Elliot Payne

Good evening everyone. My name is Elliot Payne. I'm the President of Minneapolis City Council.

I will now call this adjourned meeting of the City Council for December 9th to order. The Clerk will call the roll.

councilmember jenkins present councilmember palimasana

chowdhury present councilmember cashman present councilmember ozman is absent councilmember

Councilmember Rainville?

Present.

Councilmember Chavez?

Present.

Councilmember Vita?

Present.

Councilmember Ellison is absent.

Councilmember Kosky?

Present.

Councilmember Wansley is absent.

Vice President Chugta?

Present.

President Payne?

Present.

There are 10 members present.

Let the record reflect we have a quorum.

Before we begin the meeting, I want to offer a friendly reminder to all members and staff

that this meeting is broadcast live to enable greater public participation.

The broadcast includes 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.

Colleagues, this is a continuation of our last regular meeting.

The agenda has already been adopted and no further action is necessary.

We have a single matter to consider this evening, and that is a series of resolutions and related actions which constitute the city's 2026 budget.

We begin tonight's meeting with the fourth and final public hearing to allow community input on the city's 2026 budget.

Mayor Frey presented his recommended budget on August 13th, providing a proposed fiscal plan for city operations in 2026, totaling $2.03 billion.

A copy of the mayor's recommended budget is posted to the city's website, which is available at minneapolismn.gov slash budget.

Since that time, the city council, through its budget committee under the leadership of Council Vice President Chugtai,

has conducted a series of hearings to examine the details of each department's budget request.

All those meetings were broadcast on public access television and from the city's website, as well as on-demand access from the city's YouTube channel.

starting this past Friday the budget committee began its markup of the mayor's budget proposal

a total of 37 amendments have been reviewed during the markup sessions and those have been

forwarded as part of the complete amendment package that we will also be considering tonight

additionally the committee has a few amendments that it wasn't able to get to those proposed

amendments are now in the hands of the council to consider before we proceed to the public hearing

I'll ask staff to give us a very brief summary of the mayor's recommended 2026 budget and I will welcome up Justin Coles the city's

Budget Manager to give that presentation

Welcome

Good evening President Payne and council members my name is Justin Coles and I serve as the Budget Manager for Finance and Property Services

This evening I'll provide a brief overview of the 26 recommended budget document and

where it can be accessed, along with a summary of the recommended tax levy and a walkthrough

of the levy impact estimator.

These resources are intended to help both the Council and the public clearly understand

the budget and its implications as we move toward adoption tonight.

In this abridged presentation, I'll begin by walking through the structure of the budget

Book and highlighting key sections that help identify changes within the budget.

Following that, I will present the recommended property tax levy and provide a demonstration

of the levy impact estimator.

This tool offers a more detailed analysis of how levy growth translates to the average

homeowner in the city.

Finally, I'll conclude with a review of the key dates that have brought us to tonight.

The budget team works hard to publish the budget book every year, and we make refinements

annually based on feedback from our colleagues and the public.

Our goal is a readable document that explains financial and policy decisions in a clear

manner.

We design each page to answer key questions.

This year we've added more detail on each department page on staffing.

This info was available last year, but it was harder to find.

Now it's directly on the department page at the bottom of each page.

We have also added a 2026 budget changes section on department pages as applicable that narrates

the funding reductions and limited increases as well as transfers between departments from

the 2025 adopted budget.

In the adopted book for 2026, this is also where we will show council dedicated funding

that gets passed this evening.

We have a PDF version of this available on the LIMS file for the 2026 budget.

Please note that we will be transitioning systems in 2026 so the PDF version is likely

what we will be directing folks to in January as we complete the setup of the new system.

At this point, I'll take the time to walk through a sample department page in the book

to demonstrate the information that can be obtained.

So when you first navigate to the online budget book, you will come to the table of contents

here, which can be navigated through the body of the page as well as at the top with dropdowns.

I'll navigate now to a sample department page.

So we can go to CPED's page.

Many of these sections are similar as they have been in prior years, but when the reader

first comes to this page, there will be some key charts at the top identifying expense

and revenue information for the department as a whole. Below that will be tables identifying

expenses by fund as well as revenues by fund. All of this is interactive so the reader can

click view report to get additional detail there. Immediately following the charts is

a breakdown of all the programs and or divisions within the department. So first you will find

a organizational chart that details the divisions within CPED here, and then individual charts

of financials as well as narratives of each of those programs.

I will go down now to the new section that was just mentioned.

So the 2026 budget changes is a new format that we've used to bring the reader to understand

what significant changes have happened between years.

In the high-level summary statement, it will indicate the changes for the department by

fund, and then each page will have a section, if applicable, of first reduced funding, so

these are items that have been removed from the recommended budget.

Then any additional funding, if that is applicable to the department, as well as transfers.

And as I mentioned on a previous slide, this is also where we will indicate any dedicated

funding that is adopted in the 26 budget.

Immediately below that is staffing information.

So there's some high-level summaries of position changes from the 2025 adopted to the 2026,

in this case, recommended budget.

And then some tables below of FTE counts in a variety of different ways to present that.

Finally, we will be updating performance management tables in the adopted book.

And currently what we have in the recommended book is a link to dashboards and impact stories

that have been created in collaboration with PMI.

This slide is just a recap of all the sections of the budget book and an image just kind

of showing everything that we just went through.

Over the next couple of slides, I will preview the recommended levy table and five-year financial direction and then go on to the levy impact estimator tool.

As adopted by the Board of Estimate and Taxation, the maximum property tax growth in the 2026 budget was set at 8% above 2025.

This was certified to Hennepin County as required by September 30th.

And as there have not been any amendments as of yet to lower the city's tax levy, it's

estimated that this will be the final levy growth that gets certified to the county by

December 29th.

Taking all current known factors into consideration, it's estimated that the current service level

levy increase in 27 will be a 5.4%.

The Budget Division has once again partnered with the Assessor's Department to develop an

interactive levy impact estimator for both residents and members of the City

Council. This tool allows users to input specific property values and explore how

the final approved tax levy could affect their tax bill. It's intended to support

data-informed decision-making for electeds and transparent and clear

information for the public. The tool is directly linked in the budget book

accessible on the City Assessor's website and available via the QR code

displayed on this slide. In this example shown here, we're examining a citywide

residential homestead property under an 8% levy increase scenario. The table

below at the bottom of the slide outlines the estimated tax impacts across

a range of market values, while the map above illustrates how those impacts may

vary by ward. Based on the expected 8% total levy increase from 2025, citywide

residential homesteaded properties would see a median increase of $242 in their

2026 tax bill. We encourage those interested to access the tool to see

more granular data points that they might be interested in. And on this final

slide I've outlined the department budget presentations and opportunities

for public engagement that began in earnest in September. Tonight we

commence those presentations with the final public hearing and budget adoption.

