Priority Issues & Accomplishments

Ward 2 Policy Priorities

1. Accessible and Effective Government

   Rebecca believes government should be used to its full potential. Elected officials and civil servants must work at full tilt to deliver outstanding services, pass thoughtful, effective policies, and make it easy for people to understand government actions and get involved. She champions constant innovation—embracing new ideas, technology, and processes that help us work smarter, not harder. Rebecca also believes City Hall must be accessible to the people it serves. She regularly connects with constituents through monthly Community Conversations and other events, getting out of the office and into the neighborhoods.

   Achievements:

   • Council Leadership: Rebecca was unanimously elected Council President on February 12, 2025, earning her colleagues’ confidence in her leadership and vision. Shortly after the vote, she led a two-day Council retreat to celebrate past successes and create a strategic workplan focused on five urgent areas: climate, housing, economic development, fiscal resilience, and public safety. Rebecca also launched a new legislative drafting process that will allow for more informed, efficient and transparent policy-making, and led the Council to codify earlier, firm deadlines for adopting the City’s legislative agenda—ensuring readiness and accountability heading into the legislative session. She also chairs the Council’s Policy Committee, which explores key issues and emerging areas for policy development.

     Under her leadership, the Council adopted the 2026 city budget through a transparent and collaborative process that balanced fiscal sustainability with community priorities. Working closely with the Mayor’s Office and city staff, the final budget restored critical services—including full staffing for fire, library, and recreation programs—sustained the new $1.4 million commercial corridor investment fund, bolstered neighborhood and immigrant support, and protected core safety and quality-of-life services while keeping the property tax levy increase moderate.

   • Community Conversations:  Rebecca hosts monthly informal drop-in session at local businesses across the ward, giving constituents convenient ways to share ideas and connect.
      
   • Downtown Action Series: In Summer 2025, Rebecca initiated the Downtown Action Series, uniting residents, businesses, and stakeholders to stay informed about and engaged in downtown revitalization.
      
   • Transparent Voting: Upon taking office in 2015, Rebecca changed the City Council’s confusing voting process. Previously, silence counted as a “yes” vote, making it hard for the public to know what was happening at meetings. Her first resolution introduced "aye" and "nay" votes, boosting transparency.

2. Fighting for Fairness

   Saint Paul is an incredible city—but not everyone shares in its prosperity. Too many residents face daily challenges like poverty, inequality, and discrimination. Rebecca is a strong advocate for those whose voices are overlooked, believing government can be a powerful force for justice. She champions policies that expand opportunity, protect workers and consumers, promote equity, and make sure all residents—including the most vulnerable—benefit from the city’s growth.

   Achievements:

   • $15 Minimum Wage: Rebecca championed a higher minimum wage, backing the $15 ordinance and securing faster implementation for large businesses along with strong enforcement and anti-retaliation protections.
      
   • Division of Labor Standards within HREEO: Following the minimum wage ordinance, Rebecca led efforts to fund and staff education and enforcement to ensure the new standards are upheld.
      
   • Earned Sick and Safe Time: Soon after taking office in 2016, Rebecca supported one of the nation’s strongest earned sick and safe time ordinances, guaranteeing paid time off for Saint Paul employees to care for themselves or a sick relative, or to escape domestic violence.
      
   • Gender-Neutral Bathrooms: Rebecca sponsored a resolution committing the City to install gender-neutral bathrooms in all new buildings and retrofit existing ones, positioning City Hall as a leader in inclusive public spaces.
      

   • Humane Pet Stores: Rebecca introduced a groundbreaking ordinance banning the sale of dogs and cats in pet shops to end support for puppy and kitten mills, while encouraging adoption events. Saint Paul became Minnesota’s third and largest city to adopt this law.

   • Protecting Residents from Cryptocurrency Scams: Under Rebecca’s leadership, the Saint Paul City Council passed an ordinance banning virtual currency (cryptocurrency) kiosks in St. Paul in response to a growing pattern of fraud and financial exploitation. The legislation is part of a national effort to fight back against cryptocurrency scams that disproportionately target low-income residents and older adults, often resulting in devastating financial losses. By prohibiting these kiosks, the City Council strengthened consumer protections, closed a known avenue for fraud, and affirmed the City’s responsibility to protect vulnerable residents from predatory practices. 
      
   • Wage Theft Ordinance: Rebecca helped pass the City of Saint Paul's Wage Theft Ordinance, which provides workers with a streamlined process to address issues of unpaid wages, misclassification, and illegal deductions. 

