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Budget Committee

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Minneapolis City Council Budget Committee Meeting Summary

Meeting Information

  • Date: November 13, 2024
  • Title: Budget Committee Meeting
  • Present: Elliot Payne (President), Aisha Chughtai (Vice President), Andrea Jenkins, LaTrisha Vetaw, Jason Chavez, Linea Palmisano
  • Absent: Not specified
  • Guests:
    • Sophia (Somali Outreach Coordinator, MN Dept of Revenue)
    • Jane Discenza (Budget Director, Finance and Property Services)
    • Andrew Hawkins (Policy and Research Division)
    • Eric Hanson (CPED Director)
  • Votes: 1 (ARPA reappropriation resolutions)

Highlights

  • Presentation from MN Department of Revenue on property tax relief programs
  • ARPA fund reappropriation resolutions totaling $15.74 million
  • Participatory budgeting process models presentation
  • Discussion of Guaranteed Basic Income pilot program funding discrepancy

Discussion

Property Tax Relief Programs

Minnesota Department of Revenue presented various property tax relief programs available to Minneapolis residents, including renters credit, homestead credit, special refund, and veterans disability market value exclusion. The presentation focused on changes for the 2025 tax season, particularly the move of renters credit to Form M1. The committee received this as an informational presentation with no significant discussion or vote required.

ARPA Reappropriation

Finance Director Discenza presented technical changes to close out ARPA funding by the end of 2024. The proposal involved moving $15.74 million in unspent but obligated ARPA funds to the general fund through revenue replacement to ensure no money is returned to the federal government. This included clarification about the North Commons project funding ($3 million) and sparked discussion about the Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) pilot program funds.

Councilmember Chavez raised concerns about inconsistent communication regarding the GBI program’s remaining funds:

“When we were here a couple of months ago, we were told that there was no plan to use the nearly $250,000 of this program again, and I met with Director Hanson myself twice and was told directly by the Director that there was no plan to use this program next year.”

The resolution passed with all members voting in favor.

Participatory Budgeting Models

Andrew Hawkins presented research on various participatory budgeting models and their potential implementation in Minneapolis. The discussion highlighted that Minneapolis already has some participatory elements through CLIC and neighborhood organizations. Councilmember Palmisano noted that Minneapolis’s current systems may be more extensive than other cities:

“It sounds to me like we already do two versions of participatory budgeting, right? CLIC which makes recommendations on infrastructure basically all of our infrastructure to the many tens of millions of dollars. And then the partnership engagement fund with neighborhoods.”

The presentation was received as information with no vote required.

Public Comments

There were no public comments during this meeting.

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