Director seeks two FTEs, CRM replacement as 3-1-1 outlines rising translation and overtime costs

Muinden Zimbi, director of the 3-1-1 Service Center, told the Minneapolis Budget Committee on Sept. 13 that the mayor's recommended 2025-26 budget would reclassify the operations manager to a deputy director and requests two additional full-time employees to staff the South Minneapolis Community Safety Center.

Zimbi said the department now has 43 staff and that, while non-personnel costs are largely flat, translation services and overtime have driven recent increases. "Replacing Lagan with a modern CRM system is essential point for improving service delivery," she said, describing Lagan as outdated and limited in enterprise functionality.

Why it matters: The 3-1-1 operation routes resident requests and basic transactions across phone, web and in-person channels. Committee members pressed staff on how budget changes would affect residents' ability to access services, whether performance metrics justify added staff and how a new CRM…