Minneapolis Mayor RT Ryback gave the City’s annual State of the City address today. With the Twins, Timberwolves, and Wild all in action tonight in their home stadiums, it’s quite possible that the Mayor’s address did not capture the public’s attention.
The Minneapolis city government is facing some very steep challenges right now. The numbers they are facing do not lie. And Mayor Ryback does not lie. Minneapolis is losing a ton of financial assistance from the State this year, and next. At last estimate, I think they are going to lose upwards of $47,000,000. They are going to be faced with tought decisions. There is no way around it. They are going to have to decrease service levels and lay off employees and probably raise fees. I don’t envy those options.
Mayor Ryback is an engaging speaker who, in my opinion, tells the truth. It’s too bad that his State of the City address didn’t get better play. It’s an important statement of where the City is likely to head in the future. That’s important for not only the citizens of Minneapolis, but for the citizens of the metropolitan area as well. We have a stake in the health of Minneapolis. In many ways, downtown Minneapolis is our downtown too. Their are parks are our parks too. Eden Prairie needs a healthy Minneapolis.
I wish the Mayor good fortune as he grapples with difficult financial decisions.
