Committee approves $80,000 increase to Better Futures contract for city property maintenance

The Minneapolis Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee on Sept. 29 authorized an $80,000 increase to a property maintenance contract with the nonprofit Better Futures to fund occasional maintenance services on city-owned properties.

The vote followed a presentation from Narin Sehavong, supervisor with Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) Real Estate Services, who said the series of contracts covers services such as illegal dumping and rubbish removal, securing and boarding vacant structures, and fence installation and repair. Sehavong told the committee CPED manages about 370 properties, roughly 95% of which are vacant lots, and that the bulk of the contract costs have been driven by rubbish removal and post-camping closure work.

Sehavong said the original contract is a two-year agreement with an option for a third year at $120,000 per year, not to exceed $360,000. The committee was asked to authorize an $80,000 increase so the contract ceiling would be $440,000 to cover cost overruns. Sehavong said, as presented, more than half of the contract spending has been on illegal dumping and related cleanups, and that the unpredictable timing and scale of post-camping closures have driven costs higher.

Council Vice Chair Lene Palmisano moved the authorization forward for approval. Council Member Vita, who represents Ward 4, praised the partnership with Better Futures and described illegal dumping in North Minneapolis as a “huge livability issue and a public health” concern, saying the vendor’s work provided relief in that area.

The committee recorded a roll-call approval: Council Member Payne, Council Member Vita, Council Member Cashman, Council Member Chagtay and Vice Chair Palmisano all voted aye. The motion carried 5–0.

The presentation included photographs of recent rubbish removal at properties cited by CPED staff, described as locations that experience recurrent dumping and, in one example, a vacant structure undergoing demolition after a fire. Sehavong said contractors visit properties routinely (described as essentially weekly), report conditions, and coordinate with other city departments on trespassing and securing properties.

Sehavong clarified the contracts are for city-owned properties in the CPED inventory and do not extend to privately owned properties. He also apologized for an error in the staff report that described the spending category; he said the RCA should have used the phrase “occasional maintenance.”

The committee approved the requested increase to the Better Futures contract so CPED can continue responding to illegal dumping, securing vacant structures and other occasional maintenance needs on city-owned lots.