Minneapolis City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting - October 7, 2025
Minneapolis City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting - October 7, 2025
The meeting was called to order by Chair Jason Chavez at approximately 11:32 AM. Roll call was taken, with Councilmembers Wandsley, Ellison, Osman, Cashman, and Jenkins absent. The agenda was amended to add a legislative directive from Councilmember Wandsley regarding the Mayor's executive order on the consent decree. The meeting proceeded with committee reports, a consent calendar item, a public hearing, and discussion items.
Consent Calendar
- A resolution approving the ranks of the 2026 Capital Budget Request and submitting them to the Commissioner of Management and Budget was passed unanimously as a time-sensitive item.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Arts Commission Chair (name not given) opposed the reclassification of the Arts Commission from a tier two body (created by ordinance) to a tier three body (created by resolution). They argued that the commission has specific delegated decision-making authority (approving project site selection, conservation plans, and artwork acquisitions) and should remain a tier two body. They also submitted written testimony.
- Howard Dotson spoke in support of the Arts Commission, emphasizing the healing power of art and requesting that the commission work with other city departments to integrate art into trauma recovery efforts. He did not express a position on the tier classification.
Discussion Items
- Re-establishment of the Arts Commission: Clerk Casey Carl presented the resolution to re-establish the Arts Commission as a tier three advisory body under the 2023 reform ordinance. The Arts Commission chair opposed the change, but Councilmember Palasano questioned Clerk Carl about the goals of the reform (standardization, uniformity, tying advisory work to city strategic goals). Julie Hovland, ABC program manager, noted that the commission's duties remain largely unchanged, except for a requirement that meetings be held in public facilities. The resolution was approved and forwarded to the full council.
- 2025 PCAR CO2e Fee Update: Jenny Lansing, Senior Environmental Project Manager, presented a fee study in response to a legislative directive. The study recommended a $5 per ton fee on carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (CO2e) from liquid fuel, with a cap of $175,000 per facility, alongside a 13% increase in certain PCAR equipment fees. The combined revenue of $1.29 million achieves a 94% cost recovery (target 95%). The fee will fund green cost share projects and an industrial outreach specialist. Councilmember Wandsley praised the work but criticized delays in implementation, noting that the fee was originally expected in 2022. Councilmember Cashman asked about annual emissions reductions, revenue stability, and the use of hydrogen. The report was received and filed.
- Legislative Directive on Consent Decree Executive Order: Councilmember Wandsley introduced a directive asking for a report on the status of Mayor Fry's executive order regarding the consent decree, which was dismissed by the DOJ. City Attorney Anderson stated that all requirements were timely met and offered to present on November 3rd instead of October 21st due to a conflict. After discussion, Councilmember Wandsley proposed that a receive-and-file report be made available on October 21st, with the presentation on November 3rd. The item was moved to the full council without recommendation.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
- Arts Commission Resolution: Approved and forwarded to full council.
- PCAR CO2e Fee Update: Received and filed.
- Legislative Directive on Consent Decree: Moved to full council without recommendation, with an agreement to have a receive-and-file report on October 21, 2025, and a presentation on November 3, 2025.
- Closed Session: The council voted to close the meeting for a briefing on the litigation matter United States of America v. State of Minnesota et al. (25 CV 0378), citing attorney-client privilege under Minnesota Statutes § 13D.05, subd. 3b. The council reconvened in open session at approximately 3:00 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. My name is Jason Chavez, and I'm the chair of the committee of the whole. I'm going to call to order a regular committee meeting for Thursday, October 7th, 2025. Before we begin the meeting, I want to offer a friendly reminder to all members, staff, and the public that these meetings are broadcast live to enable greater public participation. These broadcasts include real-time captioning as a further method to increase accessibility of our proceedings to the community. Therefore, all speakers need to be mindful of the rate of their speech so that our captioners can fully capture and transcribe all comments for the broadcast. We ask all speakers to moderate the speed and clarity of their comments. At this time, I'll ask the clerk to call a roll to verify the presence of a quorum. Councilmember Paint. Present. Wandsley is absent. Rainville. Present. Present. Ellison is absent. Osman is absent. Cashman is absent. Jenkins is absent. Chigtai. Present. Howski? Present. Paul Masana. Present. Vice Chair Chowdry. Present. Move to amend the agenda to include a legislative directive authored by Councilmember Wandsley. Um would ask for a second to that motion. Second. Colleagues, is there any questions on the motion to amend the agenda to add this directive under discussion? Seeing no further question, all those in favor say aye. Those opposed say nay. Any abstentions. And that carries. The agenda is now before us. But before we begin, we'll first start off with uh committee reports. I'll first pass it to uh the administration and twice oversight committee chaired by councilmember Wansey. Thank you, Chair Chavez. First, also like to be recorded as present. Um an eye on the amendment. The without objection, um, we haven't voted on the actual item yet, so oh, just that oh, the adding of the amendment. We're we added so we're gonna be voting on that at the end of the meeting. I mean, if you want to be reflected on on the motion, I don't think it's necessary, but yeah. Um if the clerks can please know uh council member once he's presence. Thank you. And Cashman. Councilmember Cashman. Um I'm actually going to ask uh my vice chair to take over and read. Thank you. Certainly.
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