After this evening, the budget division will begin the work to publish the adopted book

before beginning the process anew in January of 2026.

Finally, for those interested, the QR code on the bottom right hand of this slide links

directly to our standard budget planning timeline where one can find full details of budget

activities throughout the year.

And with that, I conclude my presentation.

Thank you, Mr. Coles. Thanks for grounding us in that as we go into our public hearing.

I want to also recognize that we have several members from the Park Board in the audience

today. They're here to listen to your testimony as well as they go in to do some additional

budget work for themselves as well. So thank you all for being here. At this point, let's

proceed to our public hearing for all in attendance and especially for those wishing to offer

testimony either as a registered speaker or by submitting written comments let me offer this

notice this public meeting is being recorded and broadcast the broadcast of this meeting is a live

stream of these proceedings and the broadcast and recording are deemed public data under the

minnesota government data practices act by attending this meeting and participating in

these proceedings your image and any testimony or information that you provide will also be

subject to disclosure under the law. That includes but is not limited to your

attendance, your name, and other personal details you provide, your testimony, your

comments, whether formal or otherwise, and any written submissions you make

which are included in the record for this meeting. If you plan to address

counsel as this hearing, please note that we will be taking speakers in the

order that they registered. Speakers can register with the clerks at the table

outside of the chambers in the hallway. Every speaker has been assigned a

speaker number. We will be calling speakers both by their assigned number and name. If you plan to

speak as part of this hearing and haven't already registered, you may do so now. Each registered

speaker will be given two minutes to address the council. We have a timer available to help

speakers monitor the use of their time right over there. And we ask that you wrap up your comments

when your time has expired so that we can accommodate all speakers this evening. We also

ask everyone to be respectful of all speakers and their opinions offered. If you have written

comment or materials to submit, please give those to the clerks at the registration table

outside of chambers, and those will be included for the public record. We also have printed

comment forms available at the registration table if you'd like to submit a comment on

this proposal and have that included in the public record. I also would encourage everyone

to take advantage of submitting your comments about the budget in other ways. The easiest

way to submit your comment and ensure that they are added to the public record is to send those

from the city's website at minneapolismn.gov slash public comment. All submitted comments will be

included in the public record related to the 2026 budget, which is accessible via the city's

legislative information management system, or LIMS, and linked to today's agenda.

Because we have limited seating available in this chamber, there is an overflow room next to the

chamber as well as space on the second floor available where the public can also monitor this

meeting. We have arranged for interpretation for those who may need that assistance to participate

in tonight's hearing. If you require assistance, please let the clerks at registration know. We

have interpreters available for those needing Spanish and Somali interpretation. Finally,

if anyone is in attendance to inquire about their property valuation, we have staff from the city's

assessing department on hand tonight. If you see the clerk, they can connect you. Alternatively,

they can be contacted at assessor at MinneapolisMN.gov. With that, we're ready to open the public hearing.

So far, we have 24 speakers registered for tonight's hearing. I will call on speakers in groups of five by their registered number.

If you're in the overfall space, please proceed to the chamber as we approach your number.

The first five speakers who've registered for public comment are Erica Thorne, number one, Lee Samuelson, number two, Peter Rickmeyer, number three, Maria, number four, and Veronica, number five.

I'll welcome up Erica Thorne.

Welcome.

Thank you.

My name's Erica Thorne.

I live in Ward 9 in the Central neighborhood.

and I am speaking as one of several representatives of the Community Visioning Council, the CVC.

I want to support the 38th and Chicago Business Coalition that has been working really,

has really showed up for George Floyd Square for the last five and a half years.

I want to support the 24 demands that were made within a week of the sadistic murder of George Floyd.

Some of them have been met, not all of them.

I'm speaking in support of the neighborhood organizations, all four of which have a corner at that intersection.

Particularly just for me and for CVC, Can Do has been just like, wow, just like right there in the meetings.

supporting us with documents and so forth.

And I think we all stand in support of separation of ICE

and the city of Minneapolis.

Hopefully everyone in this room supports that.

And then, yes, and then finally,

I just want to say that the CVC has had not an easy pass

over the last 14 or 15 months.

And we have come together in a very strong position.

And I'm proud of what we've done.

And finally, I want to ask you all to please,

please do the 38th Thrive Street Thrive Plan,

which was put in 21 or something.

It's a while ago.

So please pay attention to it and pass it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, we have number two, Lee Samuelson, followed by number three, Peter Rickmeyer.

President Payne, members of the council, Lee Samuelson and Ward 12, for every city budget hearing starting in 2014,

for every year, I believe, I've spoken for resourcing equitable climate action on a scale that will truly matter.

Ever since the first franchise fee allocation to climate action back in 2017,

Community Power has consistently asked city officials to dedicate these funds,

which come from our energy bills, toward opportunities that result in network downward pressure on our energy bills.

And so we're grateful for and support the gas and electric franchise fee ordinance,

which will come for a vote on Thursday, and the associated budget amendment number six

that focuses this revenue to well-tested city-backed energy savings like green cost share.

And we likewise support amendment number four on energy utilities and assistance.

We know the landscape of programs can be confusing at many front doors

and resourcing the work to make it clear and simple for residents is essential for making sure it can meet constituents in need.

We're also excited to support Amendment No. 3 on zero waste.

This proposition and task force are important to meet zero waste goals,

and it appropriately funds within the Solid Waste and Recycling Division rather than from Energy Bill franchise fees.

Many multifamily residents and businesses don't have composting yet.

And I recently learned that the city's recycling rate actually declined by 1% last year.

So this is more important than ever if we are to get on track to close down the Herc and not expand landfilling.

We've had a zero waste plan since 2017 and with a goal of 80% recycling or composted by 2030.

and thank you all for your service, dedication, integrity, and cool-headedness

at this time of an increasingly lawless federal landscape.

Thank you, Lee.

I'll recognize that we've been joined by Council Member Wansley

and welcome up Peter Rickmeyer, followed by Maria.

Good evening.

Thank you for allowing us to speak at the budget hearing here.

My key request is to get the city council to budget more money to hire police investigators for non-lethal shootings.

The purpose of this is to prevent black people from being shot at, injured, or killed.

I believe the city council has a moral and legal obligation to ensure the safety of all members of the community, including the black community.

