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On Sept. 26, 2008 the Minneapolis City Council and Mayor R.T. Rybak approved establishing a Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission and a Neighborhood and Community Relations Department. Because the state legislation that funded NRP sunsets in 2009, City leaders have been working for several years to improve the City’s community engagement system and to find ways to make sure neighborhoods remain a valued part of the City’s culture, serving as a link between City government, residents and businesses. Together the new commission and City department will collaborate to support the ongoing work of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP), partner with neighborhoods to promote resident participation in City decision-making, and support the community engagement work of City departments.
The new Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission, a group of 16 residents will be appointed to oversee the City’s relationship with neighborhoods and community organizations. The commission’s charge is to provide direction to the next phase of NRP and be primarily responsible for the review of neighborhood plans. The commission will also make recommendations to the City Council on allocation of a variety of types of funding to neighborhoods. Neighborhoods will have significant representation on the commission with eight residents selected by neighborhood organizations, five residents appointed by the City Council, two appointed by the Mayor, and one appointed by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Through the input and work of the Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission, residents and neighborhood organizations will play a key role in enhancing and shaping how the City engages its residents.
The approval of a new City department, the Neighborhood and Community Relations Department, is designed to bring existing staff from different departments together to leverage their expertise to jointly serve residents and promote community participation through the work of neighborhoods and City departments. Department staff will help neighborhood organizations navigate City processes and continue developing partnerships with City departments. Plans call for the department to offer leadership training to residents and develop opportunities for all residents of the City to learn more about civic participation in the City of Minneapolis.
Additionally, department staff, in cooperation with community crime prevention, would work to promote more collaboration between neighborhood groups and block clubs. The department will also be situated to create a forum for neighborhood organizations to share lessons learned and best practices and similarly for City departments to learn from one another’s experiences. The department will begin its work in January 2009 and will use much of the year as a transition period to establish staffing and programming details.
Many successful components of NRP will continue under the new system. Neighborhoods will continue to receive City funding for operations and programs, and as independent organizations, neighborhoods will retain control over their goals, budgets, and work plans. The department will administer the new State authorized funds available for neighborhood operations and programming that will support the next phase of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP). Another of the department’s duties is to provide staff support to the new resident-controlled Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission. Together the commission and department staff will collaborate to oversee and support programming details and funding of the next phase of NRP.
For more information on the City’s Community engagement work, visit www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/communications/communityengagement.asp. The final language of the authorizing resolution for the Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission is made available through the City Council Archives Web page under Official Council Proceedings at http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/council/archives.asp.