On Thursday July 24th, the NRP Work Group presented its Final Report (“Framework for the Future: Options for the focus, funding and governance of NRP Program and Action Plan activities after 2009”) to the City Council Committee of the Whole. The Committee of the Whole then set a date for a public hearing on the report for August 20th, at 5p.m., in City Council chambers. In less than 10 days, the City Council wants residents to come downtown and give testimony at a public hearing, not on a resolution but on the above document intended to improve community engagement.
The Problem:
This City document essentially gives up on the award winning NRP that thousands of residents have used and benefited from for over 18 years. Minneapolis was the birthplace of NRP and it’s unique in the country. Other cities across the nation have only been brave enough to half emulate it.
This Final Report still hasn’t addressed resident’s initial concerns from December 2007, yet it establishes a new system that’s unclear and untested, and has no financial options identified to sustain the award-winning Neighborhood Revitalization Program model that the City Council has stated they “have the capacity for” and that is a “basic City service”.
We believe there is an alternative approach that can protect and enhance the current NRP program.
We are proposing the “Residents Response and Alternative to the Future Framework” that addresses the resident’s concerns regarding the “Framework for the Future” and provides an alternative to strive for while preserving our volunteer base and organizational capacity for the future.
Actions You Can Take:
1) Review the "Executive Summary", “Residents Response and Alternative to the Framework for the Future”
2) Send residents to speak at the public hearing on August 20th and/or contact your Council Member and the Mayor to let them know that you support the “Residents Response and Alternative to the Framework for the Future”.
3) Attend this important public hearing to show your support for NRP and the other neighborhoods that support the “Residents Response and Alternative to the Framework for the Future”.
Thank you for your continued support of the world renowned NRP program and neighborhoods!
Neighbors4NRP