The second thing is that this is going to cost money.

So the best way to do it without asking for more money is to save money from one department and take that money and use it to fund the investigators.

so by putting light priority mechanisms on the plow trucks to turn the lights from red to green

so the plow trucks does not have to stop that ensures that the plow trucks can run efficiently

and there'll be fuel savings there'll be less over time i know that's a hot subject with the

police department. And the other thing that I want to say is that the savings will be about $600,000.

The other comment that I have is gas prices is going down in Minnesota. We're down to $229 a

gallon roughly in Brainerd and about $239 per gallon in Forest Lake. I'm guessing that's going

of seep through to the Twin Cities at some point.

So I'd like to thank President Trump for actually keeping his promise to get the gas prices

lower.

The rest is on the machine.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we will welcome up Maria, followed by Veronica.

Number four, Maria.

Thank you.

for the workers.

I feel very happy that you all have supported us,

all the workers,

with the budget.

Thank you very much.

I hope to continue to share with you all the workers,

and to get the rights of the workers.

Thank you very much.

Gracias a todos.

Good evening, council members.

My name is Maria Palacios and I live in District 8.

I just want to say thank you so much for completing and

restoring the funding for the co-enforcement program.

I'm really happy that you all have been able to take the step

to support workers and our rights education.

So, yeah, thank you so much and I hope that we can continue

counting on your support and the work that needs to happen for our rights education.

Thank you so much.

Next we will welcome up number five, Veronica.

And the next five speakers are number six, Russ Adams, number seven, Carolyn Dahl, number

eight, Lane Brown, number nine, Satish, and number ten, Lachelle Cunningham.

Welcome up, Veronica.

Hello, good afternoon everyone. My name is Veronica. I am the leader of the CETUL organization.

I am here to give the thanks for the support that they have given us.

They wanted to give us half of the funds for the conforment.

But you gave us the opportunity to not cut the funds to the organization that supports

and educates the workers on our rights.

Thank you very much.

Good evening.

My name is Veronica and I'm a leader in the organization of CETUO.

I'm here tonight to say thank you so much because the budget for the co-enforcement program

cut in half, but y'all have restored that funding to be able to support organizations

like I'm a part of for education and support for workers.

And I just really want to say thank you so much for the support.

It's really appreciated.

Thank you.

Next I will welcome up number 6, Russ Adams, followed by number 7, Carolyn Dahl.

Good evening, Russ Adams with the Lake Street Council.

I'd like to thank council members Jenkins, Kosky, and Cashman for their service.

The City Council you put in long hours and you gave up a lot to be on the City Council.

It's very appreciated.

I also want to thank the City Council, the Mayor's Office, Council staff, City staff

for everything you're trying to do to help support and protect our immigrant communities

and businesses.

of the amendments that you are considering and that you voted on do that. And I think it raises

the question of, are we doing everything we can to protect those communities? Can we do more to

meet the present moment and rise to the occasion? These amendments begin to answer that question,

but we know there's a lot more to do. Every time the city stands with citizens to resist

the detention, the strong-arm tactics, and the violations, the wholesale violations of the

civil rights of our citizens and our neighbors, it makes a difference.

So just to point out a couple of those amendments, 9 and 10, boosting the staff capacity for

immigration legal services and the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs is really important.

That's a good first step. As our friends at SayTool have pointed out, fully funding the

Labor Standards Co-Enforcement Program is really important. It does make a difference for our

immigrant communities, and those workers help make our commercial corridors like Lake Street

vibrant. The street vendor grant and compliance program is also another example of creating

more pathways for folks to build wealth and to be successful here. I don't have time to

compliment Councilmember Cashman on the adaptive reuse or the vacant retail activation, but that

is something that we hope can be extended to Uptown.

And also congratulations to Councilmember Jenkins

for the 38th Street and Thrive.

These are strategies that are going to make a difference.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next we will welcome up Carolyn Dahl,

followed by Lane Brown.

Hello.

I will be reading a statement from Taylor Heitman,

who is unable to be here this evening.

Good evening. My name is Taylor Heitman and I currently work in Ward 5. I have a long history

of working in the restaurant industry in Minneapolis, most recently in Wards 10 and 13.

I am here today to discuss the importance of continued full and permanent funding for the

co-enforcement program. Several years ago, I worked at a restaurant where paychecks bounced

nearly every pay period and the odd times they didn't, checks were short. Because we would

eventually get paid but we were owed when we called our boss out, my affected co-workers and I felt

like we had no recourse through the Department of Labor.

And even though we would eventually be paid after we took the time to call our boss out,

which happened repeatedly, this still caused material problems because many of us were

living paycheck to paycheck.

Problems like missed rent payments and inability to buy necessities and issues with my bank

because I was the one looking suspect constantly depositing bad checks.

No one ever spoke out because we were scared to lose our jobs.

I didn't know about Satool at the time, but I wish I had because it would have set us

up for success by giving us resources and support at a time when things felt hopeless.

We would have learned that yes, it is our right to be paid the full amount and on time,

not at the whim of our boss.

And I would have learned how to effectively organize my coworkers around the issue as

well.

And this is my experience as a white, English-speaking woman.

Today, my non-white, ESL or non-English-speaking peers are at risk of being taken from the street

just because they look a certain way.

Their safety net is rapidly shrinking.

I thank the council members today for unanimously voting to fully fund this program for 2026,

and I want to point out that a unanimous vote is significant.

It demonstrates that this is not a political issue, but rather a human rights issue.

Every single worker in Minneapolis deserves to have a voice

and the tools to defend their rights in the workplace.

Thank you.

Next up, we will have number eight, Lane Brown, followed by number nine, Satish Desai.

Members of the Minneapolis City Council, thank you for taking the time today to hear members

of the public, members of Ward 8 and 9 especially.

I'm proud that Southside is real strong in the room tonight.

I'm here today on behalf of the Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization.

My name is Lane Brown and I'm the Co-Executive Director.

At some point this evening, you'll be joined by my co-director, Michela Rolfs, who will

echo statements similar to mine.

We're here today on behalf of a shared commitment that we know us as neighborhood organizations

share and you as city officials and as city staff share as well.

We're here because we believe that building community power with our neighbors matters.

We believe in community-controlled funding of the Equitable Engagement Fund and are asking

y'all to find dollars that can go inside here and support neighborhood-led initiatives

that could respond to things such as immigration raids, hunger in our communities, homelessness,

maybe even neighbors that need their houses repaired.

All of these things we've heard from our communities, which is why we know we're needed.

I'll add that over the past few decades, our organizations across the city of Minneapolis

have benefited greatly from things like the NRP and beyond.

