Tuesday was Election Day! Local Labor-endorsed victories include:
Elections:
· Tuesday was Election Day! Local Labor-endorsed victories include:
-re-election of Bloomington’s Mayor Gene Winstead and Councilmember Tim Busse over two Tea Party challengers
-successful passage of two of Anoka-Hennepin School District’s three levy questions: Question 1, which will protect 500 teaching brothers and sisters from layoffs, and Question 2, which will update the technology in Anoka-Hennepin schools (and only passed with 51%)
-election of Golden Valley Mayor Shep Harris
Thank you to all who lit-dropped, phone-banked, and voted to help our candidates and issues win!
Public Meetings:
· Bloomington: The City Council and Port Authority will hold a joint meeting on the Lindau Corridor projects on Tuesday, November 15th at 6:00 pm in the Haeg Conference Room at the Bloomington Civic Plaza. They are scheduled to vote on the funding agreement for these projects (they were also scheduled to take this vote last week, but there was some confusion about how each party would pay its share, so the vote was postponed). They are more likely to come to some sort of agreement this time, in terms of ensuring their share of the state bonding bill funds before the next legislative session starts. These $49M projects will create 350 on-site jobs through 2012-2014, and help create a predicted 8,000 new jobs in Bloomington in the next 10 years through the development of the second phase of the Mall of America.
· Minneapolis: The City Council has scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, November 15th on a project to build a new entrance ramp to northbound 35W at 4th St S, as well as an auxiliary lane on northbound 35W from University Ave to Stinson Blvd. The total project cost is estimated to be $13.5M. This project is headed up by Hennepin County, but also involves the City, MNDOT, Federal Highway Administration, Met Council, Metro Transit, and the Central Corridor LTR. After the City's public hearing, the City will pass a resolution approving or disapproving. If the city disapproves, the County may meet any city conditions, appeal, or stop the project.
· Ramsey (city of): The City of Ramsey will have a celebration of the new rail station site on Wednesday, November 16th at 11:30 at the site. Construction is anticipated to start in March, with service beginning in December 2012.
· Minneapolis: There will be a public hearing on the City 2012 levy and budget on Wednesday, November 30th, at approx. 6:05 pm. There will be another public hearing on December 14th when the budget is actually adopted, so the November hearing is the best opportunity to raise any particular concerns.
Development on the horizon:
· Bloomington: City Council postponed work on a business subsidy agreement for Polar Semiconductor until the Council's January 23rd 2012 meeting. MRLF will continue to monitor in terms of public investment and job creation goals. 11/7.
· Hennepin County: Vegetation removal from the Minnehaha Creek area is expected to begin this week; excavation for a new Lyndale Avenue bridge should begin in February. This bridge is part of a $9M project for improvements to Lyndale Avenue. 11/8.
· Minneapolis: Community Development Committee approved the sale of 2637/39 Upton Avenue N to Alliance Housing Incorporated for $15k. The building is currently condemned and planned to be rehabilitated into affordable housing (50% of the area median income or lower). 11/8.
· Minneapolis: Community Development Committee approved acceptance of a $750k grant from Minnesota Housing Finance Authority. The money will go to the Rehab Support Program, which provides financing in selected neighborhoods (foreclosure rates of 10%+ from 2008-2010) for value-added improvements (e.g. code compliance & health/safety hazard remediation, floor covering/refinishing, kitchen or bathroom remodeling, new siding, etc) to owner-occupied homes. 11/8.
· Minneapolis: Community Development Committee approved an additional $240k to the Rehab Support Program to create an emergency relief fund for roof repair for homes in North Minneapolis hit by May's tornado. 11/8.
· Minneapolis: Community Development Committee deleted amendments to the City's TIF policy from their agenda, after postponing it for months. 11/8.
· Minneapolis: Community Development Committee authorized applications to DEED and the Met Council for grants for environmental remediation funding for the MPHA's Heritage Park Senior Living Redevelopment project. Unfortunately, environmental remediation work is exempt from the City's living wage ordinance, although business that occupy remediated sites MAY be asked to sign a Job Linkage Agreement with 5-year hiring goals to promote living wage jobs for City residents. The project itself would be the construction of two new buildings at 901 4th Ave N. One building would be 48 1-bedroom units of affordable senior housing, targeted towards seniors with various forms of dementia; the other building would be a 69,600 sq ft facility with a medical center, adult day services, physical therapy pool, and a gym. 11/8.
