Neighborhood Funding Work Group Reports to City Council

url:	http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/ncr/NFWGCCReport.asp

Work is moving forward on neighborhood funding, both at the City and with the Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission. The Neighborhood and Community Relations Department reported back to the City Council’s Committee of the Whole on March 9. At the meeting, the NCEC’s recommendations to help address equity issues among neighborhoods were presented, and NCR provided an update on the recommendations of the Neighborhood Funding Work Group.

At the meeting, NCR reported to the committee its recommendation to release $2,680,000 of the $12,680,000 of NRP fund balance suspended as a result of the budget action in December. The City Council’s Ways & Means Committee will take up the issue of releasing those funds at its March 28 meeting. It is intended that the redistribution of these funds be the responsibility of the NRP Policy Board.

At the presentation, the Neighborhood and Community Relations Department reiterated that NRP funds not affected by the Council’s December budget action will continue under NRP Phase I and II policies and guidelines, and that neighborhood NRP earned program income is not impacted and remains under the control of neighborhood organizations. The remaining $10 million of the NRP fund balance suspended as a result of the budget action in December will be reprogrammed to support all neighborhoods as they transition to the new Community Participation Program model, which builds a stronger, more vibrant partnership between the City and neighborhood organizations.

Moving forward, the NCR department and the NCEC will be working with neighborhoods and City departments on establishing a process for neighborhood priorities to connect and inform City programs, service delivery and budgeting. The NCEC will also be meeting with neighborhoods in April and May to discuss equity concerns. The NCR will also report back to the City Council in July as this work continues.

The Request for Council Actions reports and associated PowerPoint presentation can be found at: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/2011-meetings/20110401/CoWAgenda20110309.asp

At any point in this process, please feel free to ask questions by calling David Rubedor at (612) 673-3129 or Robert Thompson at (612) 673-2523. You can also find out other information about neighborhood programming, the NCEC and the NCR department at our website: www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/ncr.