Office of Mayor Betsy Hodges

Contact: David Prestwood

612-673-3825

Mayor Hodges, Council Member Quincy Propose

Investment in Parks and Streets
Proposal includes $300 million for Infrastructure over Next
Decade
March 25, 2016 (MINNEAPOLIS) Mayor Betsy Hodges and City Council Member
John Quincy today announced a proposal that would fund a $300 million capital
investment program for parks and city street infrastructure. This plan would help fill
the infrastructure gap for both city streets and parks over the next ten years.
Earlier generations of City leaders built this great city on a vision that
included great parks and safe streets, said Mayor Hodges. It is our duty to
not allow their investments to crumble. We must reinvest in the
Minneapolis we love.
The package unveiled today includes a commitment to annual funding of an
additional $10 million for neighborhood parks and an additional $20 million for city
streets. The proposal would result in roughly a 1.4% additional increase to the Citys
property tax levy each year over the next ten years above the current forecasted
average of 3.5%.
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has identified a $15 million capital gap.
The Citys Public Works Department recently presented the City Council with a
report estimating that $30 million in capital is needed each year for the next 10
years to maintain streets. The report also showed that continued inaction on street
investment would significantly increase the cost of repairing city streets in the
future. This proposal reflects that difficult choices must be made and funds twothirds of that need.
The challenges we face in Minneapolis are not unique, said Mayor Hodges,
Quite the opposite; failure to invest in infrastructure is a nationwide
problem. What is unique in Minneapolis is our passion for finding real,
practical solutions. Im committed to working with our partners at the
Park Board and excited to work toward an agreement with the City
Council. I want to thank Council President Johnson and Council Member
Goodman for helping move the conversation forward.
While this proposed reinvestment plan would be for ten years, it could be renewed
at the end of that period.

I am confident that these investments can make a big difference for both
parks and streets over the next decade, which are essential to both our
economic vitality and our quality of life, said Ways & Means Budget Chair
Quincy. I also believe that ten years is ample time for the Park Board and
the City to prove to the public that these investments are worthwhile and
should be continued.
Fixing both park and street systems capital gap is a critical priority, and
Im happy to offer a solution, Quincy said. In order to make sure we are
making these commitments with our eyes wide open I expect we will have
a full, transparent discussion about the long-term impacts during the
budget process.
###