Today, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey delivered his 2024 Budget Address live from the City Council Chambers. Last year, the mayor proposed his first-ever biennial budget. The budget proposed today marks his first, full, two-year budget cycle. The 2024 budget recommendations largely keep promises the mayor has made and follow through on commitments to constituents, City departments, staff, and Council Members.

In prepared remarks, Frey outlined his budget proposal which features a continued commitment to affordable housing, historic investments in long-term, sustainable climate action, and funding for the federal consent decree, inclusive economic recovery work, and park and public waters improvements.

Frey’s proposed 2024 budget totals $1.8 billion, with a tax levy increase of 6.2% – which is the exact levy increase he promised last year, no higher.

“Not only does this budget keep promises...it lays out generational investments in the city we love – a plan for the future. Making these investments and standing by them for the long haul will take courage, but the ideals set in this budget are more than just courageous, they are realistic, too,” Frey said.

Frey continued, “For the most significant items in this budget, I’m hopeful we can achieve a sense of unity. Investments to meet a soon-to-come federal consent decree are not optional. Somebody has to step up to deal with public housing deferred maintenance and new unit production. Somebody also has to step up and address the climate crisis. And in Minneapolis, a world-class parks system is not seen as a ‘nice to have’, but as an essential part of our identity.”

“So, let’s find unity where it exists – and it does – and let’s agree to agree on these long-term, generational investments,” Frey concluded.

Highlights from Frey’s recommended 2024 budget:

Affordable Housing

• Increases funding to $18 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, helping produce and preserve quality affordable housing across Minneapolis. 
• Adds an additional $4 million in the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, bringing the total ongoing funding to $5 million -- five times the previous funding level.
• Invests $2 million in Minneapolis Homes, increasing affordable homeownership opportunities and addressing racial disparities in homeownership.
• Adds $1 million in funding for additional shelter capacity to help residents facing homelessness.
• Expands Proactive Renter’s First and Alternative Enforcement Initiatives by more than $300,000, helping provide additional staff to focus on holding property owners accountable when traditional enforcement is not effective.
• Replenishes the Renter Relocation Fund with $150,000 to continue providing services.

Climate and Public Health

• Invests $10 million annually into the Minneapolis Climate Legacy Initiative to support the City’s climate goals over the next decade, tripling previous climate work investments.
• This investment includes: $4.7 million toward weatherizing all homes in Minneapolis, $1.4 million in workforce training, and $850,000 in the City’s tree canopy program.

• Puts forward nearly $3 million to address the opioid crisis, including for culturally responsive treatment facilities, new programming, and additional staff.
• Invests $500,000 into Turning Point, a nonprofit on the Northside that provides culturally specific behavioral health services and training.
• Adds nearly $1 million to a medical mobile unit that will travel around the city to provide opioid treatment and services to residents.
• Adds $730,000 to go toward Electric Vehicle Charging stations across Minneapolis.

Economic Inclusion

• Invests an additional $3 million to the Ownership and Opportunity Fund to provide ownership opportunities to local BIPOC small business owners.
• Adds nearly $720,000 for future planning and development of George Floyd Square, including art preservation and community engagement.
• Provides a direct investment of $420,000 in neighborhood organizations across the city, increasing the base budget for each neighborhood from $10,000 to $15,000.
• Supports the implementation of recommendations from the Vibrant Downtown Storefronts Workgroup with over $1 million in funding.
• Invests $315,000 in the Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) department to help plan for upcoming recreational cannabis regulations.
• Adds a Director of Strategic Initiatives in CPED to coordinate downtown activity and build partnerships, including a continuation of the Warehouse District Live pilot program.
• Expands funding for Black Business Week in Minneapolis with $70,000 for total ongoing funding of $100,000. 
• Continues the Community Outreach and Safety Program that provides competitive grants to community-based organizations to provide training for young people interested in public safety careers.

Community Safety and Police Reform

• Invests approximately $16 million for the implementation of the federal consent decree, funding a team of 34 dedicated staff members and 28 civilian positions at MPD.
• Expands the Behavioral Crisis Response program with ongoing funding of $2.9 million.
• Builds out the Department of Neighborhood Safety and its violence prevention work with a $3.3 million investment.
• Invests $2 million to add 16 new civilian positions within MPD to bolster investigative and administrative functions.
• Supports the addition of three positions in the Office of Community Safety, helping to fulfill safety innovation work recommended through the Minneapolis Safe and Thriving Communities Report.
• Adds more than $200,000 for emergency management training for City leadership and staff.
• Allocates $150,000 to the Minneapolis Fire Department to update computer systems in fire trucks to ensure personnel are quickly alerted of priority calls.
• Funds 731 sworn officers in the Police Department and 8 classes of new hires, additionally investing $7.126 million for overtime and contracting with other law enforcement entities.
• Supports the creation of a new staff position in the City Attorney’s Office to improve charging decisions made on criminal cases.

City Capacity and Performance

• Invests $2.7 million in the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board to repair parkway systems across the city, an increase from $750,000 last year.
• Allocates $500,000 annually via the City’s stormwater fee to fund critical analysis of the Park Board’s stormwater infrastructure.
• Invests $470,000 for new Public Works equipment to get potholes repaired faster and $1 million for a permanent snow storage location to improve snow emergency response.
• Supports Minneapolis Animal Care and Control with a $250,000 investment, helping to better staff animal shelters.
• Expands the Human Resources Department with eight new positions to improve the City’s ability to recruit and retain high-quality staff.
• Increases investments in the Legislative Department, including constituent services planning, audit and evaluation work, data practices and records, and in the elections division, along with additional attorneys in the City Attorney’s office to support the Legislative Department.

The full text of Frey’s speech as prepared for delivery is attached, and you can watch the mayor’s full address on the City’s YouTube page.

Learn more about the City budget.