Residents urge council to fund neighborhood organizations, co-enforcement and the 38th Street Thrive plan at Dec. 9 hearing

Dozens of residents and neighborhood leaders spoke at the Minneapolis City Councils Dec. 9 public hearing on the 2026 budget, pressing the council to sustain and expand funding for neighborhood organizations, worker-advocacy programs and the 38th Street Thrive corridor plan.

Speakers representing neighborhood groups, small businesses and worker-advocacy organizations thanked the council for restoring funding for the co-enforcement program, which several witnesses said helps workers recover unpaid wages and learn their rights. Multiple commenters asked the council to make funding for the program permanent rather than temporary.

Taylor Heitman (statement read into the record) credited the co-enforcement program with offering workers resources and training and noted the councils unanimous vote to restore funding for 2026. Shelley Stein, speaking later for the co-enforcement program, told the council that in the last six months the program had reached nearly 2,000 workers with training at over 500 worksites and helped nearly 300 workers resolve workplace violations.

Neighborhood leaders and business owners gave a unified message in support of the 38th Street Thrive plan and related funding amendments. LaChelle Cunningham, a business owner on 38th and Chicago, said the Thrive plan calls for people-centered investment and opposed a pedestrian mall that she said would endanger emergency access and harm business viability. Other speakers asked the council to add property-tax relief or deferred assessment programs for businesses along the corridor.

Multiple witnesses also asked the council to increase the Equitable Engagement Fund for neighborhood organizations, arguing that small local groups are critical for emergency response, public safety and civic engagement and have not seen budgets rise with inflation.

What speakers asked for

- Permanent or ongoing funding for the co-enforcement/labor-standards program and continued support for worker know-your-rights training. - Implementation and funding alignment for the 38th Street Thrive plan and a business support plan for the corridor rather than a pedestrian mall. - Increased Equitable Engagement Fund allocations so neighborhood organizations can continue emergency response, services and local outreach.

Outcome and context

Council members acknowledged the testimony during the hearing and later adopted amendments that restore co-enforcement funding and add one-time and ongoing funds in several areas. The council directed CPED and other departments to implement some of the approved programs and to coordinate grant and application details where needed.

The public hearing closed after the final registered speaker and the council recessed briefly to prepare for the business portion of the meeting.