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Minnetonka highlights internships and ACE program as pathways to youth employment
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Summary
City staff told the council that Minnetonka runs a robust mix of recreation jobs, full-time internships and the ACE paid program; staff reported about 20–25,000 annual registrations across programs and said 12 full-time interns worked for the city last summer. Council asked for more demographic outreach and clearer data in future packets.
Kelly O'Day, Minnetonka's recreation director, told the City Council study session on Sept. 15 that the recreation department runs a large set of programs and hires extensively from the local youth pool. "We typically see about 20 to 25,000 registrations every year," O'Day said, and she reported that roughly 11,000 of those registrations in 2024 were specific to youth and teen programs.
The council heard that recreation offerings range from swim lessons and skating to a large tennis program, and that facilities and membership options are also widely used. O'Day said the city hires about 350 part-time and seasonal staff annually and roughly 100 people each summer for beach operations, including lifeguards and gate staff.
City staff described two complementary internship tracks. Miranda Domino, assistant city manager, said the city hosted 12 full‑time interns last summer across departments including DEI, police, civil engineering, GIS and recreation, and that the program (launched in 2018) places interns on a common pay scale with mentorship and project expectations. "We hosted 12 interns," Domino said, noting interns complete real projects and present results to staff at summer's end.
Jace Alexander, the city's DEI supervisor, described ACE (Advancing Careers and Employment) as a paid summer internship paired with professional development for participants who face barriers to access. "ACE stands for Advancing Careers and Employment," Alexander said, and he reported Minnetonka increased from one ACE intern in earlier years to eight spots this year (two did not participate). Staff said ACE participants are generally aged about 15–24 and that Hopkins School District is a key partner.
Council members praised staff for the programs and asked for clearer demographic breakdowns and recruitment details in future reports. One council member described a personal difficulty in placing a family member and asked staff to report the residency and race/ethnicity mix of participants; staff said some demographic detail exists and that they can obtain more from Hopkins' youth-connector datasets. Staff also explained that employee children have generally been allowed to work for the city after a COVID-era policy change, while a separate code section limits employment for certain family members of elected council members.
Staff said they will post the full presentation and supporting data to the city's website after the study session and will provide additional demographic detail to council members on request. The city also noted existing partner channels such as AmeriCorps and GreenCorps, and recruitment avenues including League of Minnesota Cities postings, Indeed, LinkedIn and college career fairs.
Looking ahead, council members asked staff to expand outreach to renters and younger residents, to explore co-op and fellowship models used by other cities, and to consider further collaboration with high schools and local businesses to broaden internship pipelines.
