Averting rideshare crisis

Mayor Jacob Frey says he wants to both increase driver pay and ensure rideshare services continue operating in Minneapolis.

The mayor would support a rate of pay increase in line with the recently released statewide study, which analyzed 18 million rides, and has pushed the City Council to pass an ordinance that aligns with that study.

"I couldn't care less about Uber and Lyft's bottom line," Mayor Frey said. "This is not about helping those two companies. This is about helping the people that rely on this important transportation network to get from point A to point B."

“For me as a blind person, I can get around without Uber and Lyft, but it’s not always the most convenient,” said Corbb O’Connor, President of the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota. “When I have a doctor’s appointment for myself at 11 a.m. in Burnsville, and my son has one at 1 p.m. in downtown Minneapolis, that’s easy to do with Uber and Lyft. It meant that I didn’t have to take an entire day off work for those appointments.”

“The elderly are especially at risk of isolation and loneliness. Transportation networks are one way that elders can participate in society and keep their social muscles from atrophying and so what I’m hearing them in conversation, of course, is a lot of fear,” said Angelique Kingsbury, chair of the Minneapolis Advisory Committee on Aging.

“If rideshare as we know it ceases to exist in Minneapolis on May 1, it will leave a significant portion of our workforce without affordable, safe, reliable transportation as a commute to and from work at all hours of the day. In addition, it will leave business leaders with an even tighter worker shortage than they are already facing,” said Angie Whitcomb, President and CEO of Hospitality MN.

Locate Election Center in former 3^rd Precinct building

Mayor Frey's administration is recommending the City move forward with reopening the former Third Precinct building at 3000 Minnehaha Avenue in South Minneapolis as the new Elections & Voter Services location. The administration pitched this strategy and plan to the City Council last Monday.

At the mayor's direction, staff have also accounted for an 8,000-square-foot community space within the building — allowing for dynamic and flexible community use in addition to an annual early voting location and elections warehouse. 

This building is right off the light rail and along multiple bus routes, allowing for a centrally-located voting center with easy access to the ballot box for residents along East Lake Street and the entire City.

A community information session will be scheduled this spring and public engagement surrounding the community-use space is set to begin this summer. Check this website to stay up to date on engagement opportunities.

"For the past few years, City staff have diligently examined the best fit for the building," said Mayor Frey. "At the same time, the neighborhood has waited to see a positive change in the physical structure and future use. Building an election center that also allows for significant community space and use makes good sense — from both financial and community impact perspectives. I fully support moving forward as soon as possible with this thoughtful, ambitious, and realistic plan."

"I think we are going to be able to present something that could both have a really good partnership with community, but also provide this really important service of a democracy," said Margaret Anderson Kelliher, City Operations Officer. "This is going to be a very active site, almost year-round, which is good for East Lake Street and it's good for the neighborhood."

$4M for North Transfer Station

Last week Mayor Frey joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to announce a $4 million solid waste infrastructure and recycling grant awarded to the City of Minneapolis. This grant will be put towards the City's North Transfer Station revitalization project — creating a new residential resource recovery and waste drop-off facility in North Minneapolis.

Once operational, the North Transfer Station is expected to provide notable progress towards the City's adopted Zero-Waste goals while giving Northside residents a convenient and accessible site to drop off items to be recycled and reused. The City has already invested $3 million into this site,.

“We’re bringing the North Transfer Station to life – giving Northsiders a convenient and accessible place to reduce and recycle, while moving the dial on our Minneapolis Zero Waste goals,” said Mayor Frey. “This $4 million EPA grant will not only help to benefit our residents through this project, but will also help us keep our parks and waterways cleaner at the same time. I’m grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for their support of this Minneapolis project and their ongoing commitment to tackling climate change at every turn.”

Youth internships

Minneapolis is looking for more employers to host interns this summer. 

Over 1,200 Minneapolis youth ages 14-21 have successfully completed their Step Up internship training and are ready for a high-quality work experience this summer. More than 100 employers are committed to hosting one intern or more, but more employers are needed to ensure that every intern has the opportunity to build new skills and contribute to businesses in their community this summer, the mayor’s office said.

Step Up internships start on June 24. Non-profits, public entities, and businesses in Minneapolis are eligible to host interns. Supervisor training in May prepares employers for a successful youth internship. And job coaches and other Step Up staff offer support to both interns and their supervisors all along the way. 

Visit the City of Minneapolis website to learn more about becoming a Step Up employer or contact the Community Planning and Economic Development department directly for more information on hosting an intern. Email: maryan.sa@minneapolismn.gov

Step Up is a partnership between the City of Minneapolis, Achieve Twin Cities, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development and Project for Pride in Living.