3. Housing for All

   Everyone should be able to call St. Paul home.  Affordable housing not only addresses immediate needs but also builds long-term stability for families, strengthens neighborhoods, and fosters economic opportunity.  As our city faces its most serious housing crisis in a decade, Rebecca is fighting to expand the supply of affordable housing and adjust zoning policies to allow more flexible housing types, like ADUs, tiny homes, co-living and social housing. Rebecca works closely with community organizations, developers, and city agencies to prioritize affordable housing projects and remove barriers that slow development.

   Achievements:

   • Affordable Housing: Housing is one of Saint Paul’s biggest challenges. Rebecca has championed new affordable units in the former Pioneer Press Building and West Side Flats, advocated for a permanent Housing Trust Fund, and explored policy tools like inclusionary zoning and community land trusts to help more people afford homes.
      
   • Heading Home Ramsey: Homelessness requires broad collaboration. Rebecca helped launch Heading Home Ramsey, a coalition working to end unsheltered homelessness. She supports efforts to add outreach workers and involve the state of Minnesota in a regional homelessness prevention strategy.
      
   • Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections: Council President Noecker sponsored and helped pass an amendment to St. Paul’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance that exempts all rental units built after December 31, 2004, aiming to encourage development of much-needed housing. She also supported a comprehensive Tenant Protections ordinance that limits security deposits, regulates tenant screening, and clarifies eviction procedures to strengthen renters’ rights and promote housing stability.
      
   • Seasonal Safe Space: With rising unsheltered homelessness, Rebecca partnered with Ramsey County, Catholic Charities, and the St. Paul Foundation to launch the Seasonal Safe Space—an emergency shelter opened in 2017 with 50 beds and subsequently expanded to 64. 

4. Investing in Our Youth

   As a former middle school science teacher and a mother of two, Rebecca is deeply committed to creating opportunities for young people. She believes that nurturing the promise and potential of our children is one of society’s most fundamental responsibilities. Many families face heavy burdens and can’t do this work alone. That’s why Rebecca believes government must help create the conditions in which families—and their children—can thrive.

   Achievements:

   • Free Rec Programming: Rebecca has consistently championed funding for free, high-quality Parks & Rec programming to ensure all kids—regardless of income, background, or language—can participate.
      
   • Menthol & Flavored Tobacco Restrictions: To protect young people from targeted marketing and addiction, Rebecca supported restricting flavored tobacco sales to licensed shops and led the Council's effort to cap tobacco licenses citywide.
      
   • Right Track Youth Jobs: A strong advocate for Saint Paul’s youth employment program, Rebecca has hired Right Track interns in her office and pushed for increased city funding to expand access to career-building summer jobs.
      
   • Saint Paul Early Learning Initiative: Rebecca brought together city leaders, schools, providers, and partners to create a citywide early learning plan focused on expanding high-quality childcare and making it more affordable for families.
      
   • Youth Fund Redesign: Rebecca partnered with young leaders from St. Paul Youth Services to revamp the Youth Fund, prioritizing programs that serve low-income youth and youth of color, reduce access barriers like transportation, and demonstrate measurable results.

5. Creating Safe and Welcoming Neighborhoods

   Our neighborhoods are our greatest asset. Rebecca believes in building safe, healthy communities where everyone can get around easily—whether on foot, by bike, with a stroller, in a wheelchair, or by car. Safe neighborhoods are places where police are visible, trusted community partners, where it’s easy to cross the street, and where trees, public art and green spaces are plentiful. She is currently drafting the city’s first Tree Preservation Ordinance, collaborating closely with a public input group to create a framework that preserves mature trees, supports healthy streetscapes, and incorporates residents’ insights into how Saint Paul grows and thrives.

   Achievements:

   • Advancing Local Gun Violence Prevention: In 2025, Rebecca led the Council in drafting and unanimously passing a comprehensive gun violence prevention ordinance that bans the public possession of assault-style weapons, high-capacity magazines, binary triggers, and untraceable “ghost guns” in Saint Paul. The ordinance also strengthens gun restrictions in sensitive public spaces like parks, libraries, and recreation centers, and calls for clear public signage on where guns are banned. While the law is contingent on state lawmakers lifting preemption so it can take effect, Saint Paul became the first city in a coalition of 17 Minnesota cities to adopt this legislation, signaling local commitment to protecting children, families, and neighbors from gun violence and urging broader action at the state level. 

   • Robert Street Reconstruction MOU: Rebecca led the collaborative drafting and passage of a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Saint Paul and MnDOT to strengthen accountability and community care during the Robert Street reconstruction project. The agreement also helped catalyze the creation of the Robert Street Accountability Task Force, on which Council President Noecker currently serves, ensuring ongoing community oversight and coordination throughout this major infrastructure project and demonstrating how local leadership can shape state infrastructure projects to better serve neighborhoods, transit riders, and businesses. 

   • Capitol City Bikeway: A long-time advocate of bike infrastructure, Rebecca pushed for full funding and completion of the Capital City Bikeway, working with Mayor Carter’s administration to set a timeline and prioritize safe downtown biking.
      
