Please mark your calendars. The East Town Business Partnership is hosting a listening session in collaboration with the City of Minneapolis, on Monday, January 30, at Day Block Brewing for the East Downtown business community get input regarding the proposed minimum wage increase.
Dear East Town Business Partnership membership and East Downtown Business Community:
As many of you are aware the City Council and Mayor Hodges are moving towards enacting city ordinance that will raise the minimum hourly wage rate within the City of Minneapolis to between $12 and $15.00/hour minimum from the current $9.50 minimum. This ordinance will affect every business within the city of Minneapolis, either directly or indirectly.
The Mayor, City Council and City staff working on this issue are looking for feedback from the entire community to help guide them on this very significant policy decision. As you are aware, this is a controversial issue with passionate arguments being made both for and against it. City staff are arranging listening sessions across the city to seek input. More information regarding the listening sessions is available on the City’s Website:
City outlines engagement plan for proposed minimum wage policy
The East Town Business Partnership has volunteered to convene a listening session in our district, believing that it benefits our members to have a convenient opportunity to provide important feedback directly to city staff, unfiltered by intermediaries and in a familiar and comfortable environment. Here are the details of the listening session in East Town:
Date: Monday January 30th
Time: 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Day Block Brewing – 1105 South Washington Avenue (there will be signage directing you to the meeting room)
The East Town Business Partnership Board has discussed the issue in recent meetings. We have passionate proponents and opponents on our board and within our membership, based on informal conversations we’ve had recently with members. Therefore, we have concluded that our best role in this process is to engage with you, our membership, to help you get your voice heard at this critical time. The city process is beginning to accelerate with city leadership (mayor + council + staff) seeking final staff recommendations for consideration by the City Council in May 2017. Thus, the time is truly now to speak up.
We highly encourage you to attend this listening session, participate and make your voice heard. City staff will lead this listening session, not East Town Business Partnership. This is an opportunity to speak your voice in support or against, to ask questions and to hear what others say. We encourage you to join us and other businesses in the East Town district to provide valuable feedback in this session facilitated by city staff.
A report issued several months ago to the City, authored by a team from the University of Minnesota – Humphrey School of Public Affairs, is available at the following link. It provides some background information to frame the City’s thinking:
http://www.minneapolismn.gov/meetings/legislation/WCMSP-187158
The City website contains additional background information you may find enlightening on this issue:
http://www.minneapolismn.gov/minimumwage
Whether you agree or disagree with raising the city’s minimum wage to between $12 to $15/00/hour, this ordinance will impact the way we all live and do business in Minneapolis. It is incumbent on each of us to understand the ordinance, it impacts (to the best of our abilities) and to make our voices heard in the consideration process. Please join us January 30th at Day Block Brewery to do so.
Sincerely,
Paul Mellblom
President of the East Town Business Partnership
Dan Collison
Director of East Town Partnership for the Minneapolis Downtown Council-DID
Executive Director for the East Town Business Partnership (formally East Downtown Council)
[email protected]
Direct: 612-927-3123
Fax: 612-338-0634
