[Mpls] This Week in The Minneapolis Observer

[Craig Cox]

T H E M I N N E A P O L I S O B S E R V E R
A Weekly Digest of All Things Minneapolitan
www.mplsobserver.com
Vol. 2, No. 34
April 7, 2003

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THIS WEEK IN THE OBSERVER:
* Parks, Public Works Cuts Will Affect Many
* Pawlenty Plan Would Tap Property Tax for LRT
* Protesters Snub Fine, Plead Not Guilty
* Fire and Police Cuts Will Hurt Diversity
* Barbara Johnson for Congress?
Plus: The Pawlenty Precedent, toilet laws, cell phone buddies, and the power of dimness.

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PARKS, PUBLIC WORKS CUTS WILL AFFECT MANY
Budget cuts in the parks and public works departments will total nearly $10 million this year and city residents will see their effects in many ways.

As Scott Russell reports in the Skyway News (http://www.skywaynews.net), the Park Board March 19 unanimously approved a package of budget cuts totaling $3.5 million that would cut everything from chemical toilets and the annual New Year's Eve party to summer teen jobs programs and Loring Park's Berger Fountain. The department also instituted a hiring freeze that may be felt most acutely during the next big storm, says Michael Schmidt, assistant superintendent for maintenance. "We are down one full forestry crew. That is going to hurt," he says. "With tree planting and Dutch Elm Disease, if there are any storms that require cleanup, I don't have the ability to pull in a group of seasonal tree trimmers to take care of the problem."

A proposal to cut $6.2 million in the public works department is similarly harrowing, says director Klara Fabry. The department won't be able to fix traffic lights and potholes as quickly and will drastically curtail preventative maintenance on public plazas, bridges, and streets. "This is not sustainable," Fabry says. "It will cost you a lot more to manage the asset if you are not doing any kind of preventative maintenance."

Fabry says she is considering a proposal that would bill property owners for street and bridge maintenance. The fee would be similar to what residents pay for garbage and recycling services.

PAWLENTY PLAN WOULD RAID PROPERTY TAX FOR LRT
The Pawlenty administration and its Republican allies in the legislature are forging a plan that would tap property tax revenues from homes and business along the Hiawatha LRT line to pay for the line's operating costs.

PROTESTERS SNUB FINE, PLEAD NOT GUILTY
In what may be the first of several judicial showdowns between anti-war activists and prosecutors encouraged by an agitated governor to raise the cost of protest, 25 protesters have plead not guilty to petty misdemeanor and trespassing charges.

FIRE AND POLICE CUTS WILL HURT DIVERSITY
As much as state and city budget cuts are crippling public safety, diversity in the police and fire departments have also become a casualty.

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The Minneapolis Observer is published 48 times/year by Independent Media, L.L.C. �2003 Independent Media, 4152 Snelling Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55406; www.mplsobserver.com. No part of this publication may be reprinted without the permission of Independent Media. Subscriptions: $12/yr. To unsubscribe, send us an e-mail ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) and we'll get you off the list and refund the unused portion of your subscription.
Editor: Craig Cox
Deputy Assistant Senior Executive Editor: Sharon Parker
Contributing writers: Chris Dodge, Leo Mezzrow
Equine consultant and coffee shop correspondent: Nora Cox
Perspective: Martin Cox
Thanks to: John Kalbrener

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