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The Minneapolis Public Schools headquarters, Bottineau Transitway Light-Rail and YMCA must have a Community Benefit Agreement

A community benefits agreement, or CBA, is a private contract between a developer and a community coalition that sets forth the benefits that the community will receive from the development. Common benefits include living wages, local hiring and training programs, affordable housing, environmental remediation and funds for community programs. CBAs ensure that development is equitable and benefits all members of the community, eventually contributing to stronger local economies, livable neighborhoods and increased public participation in the planning process.

For north Minneapolis, a “community benefits agreement” would establish goals for employment and participation by the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County or any developer including the facilitators of a planned project or considered project to build anything in north Minneapolis.

There are challenges within the Black community organizations to maintain, write and administrate a CBA.

For example, non-commercial radio station KMOJ moved into their new home in north Minneapolis as a “tenant” in a building that the station should of owned and been able to lease out space to local businesses to create a positive cash flow. This had been one of the goals outlined in the Corporation for Communication and Development’s Articles of Incorporation, which is KMOJ.

A CBA with the City of Minneapolis, CPED, Catalyst and the Akerberg group would have painted a clear picture of what was expected in the developer/station relationship – but again, no intellectual giants are in place.  

Another example of failed community benefits would be the Northside Residents Redevelopment Council (NRRC). NRRC has never been successful at authoring or insuring the residents of north Minneapolis a detailed CBA as shown by their lack of CBA agreements with the University of Minnesota and the UROC property.

This was a clear opportunity to make demands to the U of M to provide a level playing field of education opportunities, scholarships and employment goals pipelined to the community in and around UROC. This includes another key engagement missed by NRRC as it pertains to the University of Minnesota/UROC and a CBA is the U’s Digital Divide Initiative, which builds bridges to opportunity through innovative partnerships to bring technology to underserved populations. Truly if the U of M an equal opportunity educator they would have known that to build bridges in the “digital divide,” you need to partner with someone other than a print media outlet in north Minneapolis that provides “old news.”

It is no excuse to tell the community “you don’t know that much about computers.”  

The best Community Benefit Agreement would be a 40/40/40 CBA.

A 40/40/40 CBA will make two things happen. First of all, developers will need to flex their public relations arm and provide full disclosure to community stakeholders with information usually benefited only to those who come to a community meeting. A 40/40/40 CBA would require that any developer in north Minneapolis must alert all community members in 55405 and 55411 by using other than traditional means, which includes Blogs, door-hangers, flyers and at least six (6) informational community gatherings before the project starts. Simply put, a detailed CBA would demand that developers (and others) use non-traditional means of communication to get all residents information. This means using minority-ethnic media, door flyers and a planned promotional campaign. (This is one area where the University of Minnesota’s UROC has failed north Minneapolis. Their decision to use Insight News rather than inviting those to the table with more assets is a clear “slap in the face” to north Minneapolis. We allege, Insight News has never been concerned with real issues but expounds old news.)

In the case of the Minneapolis Public Schools, the YMCA/YWCA and the Bottineau Transitway Light-Rail, these projects must have a CBA from and by community stakeholders that require all projects have at least a $25 million bond that reads, “Failure to achieve compliance in hiring goals set fourth in this CBA to insure qualified, work ready participants for projects in zip codes 55411 and 55405 (community hiring priority 1) with community hiring priorities 2 given to area codes 55405, 55406, 55407 and 55409 (Minneapolis) – will result in forfeiture of said bond making the bond payable to an appointed guardian account held in escrow for distribution for job creation, capacity building in 55405 and 55411. A special committee of stakeholders, not affiliated with any north Minneapolis 501(c)3 will develop and distribute requests for proposals within 60 days for ideas, suggestions and business plans to best put dollars to use in north Minneapolis for long-term, job creation. If forfeiture is implemented bond dollars may not be delivered in any form to a training programs, OIC, Educational facility or Human Services Agency.”

North Minneapolis has seen no significant long-term job creation from any non-profit agency. Funds must be directed to businesses to stimulate hiring in the community.

Secondly, At least 40 percent of workers on these project sites would be residents of north Minneapolis, skilled and unskilled. At least 40 percent would be residents of the Twin Cities metropolitan area outside the district.

At least 40 percent of labor and trade personnel would be minorities and women.

The “catch 22″ would be the 40% of hiring by all of the above projects after completion. This compliance goal would be focused on community hiring priority 1 – residents of north Minneapolis.

As of today, no social service agency has stepped up to draft or suggest a CBA for these projects. In order for north Minneapolis to create a zone of empowerment, stakeholders and advisers must step to the plate with a Community Benefit Agreement.

For more information about Community Benefit Agreements please read, “Community Benefits: New Movement for Equitable Urban Development

About the Author

Donald is the Editor in Chief of the Independent Business News Network and USA Radical Black.com. Donald also in the VP/General Manager for Virtual Global Media Group, LLC and the VGMG-News Network. His day to day responsibilties including running the full-service ad agency and developing marketing plans for businesses.

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