Category Archives: Budget

Budget information, questions and concerns.

Commissioners unable to do their jobs?

This week at the meeting of Park Board Commissioners there will be a discussion item on the regular board agenda about of all things, constituent services.  This should be of interest to the public because they include in the discussion description some interesting things.

  1. Should they be able to hire staff to assist them with constituent services?                 No, why do they need more staff?  The commissioners are suppose to work with the Superintendent, the Deputy Superintendent and the 3 Assistant Superintendents to solve constituent issues.    Maybe if more of them had attended the orientations offered they would know where to go….

A) Trouble with something like lawn mowing, plowing or trash pick up….that would be the Assistant Superintendent for Environmental Services (Jeremy Barrick)

B) You have rude coach, unpleasant rec center staff, lack of field access…that would be the Assistant Superintendent for Recreation (Tyrize Cox)

C)  You aren’t sure when one of your parks is due new playground equipment or why the construction at your rec center is delayed… that would be the Assistant Superintendent for Planning (Michael Schroeder)

D) You want to know how much is spent on community engagement in your area, how to know if the folks running the concessions at Columbia Golf are paying their contracted fees to the MPRB, or if Juneteenth is going to happen or if they have defaulted on paying the MPRB … that would fall under the Deputy Superintendent (Jennifer Ringold) and finally

E) If it is a legal question or something you don’t feel falls into one of the categories above, contact the Interim Superintendent Mary Merrill.  She should be able to get people to pick up their phones.

2.   Should the commissioners have a budget to hold meetings with their constituents?  No, again this is part of community engagement that the park board already budgets for annually.  Problems at East Phillips with the needs of your Hispanic constituents and soccer.  Bring in the translators, print up some flyers in Spanish, partner with Waite House and invite other commissioners and senior staff to join you.  Want to meet constituents for a talk.  There is an office provided for all 9 of the PART TIME commissioners to share at the MPRB headquarters.  You can schedule a larger meeting room at the HQ with the customer service staff or my favorite meet at a local park, the staff can schedule you a room.  If all else fails coffee shop meetings put dollars back into the local community, but the MPRB and the taxpayers should NOT have to pay for your espresso.

3.  Other:  Having heard that some of the commissioners thought they would be getting their own offices and staff like at City Hall I wonder if any of them did the research as to what this job entails.   Did you pick up the phone and ask one of the outgoing commissioners?  Did you ask anyone at the Park Board?  Did you not feel that there would be some work you would have to do to earn your $12,440 per year?  You also can turn in mileage and parking of up to $200 a year and let’s not forget your access to health insurance at a really good rate, the VEBA the MPRB pays you to cover most of your deductible, and the $13,000 life insurance policy your family gets to collect if you die in office.  You also have to opportunity to put money into PERA (the public employee retirement system)  a lot better deal than a 401(K) as the state doesn’t get to be let off the hook if the system makes bad investments.

Pay attention to this discussion taxpayers!!!!

Minneapolis Park Board’s 2017 Budget Focuses on Fiscal Responsibility, Service Delivery, and Implementation of the 20 Year Neighborhood Park Plan

The following item was circulated by the MPRB.

Minneapolis Park Board’s 2017 Budget Focuses on Fiscal Responsibility, Service Delivery, and Implementation of the 20 Year Neighborhood Park Plan

On Wednesday, December 7, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) adopted its 2017 budget for the park system, which serves more than 22 million visits annually. Continue reading

Park Budget Boosts Neighborhood Park Spending

Public Invited to Comment on MPRB Superintendent’s Proposed 2017 Budget

Public Invited to Comment on MPRB Superintendent’s Proposed 2017 Budget

The proposed budget and related documents are available for viewing at www.minneapolisparks.org/budget or by calling 612-230-6400. The public may comment on the proposed budget during the following times:

  • Nov. 2, Public Comment Session – Administration and Finance Committee meeting, MPRB Headquarters, 2117 West    River Road, Minneapolis. The Committee meeting will follow the Board’s regular meeting, which begins at 5 pm.
  • Nov. 16, Public Comment Session – Regular Board meeting, MPRB Headquarters, 2117 West River Road,              Minneapolis, at 5 pm.
  • November 30, Administration & Finance Committee Approval of 2017 Budget – MPRB Headquarters, 2117 West    River Road, Minneapolis. Comments may be made during 5:30 pm regularly scheduled Open Time session.
  • Dec. 7, Public Hearing and Board Approval of 2017 Budget – City of Minneapolis public hearing on 2017 tax levy and  2017 Budget, City Hall, Council Chambers Room 317, 350 South 5th Street, Minneapolis, at 6:05 pm.

Proposed 2017 Minneapolis Park Board budget focuses on fiscal responsibility, service delivery, and implementation of historic 20 Year Neighborhood Park Plan

The Park Board has posted the following item:

Proposed 2017 Minneapolis Park Board budget focuses on fiscal responsibility, service delivery, and implementation of historic 20 Year Neighborhood Park Plan

The Superintendent’s Recommended 2017 Budget for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) focuses on enhanced maintenance, rehabilitation and capital investments for neighborhood parks, continued sound fiscal management, providing responsive service delivery to meet the changing demographics and needs of the community, maintains the park system within available resources and, for the first time, implementing a racial equity tool throughout the budget process.

