers choosing English or Spanish will then be asked to say what they need help with and the new system will use speech recognition to connect them with the best person to help. Callers who choose Somali or Hmong will get a menu of touch-tone options to connect them more quickly to the right person.