The City of Lakes Chamber is committed to addressing the needs and concerns of businesses in the city of Minneapolis. In conjunction with the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, the City of Lakes Chamber continues to build relationships with community leaders in and around Minneapolis enabling the Chamber to serve as a connector between local business associations and decision makers on substantive issues that impact the broader businesses community.

 

City Council Committee Discusses Inflationary Increases to License Fees

Each year, the City’s Department of Licenses and Consumer Services is required by city ordinance to bring forth a proposal that adjusts license fees for inflation. The rationale for this action is to adjust the fees each year, as opposed to the sizeable increases every so often.  Next week the City Council’s Public Safety and Regulatory Services committee will discuss increasing all business license fees (except taxis) by an estimated inflationary rate of 3 percent.  A public hearing was scheduled to hear testimony on this issue.  The details of this hearing are below:

Public Hearing:  License Fee Increases
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
1:00 p.m. or shortly thereafter
Room 317 City Hall, 350 S. 5th Street

The public is invited to be present at the public hearing to express opinions and inform public officials of your approval or disapproval of the proposed license fee increase.  To view the proposed ordinance change in its entirety , click here.

 

Response to Crime Downtown

As incidences of violent crime make headlines in the Twin Cities, the call for security and protection for the downtown community increases.  The MRCC, along with other downtown business leaders, continue to meet with government officials to express concerns and determine what our community can do to help in the response.  As reported in several newspaper articles, particular attention has been placed on transit crimes and the option of rerouting certain bus stops.  While this may help certain segments of the downtown area, threatening situations and criminal activities have no real borders.  A greater presence of uniformed officers is desperately needed, which means additional resources for law enforcement.  MRCC encourages policy makers to prioritize programs that provide the greatest benefit to society; security and protection of its people are among them.  Your Chamber will continue to represent business interests of the region on issues of public safety.

 

Lake Street Construction Update

As construction work continues on both the east and west segments of Lake Street, project officials emphasize that access to businesses, alleys and adjacent streets will be maintained in the work zones.  Lake Street businesses are open during construction. Like city and county officials, the Chamber encourages your support of those businesses in this construction zone.  For more information on this project, click here.

 

New Economic Impact Estimates Released on Bridge Collapse

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) released new estimates on the economic impact of the I-35W bridge collapse.  The report suggests the daily economic impact is a $113,000 reduction in the state’s economic output (i.e., gross state product).  This equates to approximately $17 million in 2007 and $43 million in 2008, which is roughly 0.01 percent of the state’s economy on an annual basis.  For more information on this report, click here.

 

Minneapolis Seeks Public Input in Street Lighting Policy

Minneapolis is seeking input on the city’s street lighting policies, specifically the street lighting standards.  The scope and purpose of the policy is to determine lighting standards for residential, pedestrian and the Central Business District.  Each quadrant of the city will hold two public hearings this month.  Specifically, the hearings are scheduled below:

  • Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007---Powderhorn Park (SE quadrant)
  • Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2007—Harrison Park (NW)
  • Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007—Lynnhurst Park (SW)
  • Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007—Creekview Park (NW)
  • Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007—Waite Park (NE)
  • Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007—Nokomis Community Center (SE)
  • Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007—Van Cleve Park (NE)
  • Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007—Kenwood Park (SW)

These meetings will serve as opportunities to share information about the proposed Street Lighting Policy and Program, as well as gather the community’s input.  For more information, click here . 

 

Panhandling

The Minneapolis City Council’s Public Safety and Regulatory Services Committee (PSRS) heard public testimony and took action to support a proposal to restrict verbal panhandling in the city’s aggressive solicitation ordinance. The City of Lakes Chamber Board of Directors voted unanimously to support this proposal earlier last month. Based on that direction, Sharon Fischer (University of St. Thomas), Chair, testified on your behalf and voiced your Chamber’s support. Also testifying in support of the proposal were Northeast and City of Lakes Chamber Board Member Dennis Werneke (American Chemical, Inc.), Chamber member Tom Hoch (Hennepin Theatre Trust),  as well as representatives from Meet Minneapolis and the Downtown Council. This vote by PSRS is the first major obstacle in passing the ordinance change. Your Chamber will continue to advocate for a restrictive verbal panhandling ordinance in the days leading up to the full City Council vote next Friday.

If you are interested in voicing your opinion on this issue, there is still time! Call or contact your city councilperson urging their support of this proposal.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Travis Bunch, Director of Public Policy, at (612) 370-9170 or Tbunch@minneapolischamber.org

 

Downtown Safety

Earlier this week, Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved funding to provide downtown Minneapolis additional sheriff deputies and the equivalent of a full time probation officer. The deputies and probation officers will be patrolling designated blocks from 4:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday until September 15th. The inclusion of probation officers is essential in assisting with crime prevention efforts.  Probation officers have the ability to immediately revoke probation status after an individual has been identified.  Your Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, along with Downtown Council, the Minneapolis Police Department, and other business leaders asked the County for assistance during the summer months. Public safety is the number one priority for our membership. We will continue to work on efforts that promote a safer community for our employees, patrons and visitors.   

 

I-35W Bridge Collapse

In partnership with the City of Minneapolis, the Chamber created the “Business Responds” network-- a web-based communication tool using email to keep the business community and government leaders updated on issues regarding the I-35W bridge collapse.  Specifically, the network is divided into four groups:

  • General Information with Status Updates
  • Transportation Routing and Transit/Scheduling
  • Fleet and Freight Management Solutions
  • Recovery and Rebuilding Information

“Business Responds” disseminates important, up-to-date information and action requests being asked by city, county or state agencies.  However, this network is also a two-way communications tool by providing a vehicle to express suggestions, comments or concerns to public officials and the appropriate government agencies. To participate in this network, please email businessresponds@minneapolischamber.org your contact information and groups (listed above) you wish to start receiving information.