Continue reading

Park Board Passes Equity Ordinance for Neighborhood Park Investment

The following article by Eric Best, dated July 11, 2016, was published in the Southwest Journal.

Park Board Passes Equity Ordinance for Neighborhood Park Investment

The ordinance prioritizes racially concentrated areas of poverty around Minneapolis.

North Commons park is one of the city's 157 neighborhood parks, which are seeing additional repairs and rehabilitations. Photo courtesy of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board

North Commons park is one of the city’s 157 neighborhood parks, which are seeing additional repairs and rehabilitations. Photo courtesy of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board

Park commissioners have approved racial and economic equity criteria to guide hundreds of millions of dollars worth of investments into the city’s neighborhood parks system over the next two decades.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board unanimously passed an ordinance that is meant to ensure an equitable distribution of an additional $11 million of park investments annually for the next 20 years. The agreement, dubbed the 20 Year Neighborhood Park Plan, is a joint effort with the City Council and Mayor Betsy Hodges that replaced the board’s referendum campaign for funds to close an annual funding gap in maintaining the nearly 160 neighborhood parks in Minneapolis.

Continue reading

Park Board Passes 20-year Neighborhood Park Funding Plan

The following article by Eric Best was published in the June 2, 2016 edition of The Journal.

Photo courtesy of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board

The Park Board seeks to close a growing funding gap in maintaining the city's 157 neighborhood parks, such as Bethune Park. Photo courtesy of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board

The Park Board seeks to close a growing funding gap in maintaining the city’s 157 neighborhood parks, such as Bethune Park

Park Board Passes 20-year Neighborhood Park Funding Plan

Park commissioners have moved forward with a 20-year funding plan to maintain the city’s neighborhood parks.

 Commissioners of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board unanimously passed the plan, via an ordinance, that would provide an additional $11 million annually to revitalize the 157 neighborhood parks in Minneapolis, many of which face disrepair. The plan, a joint effort with the City Council and Mayor Betsy Hodges, is an alternative to a fall referendum that the Park Board had been working toward in recent months.

To continue reading, click on the link to The Journal
http://www.journalmpls.com/news/parks/2016/05/park-board-passes-20-year-neighborhood-park-funding-plan/

MINNEAPOLIS PARKS: Historic Funding Agreement Ensures Vitality for Generations

The following letter to editor was published in the Star Tribune on May 21, 2016.

MINNEAPOLIS PARKS: Historic Funding Agreement Ensures Vitality for Generations

Wednesday was a historic day for Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board unanimously approved a 20-year neighborhood parks funding agreement negotiated with the city. Together, these concurrent ordinances will ensure that we remain a “city of parks” for future generations.

The agreement secures an additional $11 million for parks annually for the next 20 years to be invested in long-term maintenance needs in our neighborhood parks. The agreement includes $3 million annually dedicated to operations so that our parks remain well-kept and maintained.

Continue reading

City Approves Historic Funding Plan for Streets and Neighborhood Parks

The following press release has been issued by Minneapolis on May 20, 2016.

City Approves Historic Funding Plan for Streets and Neighborhood Parks

Mayor Hodges and the City Council approved a landmark agreement that will equitably address needed funding to repave City streets and maintain neighborhood parks far into the future. The measure will provide $800 million over the next 20 years to help the City and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board keep up with needed maintenance and operations costs in an equitable fashion.

Under the plan, there would be $33 million in funding for City streets and neighborhood parks for up to 20 years to meet urgent, ongoing needs. About 82 percent of the funding would be paid through property tax increases, providing for:

  • Street maintenance
  • A guaranteed minimum annual funding of $21.2 million a year above the current City general fund expenditures for street capital projects.
  • $800,000 increase in base budget for street maintenance beginning in 2017.

Gov. Mark Dayton, Speaker Kurt Daudt Renew Call for Transportation Funding

The following article by J. Patrick Coolican was published in the April 30, 2016 edition of the Star Tribune.

Gov. Mark Dayton, Speaker Kurt Daudt Renew Call for Transportation Funding


But not much closer; taxes and the Southwest LRT make final consensus difficult.

 

DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP House Speaker Kurt Daudt softened their tone Friday and sounded hopeful about a transportation package they say is needed to fix crumbling roads and bridges.

But disagreements about where to find the money and mass transit — especially the proposed Southwest Light Rail Transit — lurked just below the surface, complicating any path to a deal.

The division comes as lawmakers race in the legislative session’s three remaining weeks to complete unfinished work from 2015 on transportation and taxes, while also taking up a bonding package on infrastructure projects that will stretch to hundreds of millions of dollars.

The House GOP and Dayton and his allies in the DFL-controlled Senate are skirmishing about how to spend the state’s $900 million projected budget surplus, with Dayton and the Senate pushing for new spending on education and other priorities, while Republicans want to split the money between transportation and tax cuts.

To continue reading, click on the link to the Star Tribune

Gov. Mark Dayton, Speaker Kurt Daudt renew call