City Hall
Every Lowry Hill News story tagged City Hall.
City
Lowry Hill Board Meets Tuesday Night as Summer Agenda Takes Shape
The Lowry Hill Neighborhood Association board meets the first Tuesday of each month, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Searle Mansion, 1915 Logan Ave. S., where parks requests, traffic concerns and land-use notices get aired.
City
Along the Isles, the Planted Shoreline Does Its Summer Work
The native plants lining much of Lake of the Isles are at full height this month, the result of a Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board approach that treats native vegetation, rather than mown lawn, as the default along the Chain of Lakes shoreline.
Neighborhood
70 Neighborhood Organizations, One City: How LHENA Fits In
The Lowry Hill East Neighborhood Association is one of 70 nonprofit neighborhood organizations the City of Minneapolis recognizes to give residents a formal role in how the city governs itself.
City
Reduce the Chloride: The Winter Salt Problem Nobody Talks About
Road salt spread on streets and sidewalks in winter washes into the Chain of Lakes and stays there, because chloride does not break down once it dissolves.
Neighborhood
The Walker's Film Program Quietly Anchors the Cinephile Scene
The Walker Art Center's cinema keeps a year-round film calendar a short walk from Lowry Hill, with current screenings ranging from Julie Dash's "Daughters of the Dust" to Charles Burnett's "Killer of Sheep."
City
New Ward 7 Office Opens Its Doors: How to Reach Your Council Member
Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer, sworn in to the Ward 7 seat on Jan. 5, 2026, now runs the office that handles constituent casework for Lowry Hill, the Wedge, East Isles, Cedar-Isles-Dean, Bryn Mawr, Kenwood and part of downtown.
City
From Park Board to City Council: Shaffer's Cross-Government Path
Elizabeth Shaffer reached the Ward 7 City Council seat after serving as a Minneapolis park commissioner, a move between two separately elected governments that share the same neighborhoods.
City
Elizabeth Shaffer Takes Ward 7 Seat, Bringing Lowry Hill a New Voice at City Hall
Elizabeth Shaffer, a former Park Board commissioner, was sworn in as Ward 7 council member on Jan. 5 after unseating one-term incumbent Katie Cashman in the city's most expensive council race.
Neighborhood
Voters Backed the Tech Levy. Here's What It Pays For.
Minneapolis voters approved a $20 million-a-year increase to the school district's technology levy in November 2024, replacing an expiring authorization.
Neighborhood
MPS Approves $279 Million Levy as Tax Bills Rise
The Minneapolis school board approved a $279 million property tax levy for 2025, a 12.6% increase that includes the voter-approved technology levy.
City
Two Levies, One Tax Bill: Making Sense of Your 2026 Property Taxes
Two separate levies — the City of Minneapolis budget and the Park Board's 6.11% increase — land on the same 2026 Hennepin County property-tax statement.
City
How the Levy Landed: Comparing Frey's Ask to the Final Number
Mayor Jacob Frey asked for a 7.8% levy increase in August; the City Council adopted 8% in December.
City
Council Passes $2 Billion 2026 Budget After Weeks of Negotiation
The Minneapolis City Council adopted a roughly $2 billion 2026 budget on Dec. 9, 2025, on an 11-0-0-2 vote.
City
Three Public Hearings Shaped the Park Board's Budget Before It Passed
The Minneapolis Park Board adopted a $160 million 2026 budget on Dec. 9, 2025, after two public hearings that let residents weigh in on the plan and its tax levy.
City
Address the Runoff From All Hard Surfaces
The Park Board treats stormwater running off streets and rooftops as the main threat to Lake of the Isles and the Chain of Lakes.
City
Park Board Adopts 2026 Budget Focused on Caring for Aging Park Assets
The Park Board adopted its 2026 budget in December, built on a property-tax levy of $95,524,537 and focused on caring for aging park assets.
City
Nearly 40 Amendments: How the Council Reshaped the Mayor's Budget
The City Council amended Mayor Jacob Frey's 2026 budget before adopting it, and rejected his proposed cuts to the mayor's own office.
City
Police Pay and the Budget: The Double-Overtime Question
Mayor Jacob Frey moved to end "double-time" police overtime in 2026, a change the city says will save about $3.64 million a year and help hold down the property-tax levy.
Business
Small Lot MN Bets on Locally Made Goods in a Cozy Lyndale Shop
A wine business called Small Lot operates at 2110 Lyndale Ave. S. on the Wedge's eastern edge, though its current retail concept could not be independently confirmed.
