Rybak: Minneapolis needs to stick to long-term planning

In his State of the City speech, the mayor said he wants accelerated planning for a network of streetcars and consistent community development funding.

By STEVE BRANDT, Star Tribune

March 10, 2010 — 7:22pm

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak on Wednesday headlined what might be his last annual overview of his city's prospects with a four-word phrase: New ballpark, same fundamentals.

Rybak gave his state-of-the-city assessment at Capella University downtown before about 125 people, a smaller group than in recent years.

FUNDAMENTALS:

Planning has helped Minneapolis cope with emergencies such as the 35W bridge collapse and seize opportunities such as recent 35W/downtown bus service improvements. Rybak said the reviving economy won't be the same as the one that preceded the recession. He wants the city to continue planning to land jobs in new areas such as green industries, homegrown food and biomedical research and development.

INITIATIVES:

Rybak said the city's work to revive streetcars wasn't far along enough to merit recently available federal money. So he has ordered additional analysis with a goal of adding streetcars to bus ways, commuter rail, light-rail and short-term bike rentals as transit options. He has also said he wants a long-term source of funding by 2011 for community development programs now that a street-paving program is draining a pot previously used for such development. He has also reconvened a youth violence task force in light of a recent spike in shootings.

ANALYSIS:

Rybak's ninth-annual assessment of the city comes as he's a top contender for DFL endorsement for governor. He emphasized a jobs theme for the fourth consecutive year. He emphasized the city's prowess in training and placing hard-to-employ workers, displaced workers and youths, a theme that could play well statewide.

REACTION:

"It's a retrenchment time, and the speech sort of reflected that," said City Council President Barbara Johnson. "I didn't hear much new stuff. I was pleased with his emphasis on jobs."

STATS:

In the year ending January, Min-neapolis' employment grew by 2.52 percent, compared with 1.7 percent for the metro area. The city jobless rate was 6.8 percent, compared with 7 percent for Hennepin County, 9.7 percent for the metro area and 7.3 percent for Minnesota.

QUOTE:

"It won't be pretty," said Rybak of the revised city budget he'll propose in April to absorb a proposed $29 million cut in state aid.

SHOUTOUTS:

• To Police Chief Tim Dolan for a 46-year low in crime. • To Council Member Diane Hofstede for her Third Ward summits. • To his mom, Lorraine Mesken, for returning to college in mid-life.