· Minneapolis: Community Development Committee approved Phase II of St. Anthony East's revitalization plan and $362k of funding, $253k of which will go into home improvement loan programs. 11/8.
· Minneapolis: Community Development Committee approved Phase II of the Midtown Phillips' revitalization plan and $253k of funding, all of which will go to housing-related activities. 11/8.
· Minneapolis: Zoning & Planning Committee voted on a petition to rezone 515/517/521 Huron Blvd from Light Industrial to Multiple Family District for a proposed 75-unit residential development. The developer is Solhem LLC. 11/10.
· Richfield: Demo continues on Woodlake Plaza to build a 94-unit apartment complex with a transit plaza. Construction is estimated to cost $12M. 11/7.
· Richfield: Lyndale Garden Center will be bought by developer Cornerstone Group; closing on purchase agreement is anticipated on November 21st. Rehab will begin next month, which will result in a grocery store, hardware store, restaurant, community space, a school, and housing. 11/7.
· Richfield: K-Mart will be torn down next week. The LA Fitness that is planned for the space is projected to be completed by spring. 11/7.
Public contracts:
· Anoka County: County Board voted to approve and execute law enforcement contracts through the County Sheriff's office for the following municipalities: Andover, Bethel, Columbus, East Bethel, Ham Lake, Oak Grove, and Linwood Township. 11/8.
· Anoka County: County Board awarded a contract to Aerial Painting for their low bid of $224k for county signal painting. Approximately 30 of the County's 175 signals will be painted in the duration of this contract. The other bid: $528k by TMI Coatings. Neither company is listed on IUPAT's website as an affiliated contractor. 11/8.
· Anoka County: County Board voted to increase North Valley's contract for the Overlay program by $932k to a total of $5.11M, for additional work. 11/8.
· Bloomington: City Council ordered a feasibility study and report for its proposed 2012 Pavement Management street reconstruction project, which will include an estimated cost. MRLF will continue to monitor the process. 11/7.
· Bloomington: City Council awarded a contract for pond maintenance (dewatering, pond dredging, and site restoration at Wright's Lake and Countryside West Pond) to Frattalone Companies for the low bid of $397k. 11/7.
· Hennepin County: Library, Tech, & General Gov't Committee will vote to continue contract with architects Hagen, Christensen, and McIlwain for the Roosevelt Library remodeling project. The project will remodel the existing library (bring it up to code, make the building fully accessible) and add a 554 sq ft addition. The overall project is $3.2M. The Board anticipates bidding in May-June 2012, with construction beginning in June and construction completion scheduled for spring 2013. 11/15.
· Hennepin County: Library, Tech, & General Gov't Committee will vote to continue contract with architects Vincent James Associates for the Walker Library construction project. The plan is to demolish the existing Walker Library to make way for a new library of about 15,000 sq ft and below-grade parking. The overall project budget is $12M. The Board anticipates bidding in August/September 2012, completing construction by November 2013 and reopening in the spring of 2014. 11/15.
· Hennepin County: Public Works, Energy & Environment Committee will vote to negotiate with Greater Metropolitan Housing Corp for Sentence to Service crews to construct and rehab residential housing, at a cost not to exceed $225k. 11/15.
· Hennepin County: Public Works, Energy & Environment Committee will vote to negotiate with Three Rivers Park District for Sentence to Service crews to work on building maintenance projects throughout the Park District, for an amount of $140k, for the calendar year 2012. 11/15.
· Hennepin County: Public Works, Energy & Environment Committee will vote on a change order to a contract with Lunda Construction, a union company, for the reconstruction of Excelsior Blvd and replacement of the CSAH 3 bridge over Minnehaha Creek in St. Louis Park. The contract was awarded in May. The change order would be a $542k increase, bringing the new total to $5.62M, and is for the removal and disposal of contaminated soil, as well as extra work due to high water levels on the creek. 11/15.
· Hennepin County: Public Works, Energy & Environment Committee will release its short list of design-build teams for the Interchange Project, and each short-listed team will be required to submit a technical and cost proposal for its services. Hennepin County Transit envisions the Interchange as an elevated 2,000-acre outdoor plaza consisting of 66,000 sq ft of civic place with elevated rail platforms, parking, and retail. Estimated cost: $67M. The County anticipates that a major federal grant will pay for most of it. 11/15.
