Public Health and Safety Committee Meeting - November 12, 2025
Public Health and Safety Committee Meeting - November 12, 2025
On November 12, 2025, the Minneapolis Public Health and Safety Committee, chaired by Councilmember Jason Chavez, held a regular meeting. The committee approved a consent calendar with six items and received presentations on public restrooms, police case clearance rates, and the city's opioid epidemic response. The meeting adjourned at approximately 3:45 PM to allow setup for a subsequent committee meeting.
Consent Calendar
- Items 1 through 6 were approved unanimously with a voice vote. Item 1 authorized a legislative directive requesting information on requiring certain businesses and institutions to possess opioid antagonists (Narcan). Item 2 approved a federal grant for the Towards Zero Death traffic initiative and a contract with the city of Crystal. Item 3 referred to staff an ordinance on police department public data reporting. Items 4, 5, and 6 set public hearings for December 3, 2025, on ordinances related to lead paint, off-duty use of city resources, and the small business/underutilized business enterprise program, respectively. Councilmember Rainbow requested that the cost of mandated Narcan possession be included in the staff report for Item 1, and Chair Chavez agreed to follow up.
Discussion Items
Presentation on Standalone Public Restrooms
Ashley Jook from the Legislative Research and Oversight Policy and Research Division presented findings on public restrooms. Minneapolis has an estimated 18 public restrooms per 100,000 people, compared to the national average of 8 and Madison, Wisconsin's 35. The presentation covered models such as the Portland Loo, Throne Labs (rented, high-tech), and others. Key considerations included winterization, location (parks, public right-of-way), costs (varying by model), and the importance of monitoring and community engagement. The Peavey Plaza seasonal restroom trailer (installed 2019, cost $79,000) is staffed by the Downtown Improvement District. The Park Board reported issues at Bde Maka Ska and The Commons with prostitution, drug use, and vandalism. Councilmembers discussed potential models, particularly Throne Labs (which had 83,000 uses in a pilot year in Ann Arbor with a 4.4/5 cleanliness rating), and the possibility of incentivizing private businesses. The report noted zoning constraints and the need for city council findings to address public health and safety. The committee received and filed the report.
Presentation on Police Department Case Clearance Rates
Deputy Chief Emily Olson presented on investigative division clearance rates for 2024. Key statistics: property crimes had very low clearance rates (11 investigators for 28,106 cases). Violent crime investigative division (VCID) had 36 investigators with a median of 237 cases per week; Special Crimes (SCID) had 44 investigators with 620 cases per week. Clearance rate methodology was explained (cleared by arrest, complaint, declined, or exceptionally). Staffing dropped from 161 investigators in 2019 to 90 in 2024 (a 43% reduction). External barriers included technological issues, lack of cooperation, and weather. Internal barriers included staffing shortages, an antiquated records management system, and inability to use facial recognition. Deputy Chief Olson mentioned misinformation from public officials harming community trust, citing the New Deland LGBTQ+ shooting as an example. Chair Chavez asked for specific names, but she declined. Councilmember Cashman questioned why two of five civilian investigator positions funded by the council were not hired; Deputy Chief Olson stated she was authorized to hire only three. Council President Payne noted the council funded five, indicating a disconnect. Councilmember Chowdry discussed online reporting issues and the need for better customer service. The committee received and filed the report.
Presentation on Opioid Epidemic Response
Deputy Commissioner of Health Heidi Ritchie presented on the city's opioid response. Preliminary data showed a 26% decrease in opioid-involved deaths in Minneapolis in 2024 (32% statewide). However, deaths among American Indian residents held steady, and Black and American Indian rates remain three and eight times higher than white residents, respectively. Initiatives included three Narcan vending machines (560 boxes distributed through October 2025), syringe abatement (26 drop boxes with 15 more planned, cleanups using 311 calls with a 24-hour response SLA), a mobile medical unit (33 deployments since August 29, 2025, with over 1,300 interactions, 178 medical encounters, 110 referrals, and 336 Narcan boxes distributed), and the First Step hospital-based treatment program (being replicated statewide). Youth prevention uses the Brain Waves neuroscience curriculum, and a sex trafficking awareness campaign (relaunching January 2026) won three awards. Council President Payne praised the work as a model of effective government. Chair Chavez noted community interest in placing campaign materials on Lake Street. The committee received and filed the report.
Key Outcomes
- Approved the consent calendar (Items 1-6) unanimously.
- Received and filed the standalone public restrooms report.
- Received and filed the police clearance rates report.
- Received and filed the opioid epidemic response report.
- Committee members will follow up on specific requests: cost analysis for Narcan mandate, status of two unfilled civilian investigator positions, and community input on the sex trafficking campaign location.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to the regular meeting of the public health and safety committee for November 12th, 2025. I am Jason Chavez, the chair of this committee. Before we begin the meeting, I want to offer a friendly reminder to all member 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 the 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 the role so we can verify a quorum for this meeting. Council President Payne. Present. Councilmember Rainbow. Present. Paul Masano. Vice Chair Wansley is absent. Church of the present. We have five presents. Let the record reflect that we have a quorum. I'll remind my colleagues we'll be using speaker management today, so please make sure you're signed up if you wish to speak on any item. Item number one is approving a legislative directive requesting information related to opioid overdose and opioid antagonists specifically considering a citywide requirement for certain businesses and institutions to possess opioid antagenists. Item number two is approving a federal grant related towards related to the towards zero death traffic initiative and authorizing a contract with the city of Crystal. Item number three is referring to staff an ordinance related to the police department public data reporting. Item number four is setting a public hearing to December 3rd to consider an ordinance related to the lead paint. Adam number five is setting a public hearing to December for December 3rd to consider an ordinance related to off-duty use of city resource reporting. Item number six is setting a public hearing for December 3rd to consider an ordinance related to small business and underutilized business enterprise program. No. All right, I'll put myself on cue and just talk about item number one, which is the opioid overdose and possession of the lockstone legislative directive. We're just hoping to work closely with staff on the possibility of adopting an ordinance that would require uh the possession of Narcan at certain institutions in the city of Minneapolis as a way to help reduce overdose deaths and tackle the opioid epidemic. This would be a legislative directive that we hope to get back so we can take action at council next year. And if there is no questions, I'll move all these items for approval and I'll first call on Councilmember Rainbow. Thank you. Would this include the cost, Mr. Chair? Uh this would go towards staff. Uh the staff staff would bring back a report on this. If you're requesting that, I guess I could follow up with staff to see if that would be included. And if not, not opposed to adding that at full council next week. Thank you. So I guess that's follow-up for me to figure out if this legislative directive would talk about costs, but I agree with you. I think it is important, and I guess the ask to the administration would be that that is included in this directive. If not, we can codify that at full council next week. anybody else? All right. I'll move approval of these items and see no further discussion on the motion. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed say nay. Any abstentions, and those items carry. Our next item is a presentation related to public restrooms. This is in response to a staff direction this past June. I'll now invite Ashley with the legislative research and oversight policy and research division to get us started. Welcome.
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