NRP is a “work in progress”

by DENNIS GEISINGER

The future of the NRP (Neighborhood Revitalization Program), which gives dollars and help with redevelopment programs to Minneapolis’ inner city, is still very much a work in progress, according to City Council members representing a large chunk of Southside neighborhoods.

“The City continues to move forward on its process regarding NRP’s future,” said Ward 13 Council Member Betsy Hodges. “We put a process in place last year, and are moving forward as quickly as a good, open process will allow,” Hodges said.

“I think there is a willingness to tweak the plans for continuing NRP,” said Ward 11 Council Member Scott Benson. “I think that’s what the work group is doing,” Benson said.

The City Council had put together its six-member NRP Work Group near the end of last year to address options for the focus, funding and governance of the NRP after 2009, when state law allocating the funding of the program is set to expire.

Since then, the comments of neighborhood residents reacting to the NRP Work Group’s findings, as outlined in its “Framework for the Future of NRP” report, have been largely negative.

“The proposed ‘Framework’ is the antithesis of the existing [NRP] and should not even use the term ‘NRP,’” read one such comment, submitted on behalf of Nokomis East Neighborhood Association (NENA). “Residents described the ‘Framework’ as a ‘recipe for disinvestment in neighborhoods,’ and a proposal that ‘has nothing to do with improving Minneapolis,’” according to Rita Ulrich, NENA’s executive director.

“The Work Group is currently considering the public comments it received and is preparing to present the next iteration of the “Framework for the Future” to the [City] Council in June,” Hodges said.

“I’m hopeful that the needs of the neighborhood associations can be satisfied,” said Benson.

The City Council was also taken to task by the neighborhoods for not addressing NRP funding restoration sooner. A full-council resolution “urg[ing] the State of Minnesota to enact legislation to extend the pre-1979 tax increment financing districts [TIF],” which has been the source of money for NRP projects for the past 20 years, was not passed until March 21, well over a month after the opening of the current legislative session.

“A number of community members also expressed concern over the timing of process, feeling like the process was being dragged on without any concern for the fact that many neighborhood organizations will be in significant financial trouble if a fix for this problem is not found immediately,” said Mark Hinds, Lyndale Neighborhood Association’s executive director.

“It was hard for us to work for unanimity in passing the resolution, but unanimity was important to send the right message to the Legislature. There were some on the Council who wanted to wait until next year, but I felt that would be the wrong move,” said Benson. “I started working on it [NRP funding] back in January. There was a pretty strong feeling that the City should finish work on its new plan for NRP before we went to the Legislature,” Benson said.

“Many jurisdictions have requested an extension of pre-’79 TIF districts this year, and none of us have gotten very far given the predilections of the Senate and House Tax Committee Chairs regarding TIF,” said Hodges.

“Part of our process has been and continues to be conversations with other jurisdictional partners,” Hodges continued. “There has been no clear answer yet about financial priorities from them,” she said.

“Frankly, if Hennepin County and the park, school and library boards are willing to support NRP funding, I don’t see a problem,” Benson said.
And as far as who controls the strings on how and where neighborhood development money is spent?

“It seems the state is not moving forward on anything regarding NRP this year, so speculation about their governance decisions has been short-circuited,” said Hodges. “The City’s NRP Work Group continues to work on governance issues as we put together our proposal,” Hodges said.

“Those who pay for funding should decide where funding goes,” Benson said. “I think each neighborhood should be funded according to its population.”