· Minneapolis: Community Development Committee approved the low bid of Final Grade, Inc (out of Jordan) for $84k for demo at five north Minneapolis addresses. 11/8.
· Minneapolis: Transportation & Public Works Committee will vote on authorization for a change order with R & R Leasing (out of Hugo) from $650k to a new total of $890k for hauling & disposal of treatment residuals for Water Treatment and Distribution Services. The change order is "due to contractor delays, operational issues, and needed time to optimize the new filter press system." 11/15.
· Minneapolis: Ways & Means/Budget Committee will vote on accepting a low bid from Twin City Garage Door of $322k for rolling doors for the Target Center. 11/14.
· Minneapolis: Ways & Means/Budget Committee will vote on accepting a low bid from Hufcor Minnesota for $1.24M for the replacement of operable wall panels for the Minneapolis Convention Center. 11/14.
Public/union workers:
· Hennepin County: Budget & Capital Committee will vote on a contract with HealthPartners to provide a Medicare group health plan for Medicare-eligible County retirees. 11/15.
· Minneapolis: Community Development Committee approved application for the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) H1-B Technical Skills Training Grant, designed to provide education, training, and job placement assistance to American workers in fields where employers are currently using H1-B visas to hire workers from other countries. The Minnesota application targets high-tech manufacturing work. 11/8.
· Minneapolis: Ways & Means/Budget Committee received information that the City applied for reimbursement under the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program created under the Affordable Care Act. The City received a reimbursement of $1.49M, that it intends to use as a "one-time contribution holiday" for active City employees and early retirees, so on the November 18th payroll, all current employees and early retirees will receive a taxable payment equal to the monthly cost of their health care premiums. 11/14.
· Minneapolis: Zoning & Planning Committee appointed Ryan Kronzer to fill the Ward 6 seat in the Planning Commission, after former Commissioner Brian Gorecki moved out of the ward. 11/10.
2012 Legislative Session:
· Anoka County: The County Board voted to approve its 2012 State Legislative platform. Highlights include: continuing the Fiscal Disparities program with no changes, supporting efforts to allow county employees to purchase long-term care insurance through the state plan, bonding for MN's local road and bridge capital improvements, passage of the Minnesota Accountable Government Innovation and Collaboration Act (or MAGIC Act) which would authorize counties to take any action not prohibited by state law to provide for the health/safety/general welfare of the public. Commissioner Dan Erhart moved to include support for racino revenue in the County's legislative platform, explicitly declaring that it would create good jobs, both permanent racino jobs and construction jobs. The motion failed 4-3, with Commissioners Carol LeDoux and Andy Westerberg also supporting Erhart's motion. 11/8.
· Carver County: County Board will set 2012 State Legislative agenda. Proposed planks include: the TH 101 MN River Crossing bridge project, acquisition of land for the proposed Lake Waconia Regional Park, more equitable distribution of aid cuts (in light of sharp decreases in County Program Aid), funding or elimination of unfunded mandates, funding for local bridge repair & replacement (15 of the 80 bridges overseen by the County needs replacement), and allowing Regional Park agencies to apply for Legacy funds. 11/15.
Budgets:
· Carver County: The Board discussed the current draft of the 2012 budget, which included $1.3M in levy savings by instituting a 2.9% across-the-board cut. $1.4M was shifted from County Program Aid to the operating budget in light of the Market Value Homestead Credit changes. A voluntary early retirement incentive program (and not filling vacancies) was used to avoid layoffs. Public hearing will be on December 1st and adoption of the final budget will be on December 15th. 11/1.
· Hennepin County: Budget & Capital Committee will vote on the Hennepin Healthcare System's 2012 budget. The budget notes an $8M reduction in uncompensated care in 2011, mostly attributed to the Governor's expansion of Medical Assistance, and the 2012 budget anticipates an additional reduction of $2M. The 2012 budget includes an additional $9.9M in capital spending for the remodeling of the Pediatric ICU and the expansion of the cancer clinic. The HHS Board of Directors is also currently considering additional capital spending to build an improved facility for HHS's ambulatory services; requests for this funding have not yet come to the County Board. 11/15.
Sarah Podenski
Policy Director
Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation, AFL-CIO