What I'm hoping is that city staff, elected officials will understand again that local

problems require local solutions.

Now is not the time to abandon the long-term support of neighborhood-based organizing.

And I know that it's not just on y'all.

We'll be asking the same of Hennepin County, of the Park Board, of the School Board and beyond.

Because we're in this together. All of us. Thank you.

Thank you. Next up we have number 9, Satish, followed by number 10, Lachelle.

Good evening.

I'm having trouble unlocking my tablet, so I'll just wing it.

So good evening.

My name is Satish Desai.

I am a resident of Ward 8 and the Bancroft neighborhood.

I'm here today to speak in favor and support of the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute

and their vision of an indoor urban farm and community solar garden and community hub.

I'm not sure if this is an actual line in the budget this year,

but it certainly has budgetary implications.

It would increase the city's tax base,

so decreasing the pressure on property owners and their property taxes.

It would also be a source of economic vitality to an underprivileged neighborhood, reducing the pressure on city services.

So it would be helping on the revenue side and helping on the expenditure side.

So I'm urging you all to do everything that you can to help make this really inspiring vision a reality.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to me.

Thank you. Next we will welcome up number 10, Lachelle Cunningham, followed by the next five speakers, Haranya Mata, Milisha Smith, Howard Dodson, Jane Lansing, and Yusra Muhammad. Welcome.

Thank you. Good evening. I'm Lachelle Cunningham, a business owner and property owner at 38th and Chicago, as well as a member of the 38th and Chicago Business Coalition, Ward 8, and the Central Neighborhood.

I'm here tonight in the middle of a blizzard with all of you because the future of this corridor depends on aligning the city's budget with the priorities already set in the 38th Street Thrive Plan and on investing in the people who have held this block through the hardest times.

The Thrive Plan names the vision. The support plan that the businesses put together provides

a framework for how to implement it. Together they call for infrastructure that is dignified,

for economic tools that keep small businesses alive, for cultural programming that restores

community identity, and for memorial spaces that honor history without harming the people

who still live and work here. Right now, the City is preparing to spend millions on concrete

and construction at our intersection, but without parallel investment in the small businesses

and cultural institutions that define this corridor. When public dollars improve the

physical environment but ignore the economic needs of the people already here, it doesn't

create revitalization. It creates vulnerability. That is how displacement begins. When communities

are pushed out through disinvestment, rising costs, and decisions that look neutral on

paper but land hard in real life. We need people-centered investment so this corridor

is not improved for someone else but strengthened for the people who are now here. We remain

opposed to a pedestrian mall as it contradicts the principles of thrive, endangers emergency

access, harms business viability, and divides the neighborhood already asked to carry too

much. A flexible open design is the only option that supports safety, mobility, culture, and

economic life. 38th and Chi is not just where tragedy occurred. It is where people still

get up every day to work, create, serve, and rebuild. We have done our part by unifying,

by organizing, by planning, and by staying. And we need the city to meet us with alignment

in that investment. Support the Thrive Budget. Support the flexible open. Partner with the

people who are still here. And let's honor the past together. Thank you.

Next we will welcome up number 11, Gerania Mata, followed by number 12, Mylisha Smith.

Good evening.

My name is Gerania Mata and I'm with Setul.

I work for Setul.

So I'm going to read a testimony tonight for Antonio.

He couldn't make it here today because of the storm,

because he has to catch a lot of buses to arrive.

My name is Antonio.

He trabajado in various lugares,

entre Minneapolis and St. Paul.

He estado in algunos trabajos

donde me despiden injustificadamente,

y ya no podía tomar ninguna hora de enfermedad pagada,

porque me despiden antes de las 30 horas,

y por eso no califico para esa ley.

My name is Antonio, and I have worked in various places

between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

I have been in some jobs where I was unfairly let go,

and could no longer take any paid sick time,

because I didn't reach the 30-hour limit

and did not qualify for the law.

I've been robbed of my wages many times,

and with the support of Setul,

I've been able to recover some of those wages.

Once I was out, I worked almost a week while sick,

but I was unaware of the sick time law

and I was fired for getting sick.

I'm giving testimony here today because many workers are not informed by their employers

about this right and that is why the co-enforcement program is vital.

Some bosses at our jobs are not complying with the law and they're not giving workers

the necessary information that we need to stand up for ourselves.

Unfortunately this is very common.

But now, thanks to CETUL, I am informed about my right to earn sick and safe time.

However, we still need to focus on ensuring that the law is enforced because even with

With this law, there are still many workers that have difficulty accessing our sick and

safe time hours.

So that's why the co-enforcement program is so important,

because with training on our rights and about sick and safe

time, more workers can be informed.

Therefore, I thank you for voting to restore the co-enforcement

funding for this program, and that hopefully next year we

will not need to come back to continue asking and naming

people who are not going to be able to do this.

to come back to continue asking and naming why it's so important. Workers need this program

to have full and permanent funding. Thank you so much for your support.

Thank you.

Next up we have number 12, Mylesha Smith, followed by number 13, Howard Dotson.

Good day, council.

My name is Myalisha Smith.

I am part of the co-chairs of the Community Vision and Council.

I'm going to keep it short and I'm going to keep it brief.

I am here to encourage you to implement support to support the four neighborhood organizations

surrounding the 38th corridor.

I am encouraging you to support the 38th Street business support plan.

I am encouraging you to support the community street plan.

I am encouraging you to support the 38th Street Thrive Budget Amendment.

I'm encouraging you to support the sale of the roof depot to EP&I.

I am also encouraging you to support the ICE and City Separation Ordinance.

Thank you.

Thank you. Next up, we will have number 13, Howard Dodson, followed by number 14, Jane Lansing.

Evening, Council President Payne and Council Members.

I returned from Ukraine last night, so I'm a little jet-lagged, so please bear with me.

I asked you to consider funding to track the frostbite injuries.

For four winters, I've been asking for the blue and green line to run from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. when the shelters are full.

I commend the Mayor and the Council for the Opiate epidemic drop in overdose rates by

26 percent. Increasing MPD officers, increase your PAL programs, replicate what North High

is doing reaching our youth. We need more low barrier shelter beds and less encampment

clearings. We need to better support our crime victim families. For multiple years I have

been asking the L.A. crisis response team model to be replicated in Minneapolis. Sometimes

it takes two hours for the Red Cross. I have heard it takes two hours for BCR to respond

sometimes. We have got to better support our crime victim families.

But the thing I want to lift up tonight most is your moratorium on sister city relationships.

