New Year Outlook: A Discussion with Mayor Jacob Frey

Article by Becky Fillinger, photos provided 

Mayor-Jacob-FreyWhat’s on the agenda for 2024 in Minneapolis? We talked to Mayor Jacob Frey about his top priorities for the new year – and it covers a wide range of topics - including community safety, climate action and economic inclusion, among others. We’re grateful for his time in sharing plans for the coming year with our downtown audience. Please take a few minutes to read about the Mayor’s plans for the new year. 

Q:  Please tell us your thoughts and wishes for 2024 in Minneapolis.

A:  Minneapolis has momentum and is in a rebound post-pandemic, but for us to truly succeed that momentum should not just be to going back to where we were before. I hope that we, as a city, embrace change: change in how our downtown attracts people, change in activating a beautiful riverfront and change in our approach to inclusivity. More specifically, we need to double down on foundational aspects that will help our great city continue to rise: safety must be a top priority, continued investment in affordable housing for people in need, economic inclusion and supports for local, small business owners, and a commitment to climate action and protecting our planet. Through these priorities, we will make sure our city is well-positioned to be a leader and to set an example that others can follow.

Minneapolis Public Housing Authoritie's (MPHA) family housing expansion project grand opening

Q:  What are the top priorities and goals for Minneapolis in 2024?

A:  My top priority areas for 2024 include:

• Community safety and Police Reform
• Economic Inclusion and Recovery
• Affordable Housing, Public Housing, and Homelessness
• Climate Action
• Good Governance

The City of Minneapolis is also going through one of the biggest government shifts in history. While the official change to the “strong mayor system” (also known as the normal mayor system) has happened, most of the work is still underway to shift the culture of how City Hall functions – a culture that has been baked into the walls of City Hall for years. This shift will be a critical item of focus this year as we continue to navigate our ability to provide more effective, efficient, and coordinated services to the residents of Minneapolis.

Q:  In terms of economic development, how will your office seek to attract new businesses, and promote job creation and workforce development?

A:  Minneapolis is a world-class city that can be a selling point in and of itself, but that’s not enough. My administration is going out affirmatively to recruit new businesses, large and small. We are doing this with a lens of inclusivity – focusing specifically on BIPOC-owned businesses.

The Chameleon Shoppes add unique shopping options Downtown.

Through our Ownership and Opportunity Fund (formerly known as the Commercial Property and Development Fund), we’ve invested more than $11 million into business owners since 2020. The Fund aims to fill significant funding gaps by providing forgivable patient debt capital for commercial real estate development and acquisition in the city of Minneapolis, with a focus on economically challenged areas.

We launched the program back in 2020...and since then 22 business owners in Minneapolis have been awarded funding, helping them buy commercial real estate – supporting wealth generation and allowing business owners to own the underlying real estate for their businesses. In the 2024 budget, we’ve allocated an additional $3 million to the Fund.

Also in the 2024 budget, we’ve included $750,000 in ongoing funding, to implement recommendations from the Vibrant Downtown Storefronts Workgroup – which has looked at ways to reinvent the storefront experience downtown (on street and skyway levels). The Workgroup presented its recommendations in the summer – including moving buses off of Nicollet Avenue and opening up pop-up shops in underutilized spaces Downtown to revitalize the corridor and give local artists a chance to showcase their talent and crafts.

Additional investments in the 2024 budget:

• Nearly $1.3 million for future planning and development of George Floyd Square, including art preservation and community engagement 
• Funding for Black Business Week and Latino Business Week in Minneapolis
• A direct investment of $420,000 in neighborhood organizations across the city, increasing the base budget for each neighborhood from $10,000 to $15,000 and ensuring that every neighborhood receives a minimum of $5,000 inequitable engagement funds 

Q:  What’s the 2024 plan for enhancing public safety in Minneapolis?

A:  It’s no secret Minneapolis needs more police officers. We’re down a couple hundred officers, and recruitment and retention plans will be key for us in 2024. We plan to launch a new marketing campaign in early 2024 – focused on hiring more police officers, and we have invested in the Charter-required funding for 731 officers in the Police Department.

But we also know our safety efforts cannot just be limited to police. We have invested nearly $3 million ongoing funding in the Behavioral Crisis Response (BCR) Program. The BCR program provides unarmed professionals to crises in Minneapolis, helping provide intervention, counseling, and other support services to residents who need it.

Mayor Frey with Hennepin County Chief Judge Todd Barnette at his swearing in as Community Safety Commissioner.

The City has also begun building out the foundation of the Minneapolis Safe and Thriving Communities Report - which provides a long-term vision and future recommendations for continuing to build out an ecosystem for safety beyond policing in Minneapolis. The report focuses on preventative, responsive, and restorative services – while also looking at comprehensive safety services that could be provided at a future Community Safety Center in the city.

The New York University School of Law’s Policing Project is helping the City implement the initial recommendations from the report. In the 2024 budget, we have also allocated funding for three new positions in the Office of Community Safety to help fulfill the safety innovation work recommended through the Report.

Finally, the City of Minneapolis is also in the process of implementing a settlement agreement with the State – and looking ahead to the imminent consent decree with the DOJ. We included roughly $16 million into this reform work through the 2024 budget – funding a team of more than 30 dedicated positions to MPD, Civil Rights, and Information Technology Departments.

Q:  Does Minneapolis have programs to address climate change? What are the environmental or sustainability Initiatives for this year?

A:  This past summer, we announced the creation of the Climate Legacy Initiative - an innovative plan to fund the City’s accelerated, equitable, and aggressive climate goals over the next ten years. Through the CLI, I hope Minneapolis becomes one of the most sustainable cities in the nation. 

Climate Legacy Initative (CLI) funding signing.

The formation of the CLI came together after working with various community leaders, grassroots advocates, unions and climate organizations, and City staff. The Initiative provides necessary funding to implement the City’s Climate Equity Plan, which provides a roadmap for climate work over the next decade. The community-wide plan sets a goal for Minneapolis to significantly reduce climate pollution by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2050. It also includes plans to weatherize all homes, reduce utility bills, promote green job training, and plant more trees. 

Kicking off the return of Taste of Minnesota - one of the many events that drew people Downtown in 2023.