The Minneapolis City Council took these actions Friday:
The Minneapolis City Council took these actions Friday
City Council approves Rybak's department heads, OKs computer deal, bike station and disparity study, lauds departing clerk.
December 22, 2007 at 4:19AM
• Concurred with Mayor R.T. Rybak's reappointment of seven department heads. They are Mike Christenson, Community Planning and Economic Development; Gretchen Musicant, Health; Michael Jordan, Civil Rights; James Clack, Fire; Steve Kotke, Public Works; Patrick Todd, Assessor; and Steven Bosacker, Coordinator.
Rybak plans to nominate a new city attorney by Jan. 9, according to his staff. Incumbent Jay Heffern plans to serve until a successor is approved.
• Extended for three more years its $48 million contract for outsourcing computer technology and data with Unisys Corp. Opponents argued for seeking bids for the contract. The vote was 10-3, with Gary Schiff, Lisa Goodman and Sandra Colvin Roy opposing the extension.
• Approved the construction of a $511,000 bicycle station on the Midtown Greenway at the Midtown Exchange. The station will be operated by Freewheel Bike and will offer bike sales, repair, rentals and storage, with showers. It is scheduled for March 31 completion.
• Gave the go-ahead to a $425,000 study of whether disparities still exist to justify the city's program for awarding contracts to minority- and female-owned businesses. Such studies are required periodically under federal court decisions and the last such study was performed 12 years ago.
• Said farewell with a standing ovation and resolution to City Clerk Merry Keefe, who will retire Dec. 31. She's clerked for more than 500 council meetings, working with a total of 41 council members over the years. "It is an amazingly hard job riding herd on us," Council President Barb Johnson said. "Merry has been an outstanding leader."
STEVE BRANDT
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From small businesses to giants like Target, retailers are benefitting from the $10 billion industry for South Korean pop music, including its revival of physical album sales.
