Council member Meg Tuthill notified constituents that the winter parking ban had been lifted.

We are happy to inform you that the Winter Parking Restrictions have been lifted as of 10:00am today! Conditions have improved enough to allow emergency vehicles to navigate the majority of our streets. 

Mayor, Council President send message to City employees in wake of governor’s proposed $29-million cut to City

February 16, 2010 (MINNEAPOLIS) – Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak today announced that he will begin crafting a supplemental 2010 budget for the City of Minneapolis.

Mayor Rybak made the announcement in a joint message with Council President Barbara Johnson to City employees. 

In December 2009, the City Council passed a structurally-balanced budget for the City’s 2010 fiscal year (which is the 2010 calendar year). However, a supplemental budget became necessary yesterday when Governor Pawlenty proposed cutting approximately $29 million in Local Government Aid to Minneapolis in 2010. That proposal comes on top of another $21-million cut in LGA that Governor Pawlenty unallotted in 2009.

That $50-million combined cut represents 56% of the amount of LGA that Minneapolis was certified to receive in 2010.

Below is the text of the message from Mayor Rybak and Council President Johnson to City employees.

“As you have probably heard, yesterday Governor Tim Pawlenty released his proposal to close a $1.2-billion deficit in the state’s budget. His proposal includes about $250 million in cuts to communities throughout the state.

“Governor Pawlenty’s proposal would take another $29 million out of Minneapolis’ 2010 budget. As you may recall, last year Governor Pawlenty already cut Minneapolis’ 2010 budget by $21 million, but the $29-million cut that he proposed yesterday comes on top of that. Combined, those $50 million in cuts represent a 56% cut in the Local Government Aid that Minneapolis was supposed to receive from the State in 2010.

“We are so proud of the work each of our City employees does every day to keep the people of Minneapolis safe, our neighborhoods thriving and our city clean and livable. We have all done so much to weather these tough economic times. We have found new, innovative ways to provide core services.

“As Minneapolis’ elected leadership, the last thing we want to do is cut core city services. Through each of the State’s budget cuts to Minneapolis we have done whatever we can to maintain our basic city services.

“However, the Governor’s current proposal would be extremely damaging to the City, and comes at a time when we have already been cutting our services to the bone.

“We are proud of the work we have done as a City to streamline City services, find efficiencies and eliminate more than $116 million in debt. During that time the State’s spending has increased at a far greater rate than the City’s. 

“At this point we do not know how the State Legislature will approach the Governor’s proposal to fix the Minnesota’s budget crisis and what cuts the City of Minneapolis may actually realize. However, we have learned from experience how important it is to act quickly to minimize the impact later on.

“For this reason, the Mayor’s office has begun work to develop a proposal to the City Council for a supplemental 2010 budget. This process is at its earliest stages, and we will provide you with updates along the way.

“Thank you in advance for working with us to help deal with these State cuts. We know the cuts we need to make will be significant, and we want you to be a part of the process as we move forward. Now more than ever we need to be innovative and bring our best ideas to the table.”

Sunday, February 28th, was so beautiful outside I hesitated to head inside to cover a story.  Fortunately it's a journey I'm glad I made.  Upon stepping inside the Bryant Square Park Recreation Center I was greeted immediately by the friendly face of a woman I didn't know with a warm welcome.  The aroma of some chili cooking and the sounds of lively activity filled the air.  Adult and children were filing in to help support the 13th Annual CARAG Chilly Chili Fest, the proceeds of which were going to support the Joyce Uptown Food Shelf.

Everyone was fabulous; some of the friendliest people I've met in a long time.  This was especially surprising considering I didn't know anyone at this event.  By the end I walked away having met so many new people.

I shot a little video that you can view below.  I decided to take some pictures of the volunteers working in the kitchen and I was so happy to see Meg Tuthill, one of the newly elected council members, cooking in the kitchen.  For those who may not know, Meg is the newly elected representative for Ward 10.  This was the first time I'd seen an elected official toiling at a charity event.  Most of the time they’re present more in the "meet and greet" role, as though we should be glad they graced us with their presence.  How refreshing to see a city leader truly working in the community with no lights, camera or fanfare.  Tuthill seems like the real deal.

The chili was so enticing; I had to purchase a bowl.  You probably can't tell from the video, but it was pretty dang good.  If I hadn't been in public I would have been tempted to lick the bowl clean.

View video below:

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