Plan Drafted for Consolidating NRP with NCR: Comments due June 18

Comments Due to NRP June 18 on 27-item Draft Transition Plan
Draft Plan:	http://tinyurl.com/26tu7vr
Due Date:	Friday June 18, 2010 4:00 p.m.
Where:	NRP Crown Roller Mill Suite 425 105 5th Ave S Minneapolis, MN 55401

NRP and NCR: Collaboration, Cooperation and Consolidation Plan (Draft), was presented to the NRP Policy Board on April 26 by Bob Miller and David Rubedor. The Policy Board has sent the draft plan to all neighborhoods for their review and comment. This is a reminder to submit your comments to NRP by June 18, 2010.

Background: On September 26, 2008 the Minneapolis City Council adopted the “Framework for the Future” of community engagement in the City of Minneapolis. The“Framework” established a new City Department of Neighborhood and Community Relations (NCR), created a Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission (NCEC), and initiated the effort to place the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) under the control of the new City department.

As part of the City’s 2010 budget approval process the City Council adopted a resolution on December 18, 2009 directing that the NCR and NRP Directors “work together to develop and implement a plan to bring the administrative functions of the NRP program into the NCR Department by December 31, 2010”. To accomplish this desire, and to try to ensure that a practical and responsible plan was proposed, NRP Director Bob Miller worked with NCR Director David Rubedor to develop a draft plan for “Collaboration, Cooperation and Consolidation.” The plan addresses the future administration of NRP and its resources and describes a proposed approach to moving many of the administrative functions currently performed by NRP and its staff to NCR.

The draft plan was introduced at the NRP Policy Board meeting on April 26 and sent out for review and comment to neighborhood leaders and organizations on April 28. The plan includes 27 action steps, with timetables and responsibilities. It is NRP’s policy that “Neighborhoods have the right to be informed about and have a chance to comment on Policy Board discussion papers, amendments to existing policies, and potential new policies that will have a direct effect on neighborhoods and their NRP process.” Consistent with this policy the Board sent the draft plan for “Collaboration, Cooperation and Consolidation” between NRP and NCR to neighborhoods for their review and comment.

The Policy Board will consider the comments and begin their review of the proposed plan at their meeting on June 28.

In his letter transmitting the plan for review and comment, NRP Policy Board Chair Ken Kelash stated: “The purpose of this plan development effort was to provide a practical and responsible plan for consolidating the administrative functions of NRP and NCR, as appropriate, in time frames that would maximize the potential for success while recognizing and honoring the distinct authorities and responsibilities of both programs.”

Some of the major steps in the Plan include: the use of NRP staff to help NCR develop its neighborhood program, job descriptions for NCR neighborhood staff that include the ability to perform the NRP plan development and support functions for NRP Phase I and II, the transfer of auditing and insurance management functions from NRP to NCR and continued reductions in the level of NRP staff. NRP has reduced its staff complement from 25 FTE in 1995 to 8 in 2010. Neighborhood Specialist Robert Thompson has been detailed to help the new department and is splitting his time between NRP and NCR.

The full draft plan can be found on NRP’s website (www.nrp.org).