October 6, 2008 - The City of Minneapolis is now accepting applications from residents for seven positions on the newly created Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission. The role of the commission will be to shape how the City engages its residents and works with neighborhood and community organizations, as well as oversee programming details and funding for neighborhood revitalization work.

The application deadline for these seven positions is Nov. 19, 2008. Applicants are required to be Minneapolis residents who do not hold a current election certificate. Current City employees are not eligible. For more information and to apply, visit www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/communications/communityengagement.asp to download an application form. Applications are also available at the Minneapolis City Clerk's Office, room 304 of City Hall at 350 S. Fifth St.

The seven committee members that will be appointed by the Mayor and City Council will be part of the 16-member committee. Of the remaining members, eight residents will be selected by neighborhood organizations and one will be appointed by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Please note this application process only applies to the seven residents who will be appointed by the Mayor and City Council.

The Neighborhood and Community Engagement Commission was created by the Mayor and City Council in late September. It is designed as one measure to strengthen the relationship between the City and its neighborhoods and carry on the work of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) beyond 2009. Because the state legislation that funded NRP sunsets in 2009, City leaders have been working since 2006 to improve the City's community engagement system and to find ways to make sure neighborhoods remain a valued part of the City's culture, serving as a link between City government, residents and businesses. That work has centered around creating a community engagement system that allows City government and neighborhoods to work more closely together, while being more accountable and transparent to taxpayers.




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