Minneapolis council directs administration to design Small Business Resiliency Fund
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Summary
The council approved a legislative directive Feb. 19 asking CPED to develop program details, implementation considerations and potential challenges for a Small Business Resiliency Fund; the directive passed unanimously 13–0 and will be sent to the mayor and CPED for development and reporting back.
Minneapolis — The City Council on Feb. 19 approved a legislative directive asking the Community Planning and Economic Development Department (CPED) to design and report back on a Small Business Resiliency Fund, including suggested program elements, funding sources and implementation challenges.
Council Member Chowdhury, the item’s lead author, explained that the directive is intended to memorialize council expectations and parameters for CPED staff to use in drafting program details. "This is an accompaniment legislative directive to the small business resiliency fund... so that CPED as the home department should take up this program if the council authorizes it," Chowdhury said.
Co‑author Council Member Whiting said the text was intended to provide both flexibility and guide rails for how funds could be used to support small businesses. Council members emphasized learning from past emergency‑response programs and the need to avoid performative measures while moving quickly to use staff expertise when the program proposal is returned to the council.
The council voted to approve the legislative directive unanimously (13 ayes). With passage, the directive will be transmitted to the mayor for approval and CPED will be asked to convene any working groups, assess resources and return to the council with implementation recommendations.
Vote: Legislative directive approved by roll call (13–0).
