‘The Rand Report’ Archives
The Rand Report: Special service districts on Lake St. create inefficiences
By Rand Retterath According to an Information Brief from Research Department of the Minnesota House of Representatives “One way for a city to provide an increased level of service or infrastructure to its commercial or industrial areas is to create ”˜special service districts.”' Special service districts (SSDs) are established at the request of the persons who will pay for the increased level of service. Since the early 1980s, individual cities have been authorized to set up these districts. Since 1996, cities have had general law authority to create SSDs. “A special service district is ”˜a defined area within the city where special services are rendered and the costs of the special services are paid from revenues collected from service charges imposed within that area.”' An SSD may be established anywhere in a city but only business property (i.e., commercial, industrial, utility, or land zoned for commercial or industrial use) will [...]
The Rand Report 2020 plan: ”˜Do what I say not what I do”' applies to city
By Rand Retterath Rand Retterrath The stated mission of Neighborhoods 2020 is “an opportunity to further develop and improve upon the city of Minneapolis”' neighborhood-based engagement structure”¦by the people, for the people.” However, neighborhoods all over the city are opposed to this document. Here are my concerns: 1.  The goals are laudable, however, execution is completely contrary to the stated goals. Neighborhoods are held to a standard that is completely disregarded within the city. The proverbial “do what I say, not what I do” applies, and is a mandate with funding as the hostage. 2.  The stated goals of “public purpose” require neighborhoods to be inclusive, responsive and informative. Regrettably, there is no mechanism in place to hold the council and other decision makers accountable in the same way. 3.  Pooling resources and forcing neighborhoods into a co-operative purchasing will restrict [...]
The Rand Report: Sex workers on Lake St. #2
By Rand Retterath Rand Retterrath Part 2 of a series. After the one man research project attempting to fully comprehend all the mitigating factors affecting the sex tourism market on Lake St. and on Bloomington Ave. among others, I was left with the following considerations: Gender-based approach doesn”'t work! Community approach doesn”'t work! Political approach doesn”'t work! Feminist approach doesn”'t work! Social Service approach meets with only very limited success! Law Enforcement doesn”'t have the resources to effectively arrest their way to a solution (nor should they)! Judicial approach doesn”'t work, it means nothing! Penalties are meaningless. Combined Judicial/Social Service approach meets with limited success! Community Engagement approach doesn”'t work! We have a spectacular list of tried and failed approaches to the sex industry. For decades, Lake St., as well as Bloomington Ave., have been the sex tourist [...]
