Minneapolis City leaders are highlighting long-sought legislative successes on the heels of the 2024 legislative session. The City’s Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) team worked with legislative leaders, the Minneapolis delegation, and Governor Tim Walz’s office to secure significant victories at the state Capitol for Minneapolis residents. From clearing a years-long legal threat to the City’s landmark affordable housing work to enabling the City to leverage technology to enhance traffic safety, the IGR team worked collaboratively throughout the 2024 legislative session to deliver results and advance the City’s highest-priority legislative agenda items.
“Minneapolis residents saw some important achievements this legislative session,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “Persistence, patience, and a strategic approach from our IGR team paid off. After years of advocating and coalition building, Minneapolis can continue advancing our nation-leading affordable housing work thanks to key legislation that ensures the 2040 Comprehensive Plan remains in effect. On behalf of our local government, I am grateful to House and Senate leadership, the Minneapolis delegation, and every legislator who came together to prioritize results like this one.”
By clarifying the appropriate review applicable to comprehensive plans in Minnesota and that Minneapolis’ comprehensive plan is consistent with State environmental law, lawmakers effectively cleared the way to continue operating under the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan. This legislative change will afford both the City and builders essential clarity and stability to move forward with new housing construction across Minneapolis.
The City also pushed to pass the Minnesota Cooperative Housing Act, which establishes a supportive framework for developing co-ops, another tool in expanding access to affordable homeownership. To help jurisdictional partners prevent and respond to unsheltered homelessness, the City joined the push to increase funding for grants through the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program (FHPAP), where the legislature ultimately redirected several million dollars in funding for 2024.
“City staff and the Minneapolis delegation worked tirelessly against a complex and dynamic set of circumstances to deliver for Minneapolis,” said Minneapolis City Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher. “A successful session requires the ability to prioritize, to identify areas of collaboration, and to negotiate with a sense of purpose and determination. With support from the Mayor and Council leadership, our IGR team helped move forward efforts for the ongoing affordable housing work, community safety infrastructure, and climate action.”
With local governments across Minnesota facing police staffing challenges, the City pushed for resources and technology to do more with less and the means to continue building out a comprehensive community-safety system. For years, the City has fought for the authority to enlist traffic video cameras to enforce speed limits. The measure will allow the City to leverage new technology -- and not divert personnel -- to enforce traffic laws and issue citations, curbing dangerous driving behavior.
“Minneapolis is fortunate to have committed, principled leaders fighting on their behalf at the Capitol,” said Minneapolis IGR Director Katie Topinka. “Every member of the Minneapolis legislative delegation showed up and fought for the people they represent. I’m grateful for the strong partnership and collaborative effort to meaningfully advance the City’s legislative priorities this session.”
Last fall, Mayor Frey’s Vibrant Downtown Storefront Workgroup released its recommendations to help revitalize downtown. Included among the workgroup’s recommendations was further exploring the conversion of Nicollet Mall into a pedestrian only zone, along with options for directing transit service elsewhere through downtown. That’s why the City successfully pursued the ability for local governments to create pedestrian malls throughout their jurisdictions, rather than just in their central business districts.
To build on the City’s local climate action work, the IGR team prioritized Extended Producer Responsibility initiatives through the Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act that would require manufacturers to foot the bill for costs associated with collecting, reusing, recycling or safely disposing of their products. The City will also work to secure additional funding to take its community tree-planting work – one of the highest impact mechanisms available to local governments for offsetting carbon emissions – even further.
On an annual basis, the City Council passes and the Mayor approves a formal legislative agenda that guides its IGR team’s priorities and work throughout the legislative session.