OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Public Health and Safety Committee Meeting Transcript - December 3, 2025

City Council — Wednesday, December 3, 2025
BodyMinneapolis, Minnesota
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, December 3, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:02:37

Transcript — Verbatim
0:07

Welcome to the meeting of the Public Health and Safety Committee for December 3rd, 2025.

0:12

I am Jason Chavez, the chair of this committee.

0:15

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.

0:25

The broadcast include real-time captioning as a further method to increase the accessibility of our proceedings to the community.

0:31

Therefore, all speakers need to be mindful of the rate of their speech so that our captioners can fully capture and transcribe all comments of the broadcast.

0:38

We ask all speakers to moderate the speed and clarity of their comments.

0:42

At this time, I'll ask the clerk to call the role so we can verify quorum.

0:48

Councilmember Payne.

0:50

Present Rainville?

0:53

Present.

0:54

Chowdry.

0:55

Present.

0:56

Palmasano.

1:00

Apologies.

1:01

I don't think the microphones are on for that.

1:02

Let's start over.

1:03

Councilmember Payne.

1:04

Present.

1:05

Rainville.

1:06

Present.

1:06

Chowdry.

1:07

Present.

1:08

Palmasano is absent.

1:12

Umesley.

1:15

Present.

1:15

And church office.

1:17

Present.

1:17

We have five present.

1:18

At this time, I will I will well let the record reflect that we have a quorum.

1:22

I'll remind my colleagues that we'll be using speaker management today.

1:26

So please make sure that you're signed up.

1:27

If you're here for one of the public hearings and would like to speak, please be sure to do so with the clerks.

1:33

We'll start with the consent items and I'll actually make uh amendment to the agenda without objection.

1:39

I will like to move item number 10, the Office of Community Safety Quarterly Report to be on the consent agenda.

1:49

So we can just receive and file it and take action without objection.

1:53

All right, colleagues.

1:54

The consent agenda has two items.

1:57

Item number one is authorizing a funding agreement with the City of Lakes Community Land Trust for real estate purchase.

2:02

Item number two is receiving a filing a quarterly report updated related to eliminating childhood lead poisoning.

2:09

And item number three now would be the Office of Community Safety quarterly updates.

2:15

And I will move uh that will be a receive and file.

2:18

So I'll move those motions for approval.

2:20

I'll ask to see if there's anybody on queue for those items and would like to reflect that we are uh joined by councilmember Palmasano.

2:30

That being said, on the motion to approve the consent agenda, which also now includes the receiving and filing of the OCS.

2:37

All those in favor say aye.

2:40

Aye.

2:40

Those opposed say nay.

2:42

Any objections.

2:44

All right.

2:44

Thanks, colleagues.

2:47

Our next item is a public hearing on the off-duty use of city resources.

2:52

This is amending the ordinance related to fire and police protection to add reporting requirements for the use of city resources in outside work.

2:59

I will pass it to my colleague, uh Vice Chair Wancy.

3:04

Thank you, Chair Chavez.

3:06

Um, I would like to just take a few moments to speak briefly to this ordinance titled Off-Duty Use of City Resources Reporting that I'm bringing forward for council consideration.

3:18

Um, this ordinance is another piece of ongoing work that uh you all are aware of.

3:23

My office has been um working to advance for uh almost four years now.

3:29

Um, and this is just another piece of that work of making sure we're improving and increasing transparency around the city's off-duty uh work and programs.

3:39

The goal of this ordinance is to improve and create accountability measures within MPD as it relates to off-duty and the city resources being utilized uh to implement it.

3:51

Uh, this ordinance will require the administration to provide the council and the public with quarterly updates on the usage of city resources related to off-duty work.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Health████████████████████████████████████36%
Public Safety████████████████████20%
Procedural█████████9%
Racial Equity█████████9%
Land Use and Zoning█████████9%
Environmental Justice███████7%
Economic Development████4%
Technology and Innovation███3%
Affordable Housing███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Public Health and Safety Committee Meeting December 3, 2025

The Public Health and Safety Committee convened on December 3, 2025, to review a series of ordinances and reports focused on police transparency, public health safety, and civil rights. The meeting featured significant debate regarding the political will and timeline for regulating off-duty police work, approved amendments to strengthen lead poisoning prevention in rental housing, and updated the Small Business Enterprise program based on a new disparity study. Additionally, the committee approved appointments to the Civil Rights Commission, a contract amendment for embedded social workers, and received reports on pollution reduction initiatives and public health infrastructure grants.

Consent Calendar

  • Funding Agreement: Authorizing an agreement with the City of Lakes Community Land Trust for real estate purchase.
  • Lead Poisoning Report: Receiving and filing a quarterly update on efforts to eliminate childhood lead poisoning.
  • Off-Duty Safety Report: Receiving and filing the Office of Community Safety's quarterly report.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public signed up to speak during any of the public hearings. The clerk confirmed that the queue was empty for the Off-Duty Use of City Resources ordinance, the Lead Paint Ordinance on White Staff, and the Small Business Enterprise Program ordinance.