The City of Minneapolis has no relationship with the City in Ukraine.

Her son is on the front line of the Cold War. The Berlin Wall is in her son between occupied

and liberated Ukraine. The Mayor's family parished in the Holocaust in Ukraine. Please

lift your moratorium so we can have a sister city in Ukraine. And anyone on this Council

wants to go to Ukraine, I will lead you on a delegation visit to lift up the Minnesota

a miracle for Ukraine. Thank you Councilmember Rainville for representing Northeast Minneapolis,

the heart of the Ukrainian community in Minnesota. We can send a message that we stand with Ukraine

by having a sister city in Ukraine, but it takes lifting that moratorium and funding

your sister city program to have that city recognized.

Thank you Howard. Next we will have number 14 Jane Lansing followed by number 15 Yusra

Mohammed. Thank you, council members. My name is Jane Lansing. I chair the League of Women Voters

of Minneapolis Reimagining Public Safety Committee, as my colleague Susan Meinhardt,

also a member. I'm also a member of the city's Safe and Thriving Communities work group.

We are here asking you to please reconsider your vote on Amendment No. 7 and fund the $5.5 million

public safety wellness and training center. I listened to your discussions on this amendment

and heard your concerns and questions about procedural steps and the MDHR and Alifa role

and authority. I appreciate your diligence on our behalf in this tough budget environment,

but please step back with me. Coming from a brutal police murder that shook the world,

Minneapolis is making good progress in public safety. We have a yellow brick road to police

reform in the settlement agreement, and you all unanimously supported it. You need to support the

work to execute it. The big pillars of that work are training and infrastructure. No third party

is going to tell you you need a new training center, but they have told us the training we

need and that our facilities are inadequate, and we've all known that for years. To think that

Edina or Bloomington or anywhere else is going to have facilities to train 600-plus officers to

policies that reflect national best practices in policing, which is what MPD is developing, just is not credible.

Delaying the training center will delay the ability to train and retrain hundreds of officers to reinforce all these new policies,

which is a critical step in culture change.

We also believe that delaying the training center will delay completion of the settlement agreement.

Extending completion to 7 or 10 years, like other cities like New Orleans,

is even more costly in the long run to the budget of Minneapolis.

Please continue with your diligence.

Deputy Commissioner Jeffries said yesterday that there would be a site selection and plan

that the council would review in early 2026.

Please vote to reinstate the $5.5 million in capital for the training center.

To be a thriving community, we first need to be a safe community.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Next we will have number 15, Yusra Mohammed,

and I'll read off the next five.

Number 16 is Andres.

Number 17, Ace Rice.

Number 18, Anna.

Number 19, Michaela.

And number 20, Jay.

Welcome.

Thank you, Council President and Council members.

I want to ensure everyone is aware of the recent incidents

targeting our immigrant businesses and mosques.

We're experiencing an uptick in hate crimes,

vandalism threats and possibly another arson incident against a mosque possibly there's

no surprise why these incidents point to the urgency we face Minneapolis has Minneapolis

has slipped into a state of crisis perhaps the most severe since spring of 2020 the difference

is that the fear emotional trauma and physical damage our communities are experiencing even

this very moment as we've heard some of the incidents happening in Cedar

Riverside are stemming from institutional prejudice and hate at the

federal level. This is why we strongly support the amendments that boost staff

capacity to support our immigrant communities. Small businesses are

receiving subpoenas. I want to say I've probably got over 20 calls over the last

night and many businesses and our culture malls are being forced to close

or they feel like they're forced, they have to feel like they're forced to close even if they don't really have to.

Many businesses and families are living in fear, but the question we must ask ourselves is,

the City of Minneapolis doing everything it can to protect our immigrant communities.

These amendments are critical investments in that protection, providing resources, expertise, and support

when our neighbors need us the most.

Let's make sure the answer to that question will always be yes.

Thank you.

Next, we will all welcome number 16, Andres, followed by number 17, Ace Rice.

Hi council members.

My name is Andres.

I am a organizer with Unidos Minnesota.

I've spoken with a few of you here.

What I am interested in doing is increasing the franchise fee.

A lot of us need weatherization programs to help us live in comfortable and affordable

homes.

And part of that is through making sure that the big polluters contribute their fair share

in what funds this clean energy transition.

Roughly there's about, you know, what is it, 200,000 houses in Minneapolis.

we're transitioning or we're retrofitting about a thousand houses a year that's about 200 years

it's not enough i need that to be a little bit faster i want to

have a future where we can live and thrive and minneapolis is that model we're at that

we have the policies we have the ability to do so and it needs to pass thank you

Next we will welcome up number 17, Ace Rice, followed by number 18, Anna.

Cool, thank you. Ace Rice, I own a business born and raised in Ward 8 in the central neighborhood.

Number one, I just want to thank the City Council for passing, I think which is the first steps in the Minneapolis 38th Street Thrive plan,

I think yesterday or this morning or so. So one, thank you for your efforts.

I think this is a great step in the right direction and just one, lending my voice to encourage support of the 38th Street Thrive budget amendment, as well as the 38th Street business support plan.

I think both of these things work together like Legos.

We're kind of the boots on the ground, the businesses there that not only represent the businesses, but also the residents that live in many of the businesses there as well.

So I think it's a great opportunity to work together collaboratively.

I also would like to lend my support for obviously the ICE and the city separation ordinance

and increasing the funding for the neighborhood organizations.

One last thing I would just call out is as we go into year 2026,

I know that there has been a budget allocation for 38th Street Thrive,

but if there's any other programs that are coming through the city,

such as those that come through the arts and culture program or the safety, public safety,

and security, any way that we can

funnel some of those programs

into the 38th and Chicago area.

I know a lot of the programs that were

grants and the like

were not eligible on the 38th

Street in Chicago area, so again,

I appreciate you guys for funding

what you did for the beginning for the 2026

and again, I just encourage any way to

send and allocate other resources or

programs that you have coming down the pipeline

for 2026. Please keep 38th and

Chicago in mind. Thank you.

Next we will welcome up number 18 Anna followed by number 19 Michaela.

Hi my name is Anna and I live in Ward 8 in Central neighborhood and I'm on the

Can-Do board. During this difficult time I want to say to you our elected City

Council and to my neighbors who are listening as these decisions are made

let us not give way to the idea that resources are scarce that would cause us

to only look out for ourselves or act out of fear or power. Rather let us

remember that we are all connected in community across Minneapolis and that

what happens to one part affects us all. No one is flourishing if everyone is

is not flourishing.

