I'm attaching a copy of the 90 day workplan we announced today. This represents key initiatives I will be focused on in the next couple of months.
We are also doing this in the midst of significant financial issues. I will be addressing those in more detail tomorrow...We are asking city employees to join me and council members in the City Hall rotunda to hear an overview of the budget issues. We are also asking for their help; The people who are delivering city services every day know better than anyone how we can get through this. I'd also like to extend that invitation to people on the list...This is a great time for anyone to come forward with ideas for making the city more efficient. I'll be monitoring the list...or you can email me directly at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Here's the 90 day plan: R.T.Rybak East Harriet Mayor Rybak Unveils 90-Day Plan In my first 90 days in office I will focus on my four priority areas from my campaign: § Build Vibrant, Affordable Neighborhoods. § Restore Trust in City Hall. § Improve Fiscal Management and Basic City Services. § Protect our Environment. In my first 90 days as Mayor I will work with citizens, businesses, the City Council, city staff and other units of government to accomplish the details of the following four pages. Build Vibrant, Affordable Neighborhoods Regulatory Reform Develop a package of regulatory reforms that promote and simplify the development and preservation of affordable housing in the City of Minneapolis. These reforms may include revisions to the building and zoning codes, fee structures, regulatory approval processes, and improvements to our housing information systems. Forward an initial package of regulatory reforms to the City Council in January, and develop a proposed work program and timeline for implementation of changes to the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code by the end of March. Organizational Reform Begin to align the work of the Minneapolis Community Development Agency (MCDA), the Planning Department, Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP), and other city departments and agencies with city-wide development priorities. Engage an independent consultant to assist the city with the assessment of this complex organizational reform. Develop preliminary recommendations for planning and development goals and principles to help guide this process, and identify immediate opportunities to align city development activities by the end of March. Housing Finance Release the $4 million in 2001 NRP funds reserved for affordable housing, and allocate these funds to eligible projects. Establish a work group to recommended a structure and dedicated funding sources for an Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Establish a work group to explore creative use of existing Minneapolis Public Housing Authority assets to increase the availability of affordable rental property in the city. Maintain the priority of affordable housing preservation and production in short- and long-term financial decisions made by the city. Civic Engagement and Advocacy Integrally involve citizens and businesses in developing and implementing our affordable housing strategies. Host two housing summits in January and March to get citizen input on our 90-day and longer-term strategies. Partner with the HousingMinnesota campaign to promote public understanding of affordable housing and the people it serves. Develop a legislative housing agenda, and work with the regional Mayor’s Task Force, the private sector, and the statewide housing coalition to advance this agenda during the 2002 session. Restore Trust in City Hall Strengthen City Ethical Standards Create an ethics task force with representatives from the City Council, city departments, labor unions, and the public to revise the current Code of Ethics to be to be a more comprehensive statement of the current ethical requirements for city employees and elected officials and to include higher ethical standards. Develop recommendations to reform city policies and procedures (including purchasing and the awarding of contracts) to reflect higher ethical standards that will restore public confidence in city government. The task force will present its recommendations to the public and the City Council by July 1, 2002 and should include specific proposals to: · Reform campaign finance and disclosure requirements · Improve lobbying practices · Expand conflict-of-interest provisions · Change the city’s selection processes to be more fair and open Open the Doors of City Hall Host a “Mayor’s Night Out” in different part of the city each month to meet citizens to get ideas for improving the city. Establish regular office hours for the Mayor to meet with the public, first come, first-served, at City Hall. Improve the city’s constituent service by hosting a joint-council-department meeting to coordinate existing resources. Partner with city departments, starting with the Police Department and Public Works, to host community meetings to provide information to citizens and get feedback on how the city is working. City Boards and Commissions Reinvigorate the 56 volunteer Boards and Commissions of the city of Minneapolis. Work with the City Clerk’s office to maximize publicity for board openings to make sure there is broader representation on these groups advising the city. Host a Citizen’s Fair to let people know how they can get involved. Focus on Diversity Begin to develop cross-department initiatives to diversify the workforce in accordance with Minneapolis’ increasingly diverse population. Refocus the work of the Civil Rights Department on this issue and on becoming a more proactive partner on racial relations with the Police Department. Launch the Office of New Arrivals with the appointment of a permanent Director. The goal of the office is to ensure that services provided by the city of Minneapolis are accessible to all city residents, particularly new arrivals and those with limited English skills. Work with the Police Department to ensure that all citizens are treated fairly, starting with establishing an in-service training for officers on how to treat people during traffic stops. Improve Fiscal Management and Basic City Services Address Impacts on 2002 Budget Work with the Ways and Means Chair and City Council leadership to address the changes that need to be made to the current 2002 budget. The plan will include the following components: · An assessment of spending reductions that need to be made in the 2002 budget. · An assessment of potential impacts of LGA reductions or other legislative decisions. · An accelerated strategic planning process to establish broad goals and criteria to guide spending reductions and avoid across-the-board spending cuts. Develop “Fiscal Discipline” Plan Appoint a long-term fiscal planning task force to develop a fiscal discipline plan to address the following components: · Create a ten-year resource and demand outlook based on complete understanding of financial situation as it stands today and the parameters for future issues. · Consider spending and debt policies for the Mayor and Council. · Consider adopting measures of fiscal health, including objectives for 5- and 10-year plans. · Establish priority goals for the 2003 budget. By beginning the budget process earlier, we hope to reduce last-minute budget maneuvering and promote a meaningful public discussion about what the city does and how we should be doing it. 24-Hour Snow Plowing Take the first steps toward implementing this service for the winter of 2002-2003. Complete an analysis of the costs and benefits of 24-hour snow plowing in the city of Minneapolis that includes a recommendation on how to accomplish this with the least amount of disruption or inconvenience to neighborhood residents and businesses. Reach out to neighborhoods and businesses to discuss the potential impacts of 24-hour snow plowing on parking and circulation. Work with City Council to hold neighborhood focus groups. Increase Access to and Effectiveness of City Services Develop a “one-stop shop” permit center for homeowners, property owners and businesses to obtain permits from the city. Create a plan to improve customer service by locating representatives from Public Works, the Fire Department, Planning, Consumer Services Business Licensing, and the MCDA in this “one-stop shop.” Ensure easy public access by keeping the shop open one evening a week during peak times. Protect Our Environment Our Mississippi River Establish a city-wide committee whose charge is to engage Minneapolis neighborhoods and organizations in the planning of Grand Excursion 2004. Educate citizens about combined sewer overflow, and develop an aggressive plan for the complete separation of the storm water and sewer systems in the city of Minneapolis. Air Quality Initiate efforts to develop comprehensive air quality standards for the city of Minneapolis. Evaluate methods of quantifying the existence and effects of hazardous air pollutants. Initiate a dialogue with XCEL Energy to develop a long-term plan for converting the Riverside Plant from a coal burning facility to one utilizing natural gas. “Green” City Initiative Strengthen environmental standards in city purchasing decisions. Replace the Mayor’s current fossil-fuel vehicle with an alternative-fuel vehicle. Identify opportunities to broaden “Green Government” initiatives throughout the city of Minneapolis. _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
