Meeting Information

• Date: October 9, 2024
• Title: Regular Meeting of the Public Health and Safety Committee
• Present: Jason Chavez (Chair), Robin Wonsley (Vice Chair), Michael Rainville, Jeremiah Ellison, Linea Palmisano, Elliot Payne (arrived late)
• Absent: None explicitly marked
• Guests: David Bernstein (City Attorney’s Office), Cindy Weckwerth (Director of Environment Health), Allison Boisvert (Homegrown Minneapolis Initiative), Jenny Breen (Homegrown Minneapolis Food Council), Karen Moe (Director of Neighborhood and Community Relations), Heidi Ritchie (Deputy Commissioner of Health), Amanda Harrington (Director of Community Safety Design and Implementation), Commissioner Cedric Alexander (Office of Community Safety), Andy Skoogman (MPD Chief of Staff), Lori Burns (Interim Director of Emergency Management), Brian Tanner (Fire Chief), Latanya Passmore (Director of Neighborhood Safety Department)
• Votes: 2 (1 voice vote, 1 roll call vote)

Highlights

• Passage of ordinance amending public swimming pool provisions
• Presentation on Homegrown Minneapolis Initiative
• Report on Youth Day at City Hall 2024
• Quarterly update from the Office of Community Safety
• Updates on South Minneapolis Safety Center and Safe and Thriving Communities Report Plan

Discussion

Passage of ordinance amending public swimming pool provisions

The committee discussed amendments to Title 11, Chapter 231 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances relating to public swimming pool regulations. Cindy Weckwerth, Director of Environment Health, explained that the changes were prompted by feedback from pool operators who found the current regulations confusing due to overlap with state statutes. The amendments aim to eliminate redundancy and align city regulations with state standards.

Council Member Rainville noted that the Park Board, which operates about 80% of the pools in the city, was comfortable with the changes. Weckwerth clarified that the amendments would not affect private residential pools and that the changes would be communicated to pool owners and operators.

The committee voted unanimously to approve the amendments.

Homegrown Minneapolis Initiative Report

Allison Boisvert presented an update on the Homegrown Minneapolis Initiative, a city-community partnership focused on expanding local food systems. The initiative has funded 16 community-led projects ranging from $5,000 to $25,000, totaling approximately $316,000. These projects focus on food rescue, waste prevention, sustainable growing, and season extension.

Boisvert highlighted the shift in their work from distributing federal funding to food shelves to supporting sustainable growing projects and food rescue efforts. She emphasized the importance of these efforts in addressing both climate change and food insecurity.

The report was received and filed without a vote.

Youth Day at City Hall 2024 Report

Karen Moe and Heidi Ritchie presented a report on the first Youth Day at City Hall, which took place in April 2024. The event aimed to engage high school students from across Minneapolis, providing them with opportunities to interact with city departments, community organizations, and elected officials.

Key outcomes included:

• 81 youth participants and 12 teachers representing 10 Minneapolis high schools
• 75% of youth surveyed reported learning “a whole lot” or “some new things”
• 78% of participants became aware of different jobs and internships available with the city

Council Member Ellison commented on the importance of exposing youth to city opportunities:

“Seeing that chart about how 80% didn’t know what opportunities were available to them here at the city, that, like, sticks out to me as something, like, yeah, we got to let our youth know the ways in which we’re here to support them.”

The report was received and filed without a vote.

Office of Community Safety Quarterly Update

Commissioner Cedric Alexander presented the quarterly update for the Office of Community Safety, which oversees five departments: 9-1-1, Emergency Management, Fire, Neighborhood Safety, and Police. The update included highlights from each department and outlined strategic priorities for the coming quarter.

Key points included:

• Successful management of major events like concerts, Pride Parade, and Twin Cities Marathon
• Progress on implementing the Safe and Thriving Communities Report
• Launch of the OCS Dispatch, a biweekly public update
• Ongoing efforts to comply with the settlement agreement and prepare for the consent decree

Amanda Harrington provided details on the implementation of the Safe and Thriving Communities Report, including plans for a community safety ecosystem work group and updates on community safety centers.

The report was received and filed without a vote.

Public Comments

There were no public comments during this meeting.