And for that, I cite the sacred texts of my own faith,

as well as those of the many faiths and spiritualities

of my neighbors, many past and current leaders,

and the wisdom of our community's experience.

Let us not be frozen by fear, by power,

or by this cold weather.

I hope you support our neighborhood organizations,

the Community Streets Plan, the 38th Street Thrive,

and 38th and Chai Business Support Plan,

the sale of the route depot to EP and I,

and our neighbors who are not flourishing

because of the presence of ice on our blocks.

But most importantly, I call us all to act justly,

to love kindness, and to walk humbly as these decisions are made.

Thank you.

Next we will welcome number 19, Michaela, followed by number 20, Jay.

Hello.

I am Michaela Rolfes.

I am the co-executive director of CanDo, and this is Jazlyn Allen, and she is very proud to be here today.

I am asking to support our neighborhood organizations specifically through an increase in our equitable engagement funding.

Neighborhood organizations are a crucial infrastructure in the city of Minneapolis for emergency response, for public safety, for civic engagement.

And they are also a training ground for city leaders, for staff, for county leaders, for and beyond.

It has been a very, very effective way of training the next generation of our community's leaders.

And we are reaching a tipping point where we are losing the sustainability of our neighborhoods.

This infrastructure is crucial for what is ahead of us right now.

Cutting neighborhood funds while federal agents are running through our streets is, frankly, just dangerous.

Our power lies on our people.

This is urgent.

The city needs our neighborhoods, and our neighborhoods need you right now to support all of us or none of us.

Thank you.

Next up, I will welcome Jay.

And the next five speakers are going to be number 21, Luke Snyder, number 22, Justin Taylor, number 23, Patty Torres,

Number 24, Bridget Stewart, and number 25, Ernesto Dominguez.

And I'll welcome up number 20, Jay.

Thank you very much.

Hello, council members.

My name is Jay Randolph.

I am here as the executive director for the Phillips West neighborhood organization.

And today I am also here to urge you to increase the funding made available to neighborhood organizations through the Equitable Engagement Fund.

The Equitable Engagement Fund is designed to invest money into communities that have historically been left behind by our city.

Since 2020, neighborhood organization funding has stayed stagnant, not being adjusted for inflation, and has not taken into consideration the changing demographics of our city.

Neighborhood organizations are responsible for some of the most significant and effective community programs here in the city.

We are culture keepers. We are community gardens. We are renters' rights training programs.

We build community leaders. We advocate for racial justice.

We support and organize around many of the other initiatives that are here today, including the 30th and Chicago Business Support Plan, the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute, the Community Streets Plan, and rapid response to emergency situations like ice activity in our communities.

Beyond our own programming, neighborhood organizations also assist the city and the county in their public engagement.

This is the case with the New Nicolette Redevelopment Project.

We facilitate grants for the city to provide local businesses with opportunities to upgrade their buildings.

And we implement city projects like the community snow shoveling initiative.

Most neighborhood organizations today operate with a promised annual budget of less than $100,000 a year.

Imagine all the things that we could do with proper funding.

Now more than ever, it is critical that we invest in our neighborhoods.

Neighborhood organizations are a voice for our community in a time where we are feeling silenced and more powerless than ever before.

If we truly care about our communities, I believe it is critical that we put our resources towards funding them and listening to them.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we will welcome up number 21, Luke Snyder.

Good evening, council members.

Thank you for the opportunity to share with you this evening.

My name is Luke Snyder, and I live in Ward 8 in the central neighborhood, and I'm connected

and involved with the Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization, Can Do.

And I'm here to urge you to support an increase of funding to the neighborhood organization

through the Equitable Engagement Fund, as you just heard another neighbor share about.

And why do I believe that neighborhood organizations deserve more funding?

It's because they provide services to our community that the city and other organizations are not providing.

And to put it simply, my neighborhood organization makes a difference in my neighbors' lives and in my life.

One of the first and most meaningful interactions I had with my neighbors when moving here nine years ago

was organizing for National Night Out, which is an annual block party.

And guess who was there to bring it all together?

It was my neighborhood organization.

They provided support, connection, and for the last nine years, I've lived in the neighborhood

and have continued to show up to bring us together for meaningful interaction and engagement.

Having these moments of community are extremely important for establishing trust

because now we have a lot of fear in our neighborhood, and we didn't need to know who we can turn to.

So my story is just one of many in the central neighborhood.

There are so many lives impacted by CANDU's mission, and that mission is to activate neighbors and leaders to build relationships across identities, to mobilize collective power through anti-racist organizing, food liberation, and environmental justice.

Beyond block parties, CANDU has taken me much deeper in my own journey in understanding what it means to show up in community and work for equity.

When I attended a workshop organized by CanDo, it helped me understand racism is race, prejudice, plus power.

And that's changed how I show up in the community.

So I encourage you to increase the funding to neighborhood organizations through the Equitable Engagement Fund because they're making a difference.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we will have number 22, Justin Taylor, followed by number 23, Patty Torres.

Hi, my name is Justin Taylor. I'm with Ward 3, I believe, Marcy Holmes. A little background,

I'm here with Rock, Minnesota. I first got involved with Rock, Minnesota after a past

manager of mine ended up working for them and reached out to me. They told me about

some training they were offering regarding workers' rights, which focused on restaurant

workers in particular and wondered if I was interested. I initially declined due to my

lack of transportation and, let's be honest, my overall laziness, but I was pleasantly surprised

to be offered a ride there and back. I took them up on the offer and actually ended up going maybe

three times in total due to both learning and having a lot of fun doing it. I really did learn

a lot of useful information that has come up over the years, and as a bonus, I feel it has helped me

to be more confident and relaxed in my workplace, information I am glad to have thanks to Rock

Minnesota. I am here, however. The best example I have for how Rock Minnesota has directly made an

impact for myself and several of my co-workers is in regards to the sick pay law. After a recent

catch-up meeting I had with Rock Minnesota where they reached out to ask how I was doing and check

in on me, the subject of sick pay arose. Well, it turns out that it is both mandatory and, much to

my chagrin, not something offered at my job. I alerted Rock, Minnesota to this, and we

immediately made a game plan to approach the subject with my employer. It started with

simple conversation explaining the law and would escalate from there depending on the

owner's reaction. The next day, I talked to the owner about the situation as we had rehearsed,

and thanks to some internet links that were shared with me, I was able to point out the

relevant information and laws necessary to prove it was non-negotiable. The owner quickly

agreed to not only implement the sick pay immediately, but to include any back pay that

we should have received from when the law had gone into effect. Essentially, I'm just

here to implore the council to please restore the co-enforcement funds that are needed to

help them do the work they have done. They have helped me and my coworkers.