City
Council Vice President Helps Broker the 2026 Budget Deal
Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai and Mayor Jacob Frey jointly announced the 2026 budget agreement that held the city's property-tax levy flat.
City
Park Levy vs. City Levy: Why Lowry Hill Homeowners Pay Two Bills
The independently elected Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board levies property taxes separately from the city, so homeowners pay toward two budgets on one statement.
City
Ordinances Signed Into Law: Reading the City's Official Acts
An ordinance amends the binding Minneapolis Code of Ordinances; a resolution only states the council's position or directs city business.
City
Reading the Council Agenda: How a Lowry Hill Item Becomes a Vote
A Minneapolis council item moves from a subject-matter committee, where the public can testify, to a Thursday vote of the full council.
City
A Quarter of the Council Is New: What the Turnover Means for the Western Wards
Four new members joined the Minneapolis City Council in January 2026, and the progressive bloc lost its veto-proof majority.
City
How Ranked-Choice Voting Decided the Ward 7 Race
Elizabeth Shaffer won the Ward 7 council seat outright in the first round, taking 52 percent of first-choice votes.
City
What's Left After the Ribbon-Cutting: Sewer Lining and Punch-List Work
Crews kept working on Hennepin Avenue South after its late-October reopening, finishing punch-list items and underground utility work that outlast the ribbon-cutting.
City
Grit Chambers and Constructed Wetlands: The Lake's Hidden Plumbing
Grit chambers and treatment wetlands strip sediment and pollutants from stormwater before it reaches Cedar Lake and Lake of the Isles.
City
The $1 Million Council Race: How Ward 7 Became the City's Most Expensive Contest
The Ward 7 contest between Katie Cashman and Elizabeth Shaffer was the most expensive single City Council race in Minneapolis this cycle, drawing outside money into Lowry Hill and the lakes neighborhoods.
City
Hennepin's Rebuild Tested the Balance Between Cars, Buses and Bikes
The rebuilt Hennepin Avenue South divides its fixed width among buses, bikes, cars and pedestrians, and no constituency got everything it wanted.
City
Council Loses Its Veto-Proof Majority as Four Newcomers Join
Four newcomers joined the Minneapolis City Council in January 2026, costing the progressive bloc the nine votes it needed to override Mayor Jacob Frey.
City
Cashman Loses Ward 7 After a Single Term as Renter Turnout Falls Short
Katie Cashman lost Ward 7 to Elizabeth Shaffer by about 800 votes after a single term, even as turnout climbed in the ward's renter-heavy precincts.
City
Frey Wins a Third Term as Mayor as Council Map Is Redrawn Around Him
Jacob Frey won a third term as Minneapolis mayor by 50.03% after ranked-choice tabulation, even as the council that checks him lost its veto-proof majority.
City
Two Years of Detours: A Look Back at the Hennepin Phasing Plan
The Hennepin Avenue South rebuild ran in two phases over two construction seasons, from Lake Street to 26th in 2024 and from 26th to Douglas in 2025.
City
How the Hennepin Redesign Was Built Around the E Line
The rebuilt Hennepin Avenue was designed around the METRO E Line, which opened Dec. 6 and largely replaced Route 6.
City
The Bus-Lane Debate: Why Hennepin Got Part-Time Lanes, Not 24/7
Public Works first recommended full-time bus lanes for Hennepin Avenue, but after a council fight and a mayoral veto the project settled on part-time lanes.
City
Inside the New Hennepin: Bus Lanes, Bikeways and Medians
The rebuilt Hennepin Avenue reallocates about 1.4 miles of pavement among part-time bus lanes, a two-way protected bikeway, raised medians and wider sidewalks.
City
Hennepin Avenue Reopens After an 18-Month, $36 Million Reconstruction
Hennepin Avenue South reopened Oct. 31 between Lake Street and Douglas Avenue after an 18-month, roughly $36 million reconstruction.
City
The Nation's Largest Urban Lake Restoration, in Our Backyard
The cleanup of the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, carried out over decades by a multi-agency partnership, has been described as the nation's largest urban lake restoration.
City
What the Park Board Owns: Lakes, Parkways and the Street Trees Outside Your Door
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board owns about 180 park properties and nearly 7,000 acres, and it also maintains roughly 200,000 boulevard trees on the residential streets outside many residents' doors.
Neighborhood
How LHNA Spends Its Neighborhood Revitalization Dollars
The Lowry Hill Neighborhood Association voted in May 2025 to move $15,000 in Neighborhood Revitalization Program income from housing to a Kenwood School outdoor classroom.
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