A major change to the way Minneapolis' Public Works Department plans transportation projects could give residents more say in what gets built in their neighborhoods.
City engineer Steve Kotke told the city's budget committee Thursday that he is reorganizing the department to create a new division focused largely on planning transportation projects — a task that is now covered under two divisions. The new division will get a $300,000 boost in the mayor's budget, on top of $3 million in redirected funds.
Under the current system, the scope and budget of a road resurfacing or new bikeway are already largely determined by the time city staff begin the public engagement process.
"We put together a concept, submit it for approval and once it gets approved, then we have funding and then we do the community engagement," Kotke said. "So what this really is is trying to get some additional funding, some upfront money to get the concepts developed before we actually even receive the capital dollars."
Another benefit of the change is that projects will be "shovel-ready" if new funding does become available, Kotke said.
He highlighted the major bus improvements on Marquette and 2nd Avenues downtown in 2009, which benefited from two years of advance planning before the city successfully sought $35 million in federal funds. That early work is becoming even more important for projects using federal dollars, since the federal government is eliminating extensions it had previously allowed for using grant money.
Council Member Kevin Reich, chairman of the council's transportation and public works committee, said the new process will allow more consideration of issues like economic development when planning transportation projects.
"It can't be underscored, the significance of this restructuring and what it can mean for not only this department but the city itself," Reich said.
Organics recycling will be another major initiative of the public works department in 2015. It will cost $5.3 million to buy 50,000 carts and 11 packer trucks, and $4.4 million over several years for 22 new employees and maintenance work.
The program will only apply to the approximately 100,000 homes served by the city's trash haulers. Each household would pay upward of $40 a year whether they opt in or not. Kotke said they will roll it out to 25 percent of homes in September 2015, with the other 75 percent of homes receiving carts in spring 2016.
The city will begin charging the new rates in January 2015, however, since it will need money to get the program up and running, Kotke said.
Eric Roper • 612-673-1732
Twitter: @StribRoper