Thank you, Justin.

Next up we have number 23, Patty Torres, followed by number 24, Bridget Stuart.

Good evening, council members.

My name is Patty and I am a restaurant worker.

A few months ago I connected with Rock, Minnesota and this has transformed my work and my personal

life. Through ROC, I learned about my labor rights and understood that we all have rights,

regardless of our immigration status. I also learned that when workers organize, we can

demand respect and dignity in our workplaces. But the most important thing I have learned

is how to face what many immigrants deeply fear the presence of ICE or immigration enforcement.

ROC has taught us how to act, how to protect ourselves and how to organize, both individually

and collectively in our workplaces where we face vulnerability every day.

ROC has given me support, guidance and a strength.

They have listened to me and made me feel that I am not alone.

As a migrant, I left my country out of fear, searching for peace only to find new challenges

here.

But ROC has been there supporting and gating many of us who, like me, live with fear and

uncertainty.

Thousands of workers do not speak up because of fear, necessity, or simply not knowing

our rights.

And that is where ROC pushes us to organize and raise our voices even we are afraid.

For this, I am grateful for the work of Minnesota and I respectfully ask the Council to restore

the co-enforcement funding because this program is essential for the most vulnerable workers

to defend our rights and our dignity.

Thank you very much.

Next up, we will have number 24, Bridget Stewart, followed by number 25, Ernesto Dominguez.

Good evening, council members.

I am here asking that when you take time out on Thursday to reflect and vote upon 38th and Chicago Corridor,

I ask that you refer to the Open Street Flex Plan.

I also ask that you take into consideration a property tax assessment program that is deferred for the businesses on 38th and Chicago in either the form of a temporary reduction of property taxes or elimination or at least a delay of 46 years.

One year for every year that George Floyd was living his life.

I ask this due to the fact that we have suffered for five and a half years after his life was taken.

We are your neighbors.

We are your constituents.

As I often say, as we say at Agape Movement, it's time for us to put the neighbor back into the hood.

It's time for us to uplift that neighborhood.

It's time for us to start moving forward.

It's time for us to show up and show out because the world is still looking at us.

There are many days, many hours throughout the day that we have to entertain, and yes, I'm using the word entertain, because people come in and spectate on our community because of what took place.

I ask that you guys reflect upon the tragedy that we're still living inside of because it's still there every day that we live, work, and play at the corridor of 38th and Chicago.

If you noticed, I do not call it George Floyd Square because George Floyd Square does not reflect the heart of that corridor from Cedar to Nicollet.

What reflects is the black business corridor that is historical, that is written inside of that 38th Street Thrive program.

And I ask that you bring that back into the fold.

Thank you for your time.

Next up we will welcome number 25 Ernesto.

And then the next speakers are number 26 William Ulrich,

number 27 Melinda, number 28 Octavio,

and number 29 Shelly.

Number 25 Ernesto.

Muy buenas noches a todos.

Muchísimas gracias primeramente por darse el tiempo

de poder escucharnos a cada uno de nosotros.

Hello, good evening. My name is Ernesto, and I just want to say thank you so much for giving us the time to be heard and listen to this evening.

I am a worker and a member of CETUL, and I'm here to raise up my voice to say, yes, we need an end to wage theft.

in this state as in others, and it is very common among the workers of construction that

do not belong to a union like me.

And I'm here to tell my story tonight about wage theft that's happened to me in the state

and many others, and unfortunately, wage theft is a very common issue for those of us who

work in a non-union construction industry.

This is what happened in my case of salary robbery here in Minneapolis.

My jefe and I arrived at a verbal agreement on the payment, but we never put it in written.

However, we agreed verbally that I would pay $8,000 for my work in some apartments in

the south of Minneapolis.

Unfortunately, I never paid it.

So I'm going to share my wage theft story.

So I came to a verbal agreement with my boss about pay, but unfortunately we never wrote

it down in a contract and it just stayed as a verbal agreement. I was contracted to work

on some apartment buildings in South Minneapolis, but unfortunately he never paid me the $8,000

that we agreed to for my work.

Now I know how to defend them.

Now I know that I have a contract written and I know where to come as soon as they don't

pay me, so that it's not too late.

I also have involved a lot in the struggle for the rights of the workers, of the construction

and in animating my colleagues to also get involved.

Unfortunately, I was not able to recover my wages before my boss fled to another state

before I could go to Setúl.

Fortunately now, I do know that I can learn more about my rights and what I can do to stand up for myself with the support of CETUL.

I know that I need to have a written contract now and not just a verbal agreement to support myself.

I've also become very involved in the work as a construction worker to be able to educate myself and also my coworkers about our rights and how we can get involved.

So that we don't have to wait until the last minute to make sure we can get our wages paid.

Gracias a ustedes por decidir financiar

íntegramente este programa para el 2026.

Es fundamental para los trabajadores de la construcción como yo.

Thank you so much for choosing to fully fund this program for 2026.

The co-enforcement program is vital for construction workers like myself.

Y espero en Dios de que sigan tomando las mejores decisiones,

ya que un robo de salario no solo le puede dañar a una persona hispana, ni de color, ni de raza, ni de país.

And I am hoping in God that there never needs to be another person who experiences wage theft,

not another immigrant, not another Latino, not another person of color,

not another person in this country who has to go through that experience.

Muchísimas gracias. Buenas noches.

Thank you so much. Have a good evening.

Thank you.

Next up we have number 26, William Ulrich,

followed by number 27, Melinda.

Thank you for giving us this opportunity to represent our communities.

And I have to say I've been a homeowner since 1973 in Ward 10.

And I want to say that compensation is essential for you and the police.

And I'll end on this.

I think the Metro Transit should provide free bus fare.

All right.

Short and sweet.

Number 27.

I might be having this wrong.

Melinda?

Malcolm?

Yes.

Ah, sorry.

I know my handwriting is sloppy, you know, but it's like a cursive something mixed, but I appreciate you.

Thanks, y'all.

Malcolm Wells, Program Director of New Justice Project.

I'm up here today to share my appreciation for the hard work y'all have done in working together to fund the co-enforcement program.

I know it was hard, and I know it continues to be that for y'all.

We appreciate y'all for seeing how critical this program is for working families, and if I recall correctly,

Everybody in the council is on board with funding the program.

So I appreciate y'all's leadership in this moment for real, for real.

But also this moment we're in right now, supporting workers is still tough,

especially with the ongoing threat of an increased militarized police state,

the ongoing lack of affordability out here.

