Commissioner Menz

District: 1 View Map [PDF]

 

Mailing Address

2117 West River Road N
Minneapolis, MN 55411

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Contact

Phone: 612-230-6443, Extension 1
Email: bmenz@minneapolisparks.org 

Board Committees

View Committees and Vote History

Park-Related Appointments

  • Legislation & Intergovernmental Committee
  • Minneapolis Tree Advisory Committee
  • Mississippi Watershed Management Organization
  • Neighborhood Revitalization Program
  • Operations & Environment Committee
  • Recreation Committee
  • St. Anthony Falls Heritage Board

Bio

Billy Menz is a transplant Minneapolitan with a passion for parks and youth. He started his career working with the homeless in Austin, TX as an Americorps VISTA volunteer. He soon moved into education and has been a teacher for the past 20 years. He has taught in Portland, Austin, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis. Currently employed as the ESL Department Lead at Edison High School, Billy is deeply involved in all things Nordeast. His family chose NE Minneapolis as their forever home.

Billy brings an extensive understanding of Rec programming from his time coaching in Minneapolis Parks, working in high school athletics, and other travel sports experiences. Billy’s goals for the board include strengthening MPRB’s athletic programming, building a land bridge connecting N/NE Minneapolis, the Great Northern Greenway and increasing our efforts to protect our waterways through better stormwater education around the urban water cycle and citizen action. While on the Minneapolis Park Board, Billy will fight for our youth, the environment and social justice by activating our parks and the power they hold in our communities.

About the Board

In 1883, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board was created by an act of the Minnesota State Legislature and a vote of Minneapolis residents. It serves as an independently elected, semi-autonomous body responsible for governing, maintaining, and developing the Minneapolis Park System.

City of Minneapolis voters elect nine commissioners every four years: one from each of the six park districts, and three that serve at-large. View District Map [PDF]

Board Appointments

An annual meeting of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board takes place on the first business day in January of each year. The following business is conducted:

  • The Board elects two Commissioners as President and Vice-President and appoints a Secretary who is not a member of the Board.
  • Whenever a vacancy occurs in the office of an elected Commissioner, the Board fills that vacancy, usually through appointment.
  • The President appoints Commissioners to serve on Standing Committees of the Board. Each Committee has five Board members (including the Chair of the Committee), with the Chair of the Committee named first. Standing Committees include:
    • Planning
    • Recreation
    • Operations and Environment
    • Administration and Finance
    • Legislative and Intergovernmental Committee
    • Standards and Conduct

Also at the annual meeting, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board of Commissioners appoints community members to five ongoing advisory board commission appointments within Minneapolis. Members of these committees advise park Board Commissioners and other agencies on a wide variety of subjects by making recommendation on important policy matters. For more information about the committees and to apply, please visit the Advisory Board Commission Appointments page.

Roles & Responsibilities

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board performs its many duties through the contributions of elected Commissioners and the leadership of the Superintendent. Their actions are guided according to the following roles and responsibilities.

Commissioners:

  • Develop park policies
  • Enact ordinances governing the use of neighborhood and regional parks, parkways, beaches and lakes, and special use facilities such as pools, ice arenas and golf courses
  • Appoint the Superintendent

Board Rules [PDF]

Parks & Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods

Audubon Park

Beltrami

Bottineau

Columbia Park

Como

Holland

Logan Park

Marcy Holmes

Marshall Terrace

Mid City Industrial

Nicollet Island – East Bank

Northeast Park

Prospect Park – East River Road

Sheridan

St Anthony East

St Anthony West

University of Minnesota

Waite Park

Windom Park