   • Central Station Redevelopment: Rebecca led the work to redevelop this key downtown block, bringing partners together to develop a Request for Proposals (RFP) for transformative development ideas to reactivate this transit hub with new housing, jobs, and public space.
      
   • Downtown Alliance: As a founding board member, Rebecca sponsored the resolution establishing the Downtown Improvement District to support a cleaner, safer, and more vibrant downtown.
      
   • East Grand Avenue Overlay District: Rebecca led the Saint Paul City Council in unanimously adopting major updates to the East Grand Avenue Overlay District. The amendments bolster development flexibility along East Grand—supporting small businesses, enhancing pedestrian walkability, permitting sensitive increases in building height, and allowing patios and gathering spaces.
      
   • Lower Speed Limits: Responding to resident concerns, Rebecca coauthored a resolution lowering speed limits on Cesar Chavez and Wabasha to improve pedestrian safety.
      
   • Lowertown Social Hours: Rebecca initiated the Lowertown Social Hour series, which brings downtown residents and employees together to support local businesses, meet one another, and celebrate the unique culture of the Lowertown neighborhood.
      
   • Neighborhood Investments: Rebecca secured funding for security cameras at Linwood Recreation Center to address safety concerns and led the designation of $325,000 for a Commercial Vitality Zone on the West Side, resulting in seven small business grants, a pedestrian bridge mural over Robert Street, and new sidewalks and boulevard trees along Cesar Chavez Street.
      
   • Pedro Park Groundbreaking: Rebecca helped make the long-awaited vision for Pedro Park a reality.  The new park will transform an underused downtown lot into a vibrant urban green space for residents, workers, and visitors to gather, relax, and connect.
      
   • Police Customer Service Survey: Rebecca worked with former Police Chief Todd Axtell to launch a survey allowing residents to rate police interactions, helping inform training and performance reviews.
      
   • Skywalkers Trainings: Rebecca led this series of trainings for regular skyway users to equip them to keep our skyways report safety and cleanliness issues.
      
   • Smoke-Free Legislation:  Rebecca partnered with the Association for Nonsmokers Minnesota (ANSR) to pass ordinances limiting the sale of flavored and menthol tobacco, raising the age to purchase tobacco to 21, and capping tobacco licenses citywide.  She also supported an ordinance prohibiting smoking in parks and within 25 feet of building entrances.
      
   • W. 7th Transit Improvements: As a new proposal for transit on W. 7th takes shape, Rebecca is committed to moving the plan forward with urgency, genuine community engagement and with an eye toward pedestrian safety, bike accessibility and supporting small businesses.

6. A Thriving Economy

   Rebecca believes that for Saint Paul to thrive, we must attract new investment, foster development, and create good-paying jobs—while ensuring our residents are trained and ready to fill them, so wealth stays in our community. Rebecca is committed to supporting local businesses, celebrating their contributions, and making it easier for entrepreneurs to succeed in Saint Paul.

   Achievements: 

   • Commercial Corridor Organization Assistance Program (CCOAP): Rebecca spearheaded the creation of a new fund to support commercial corridors.  The Commercial Corridor Organization Assistance Program (CCOAP) funds storefront upgrades, public art, streetscape enhancements, and events to create vibrant, welcoming commercial areas.
      

   • Downtown Revitalization: Rebecca was a founding member of the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance, and she co-chaired the Downtown Commercial Real Estate Committee which led to the creation of the Downtown Development Corporation. She champions attracting investment, redeveloping underused sites, and enlivening public spaces downtown. Most recently, she led the City Council’s approval of expanded pedicab operations—supporting safer, more vibrant, and accessible transportation options in the heart of the city.

   • Modernizing Riverfront Development Rules: In December 2025, the Saint Paul City Council adopted long-awaited updates to the Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area (MRCCA) regulations, concluding years of planning and public engagement. A key win, championed by Council President Rebecca Noecker, was the removal of overly restrictive building height limits, resulting in flexible, predictable rules that balance riverfront protection with vibrant downtown development. 

   • Open for Business: Rebecca co-led this initiative to simplify permitting, improve customer service, and support small businesses through project navigators. The team produced a "Pocket Guide for Doing Business in St. Paul" in four languages and continues to streamline City processes.
      
   • Support for Small Business Tools & Flexibility: Rebecca has championed policies that make it easier to run and promote small businesses, including legalizing sidewalk sandwich signs, roof signs, and electric assists on pedicabs.
      
   • St. Paul Business Awards: In 2017, Rebecca launched these awards to recognize businesses of all sizes for their commitment to equity, employee development, and community impact.  To date, 38 businesses have received the award and the program continues annually.