Minneapolis Landlords Work To Be Heard

If you were one of the 100 landlords who attended tonight’s Zoom call, or one of the many who tried to join and found the call was full, here is a brief recap of what was discussed.

1. The Minneapolis City Council is having a public hearing on Wednesday, February 24th at 1:30 pm to discuss rent control. You may sign up to speak up to one hour before the meeting. To do so, or live stream the meeting, CLICK HERE.
2. The council will vote on Friday at 9:30 AM as to whether or not to send the proposal, which would give the power to place rent control on the ballot to either the city council or via public petition to the city’s Charter Commission. The commission has 150 days to render its decision as to the proposal’s legality. Rent control is not allowed in the state of Minnesota unless put to a public ballot. The vote may be watched HERE.
3. Regardless of whether or not you can attend the council meeting, it is crucial that you reach out directly to the council member for your ward. To find out which ward you are in, who your representative is and how to contact him, her or they, CLICK HERE.
4. Easier yet, here’s a phone list for the city council.
   

   City Council Member Contacts

5. You may need to be persistent to talk with your council member. Call, email, then call and email again. When you communicate, be sure to express the personal cost to you and your family of the measures they are taking against small landlords. Tell them your personal story. Facts and data aren’t nearly as impactful as hearing directly how this hurts their constituents.
6. On Tuesday, the city council had a study session in which they reviewed the Minneapolis Rent Stabilization Report from Center for Urban and Regional Affairs on the impacts of rent control. To see the CURA report, CLICK HERE.
7. To watch a recording of the council’s study session, CLICK HERE.
8. Sadly, I am technologically challenged and forgot to hit record on the landlord’s Zoom meeting until we were about 20 minutes in.

9. Marty McDonoughs Powerpoint Presentation from the meeting may be downloaded HERE when it becomes available.

9. There will be a Facebook group for Minneapolis landlords to communicate in called Landlords for A Better Minneapolis. It is a private group. Search for it and request to join.

10. Our opposition is organized. We must be too. To that end, we will continue having weekly meetings on Tuesdays at 5 pm. I will do my best to find another platform for next week’s gathering so that everyone may attend.

11. Remember, most landlords in the United States are small owners who own one or two properties outside of their own homes. As a result, it can be difficult for us to be seen. Together, however, we can make a difference.

If I forgot anything, let me know. I will update this post in the morning. In the meantime, sign up to speak at the council meeting and reach out to your city representative to tell them how you feel about rent control.

Thanks again to everyone who attended!