Discussion Items

  • Off-Duty Use of City Resources Reporting Ordinance:

    • Vice Chair Wandsley moved the ordinance forward, expressing frustration that the administration has repeatedly cited "time tracking data management" as a barrier for nearly four years despite having the budget and vendor options. She characterized the delay as a "barrier of a lack of political will" rather than a technical limitation. She stated the ordinance seeks only reporting transparency, not full timekeeping implementation immediately.
    • Deputy Commissioner Jeffries (OCS) argued that the administration supports goal collection but requires additional time to sequence technology projects. He proposed a timeline of Q1-Q2 2027 for new IT systems to be in place, arguing that implementing an external platform before the city's internal timekeeping system is resolved would be inefficient.
    • Council President Payne emphasized that a consent decree settlement is a "floor, not a ceiling," expressing concern that without urgency, Minneapolis could face another 20 years of non-compliance similar to Oakland. He supported moving forward despite the potential need for manual reporting in the interim.
    • Councilmember Chowdry expressed strong support for data-driven governance, noting the delay is significant given that similar reporting in other departments (e.g., encampment reporting) is already effective. She advocated that "perfect should not get in the way of progress."
    • Councilmember Palmasano requested clarification on the technology timeline and staff capacity. The administration confirmed that the new timekeeping system is a city-wide project currently underway and that while staffing can increase, the technology infrastructure remains a prerequisite for non-manual tracking.

  • Lead Paint Ordinance Amendments (White Staff):

    • Alex Vallmer (Health Dept) presented proposed amendments to Chapters 240 and 244 to establish a proactive policy stance on lead hazards, clarifying that the city can inspect for lead-based paint in rental properties. She noted that 60-70% of elevated blood lead referrals come from rental housing, specifically 1-4 unit scattered sites and duplexes.
    • Councilmember Wandsley sought clarification on housing types, confirming that the highest rates of poisoning occur in rental units, particularly smaller multi-family buildings rather than large complexes.
    • Councilmember Payne expressed strong support, highlighting the disproportionate impact on the Southside Green Zone.

  • Small and Underutilized Business Enterprise Program:

    • Director Burns presented amendments based on a large disparity study showing continued disparities in minority and women-owned business participation (currently 13.9% vs. 20% availability). The primary change is shifting certification from the federal MNCUP program to the local CERT program to reduce burdens and increase participation.
    • Council President Payne shared his experience with the onerous federal certification process (taking nine months), supporting the shift to local control for greater efficiency.
    • Vice Chair Wandsley praised the shift from study to policy action, contrasting it with reports that often gather dust, and added herself as a co-author.

  • Public Health Community Institute (PHCI) & CDC Grant:

    • Presenters reported on the PHCI, which provides training and up to $15,000 grants to community organizations, and the Public Health Pathways internship program designed to diversify the health workforce. They noted a 58% increase in participant knowledge of public health purposes and plans to expand recruitment to include non-students.

Key Outcomes

  • Off-Duty Use of City Resources: Motion to approve the ordinance carried with a vote of 5 Ayes, 1 Nay (Councilmember Rainville). The ordinance mandates quarterly reporting of off-duty work locations, hours, and fees.
  • Lead Paint Ordinance Amendments: Motion to approve amendments to Chapters 240 and 244 carried unanimously (5 Ayes). The changes establish a proactive maintenance standard for lead hazards in pre-1978 structures and authorize city inspections.
  • Small Business Enterprise Program: Motion to approve amendments to Title 16, Chapter 423 (switching to local CERT certification) carried unanimously (5 Ayes). The motion was referred to the full council.
  • Civil Rights Commission: Motion to approve 10 new nominations for the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights carried unanimously (5 Ayes).
  • Social Work Services Contract: Motion to approve the contract amendment with Hennepin County for embedded social work services for MPD carried unanimously (5 Ayes). The committee requested a follow-up memo with precinct-by-pricinct data and demographic breakdowns.
  • Pollution Reduction Report: The report on the legislative directive regarding air pollution and environmental justice was received and filed without a vote.
  • PHCI Grant Report: The report on the CDC Public Health Infrastructure Grant and initiatives was received and filed.
  • Meeting Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned following the receipt and filing of the final items.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to the meeting of the Public Health and Safety Committee for December 3rd, 2025. I am Jason Chavez, the chair of this committee. 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. The broadcast 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 of 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 quorum. Councilmember Payne. Present Rainville? Present. Chowdry. Present. Palmasano. Apologies. I don't think the microphones are on for that. Let's start over. Councilmember Payne. Present. Rainville. Present. Chowdry. Present. Palmasano is absent. Umesley. Present. And church office. Present. We have five present. At this time, I will I will well let the record reflect that we have a quorum. I'll remind my colleagues that we'll be using speaker management today. So please make sure that you're signed up. If you're here for one of the public hearings and would like to speak, please be sure to do so with the clerks. We'll start with the consent items and I'll actually make uh amendment to the agenda without objection. I will like to move item number 10, the Office of Community Safety Quarterly Report to be on the consent agenda. So we can just receive and file it and take action without objection. All right, colleagues. The consent agenda has two items. Item number one is authorizing a funding agreement with the City of Lakes Community Land Trust for real estate purchase. Item number two is receiving a filing a quarterly report updated related to eliminating childhood lead poisoning. And item number three now would be the Office of Community Safety quarterly updates. And I will move uh that will be a receive and file. So I'll move those motions for approval. I'll ask to see if there's anybody on queue for those items and would like to reflect that we are uh joined by councilmember Palmasano. That being said, on the motion to approve the consent agenda, which also now includes the receiving and filing of the OCS. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed say nay. Any objections. All right. Thanks, colleagues.

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