Programs like co-enforcement empowers workers to stand up for themselves,

their colleagues, their families, and their communities.

Supporting working families, the whole family is essential today

from supporting our business corridors to creating more engagement for young folks.

Every decision we all make has a lasting impact on another person.

And our organization, along with our partners here today,

are committed to continuing showing up for our working families.

And we appreciate y'all for doing the same for us.

But I also want to shout out our neighborhood organizations.

We're literally working on, like, getting into collaborating

with our neighborhood organizations to build those bridges

and bringing working-class folks to tap in with their neighborhoods

and also get the support they need.

So hearing about this today, I really got to ask that y'all look into that as well.

Like, that's my plug to connect with communities.

So I want to name that.

So providing these extended support for workers from Know Your Rights trainings to identifying workplace and pay violations, like my man was talking about,

is key to making sure folks are truly taken care of on the job and that they're not exploited.

So, again, I appreciate y'all for being champions of the people right now.

My hope is that we also agree on making the funding for this program permanent.

You know, Minneapolis is one of the largest co-enforcement programs in the country.

as a leader in that we have to ask that you commit to making sure that this program is

funded, but funded permanently too. So thank you. Appreciate y'all.

Thank you. Next up we have

number 28, Octavio,

and then number 29, Shelley. Those are our last two speakers.

So if you are here to speak and you haven't signed up, please

come step over to the clerk's desk over there.

Good evening.

My name is Octavio Aragon and I am a construction worker and I have worked throughout the state

of Minnesota including the city of Minneapolis.

In the city, I have often worked on construction of multi-family buildings.

Since my coworker told me about Setul, I have been supported twice for wage theft.

I had been through this several times before, having my wages stolen, but I didn't know

I could demand anything until I learned about CETUL.

The first time I came to CETUL, I was supported and I was able to resolve my first case.

Two years later, I needed to come back again for another case of wage theft and that's

when I was able to begin negotiations with my boss.

Within a few days, I received my payment.

So I was able to come to Sextúl to be able to learn more about and understand my rights.

For many years, I knew nothing about my labor rights here in the United States,

and so for a long time, I suffered wage theft.

But I didn't know that there was a place like Sextúl

where I could get support to actually defend and stand up for my rights.

En efecto de robo de salario es grave, no podía pagar.

So the effect of wage theft is very serious, and I couldn't pay my rent, and I actually

had doubts if I was going to be able to survive.

and can support us.

Thank you for taking the correct decisions and financing

in this program in the 26th.

The financing must also be permanent

and I hope we don't have to fight for them in this way

in the next year.

Thank you.

We workers need the co-enforcement program

where we can work with organizations who understand our situations and can support us.

Thank you so much for making the right decision and fully funding this program for 2026.

The funding should be permanent so we don't have to come back year after year

and fight for this kind of funding again.

We appreciate you. Thank you so much.

Our final speaker is number 29, Shelly Stein.

If you have not signed up to speak, this is, you're running out of opportunities to do that.

Come talk to our clerk to your left over here.

Welcome.

Hello.

Good evening, counsel.

Thanks for having us.

I wasn't planning on speaking, but I'm grateful to do so.

I wanted to give thanks to you all for unanimously passing the amendment to restore the funding

for co-enforcement.

I want to ask you to think into the future of this program for yourselves and remember

that choice you made this week in future conversations about how we partner to build trust in the

city.

I wanted to highlight the co-enforcement program's achievements just this year.

In a contract that started late into the year, just in the last six months, we've reached

nearly 2,000 workers with Know Your Rights trainings, over 500 work sites across the

city. We've supported nearly 300 workers in resolving workplace violations. And we've

trained 220 workers to become workplace rights trainers and support their coworkers in any

kinds of future or current issues. I see the choice that you made as an investment in workers'

sense of safety in our city. That sense of safety is constantly under threat,

obvious threats with ice in our city right now, but rising rent, predatory

employers. You heard from Justin, one of our members, who met us years ago with

issues and came back to us because he had issues in a new workplace. Yeah, I

I think for us this is the seed of a vision in which in this city workers and restaurants,

food service, and all low-wage workers can live a thriving life, not just surviving.

And I appreciate and thank you for making the right decision about restoring the funding.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That completes our list of registered speakers.

Is there anybody in the audience who wishes to speak and has not signed up yet?

Going once.

Going twice.

With that, I will close this hearing.

I want to thank everyone who participated in the hearing tonight and to everyone who

spoke or submitted comments.

We appreciate your engagement and this important work that helps us move our community forward.

I'm going to suggest we take a brief recess.

needs a little bit of time to reset why don't we come back at 7 45.

Thank you.

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Thank you.

Thank you.

Tech team are ready.

this time. I will ask the clerk to

Prove the presence of quorum

Council member Jenkins present council member Pamisano present council member Chowdhury

absent

Council member cashman present no silver osmond is absent council member rainbow frozen counsel member Chavis present council member Vyton

That's member Ellison is absent council member Kosky present

member wansley as absent vice president Chetai present

President, there are nine members present.

We've also been joined by Council Member Chowdhury.

We'll now proceed to the business outlined on our agenda.

The first item is a resolution proposing the 2025 property tax levies payable in 2026.

I will recognize Council Vice President Chugtie to present that item for us.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Mr. President, on behalf of the Budget Committee, I move adoption of a resolution approving the 2025 property tax levies to be paid in fiscal year 2026.

Vice President Chag Tai has moved the passage of a resolution to approve the 2025 property tax levy to be paid in fiscal year 2026.

Is there discussion on the motion?

Seeing none, the clerk will call the roll on the resolution setting the property tax levies.

Councilmember Jenkins.

Aye.

Councilmember Palmisano.

Aye.

Councilmember Chaudhry.

Aye.

Councilmember Cashman.

Aye.

Councilmember Rainville.

Aye.

Councilmember Chavez.

Aye.

Councilmember Beton.

Aye.

Councilmember Kosky.

Aye.

Councilmember Wonsley is absent. Vice President Shugtai.

Present.

Or aye.

President Payne.

Aye.

There are 10 ayes.

That motion carries and the resolution is adopted.

Next is the proposed 2026 general appropriation resolution, which funds the city's operating departments.

Vice President Chuck Tai, will you present that item for us?

Thank you, Mr. President.

On behalf of the Budget Committee, I move adoption of a resolution fixing the maximum amounts to be expended

by various departments for fiscal year 2026 from the various funds under the jurisdiction of the City Council

for which the City Council levies taxes and fees.

Vice President Chugdai has moved passage of the 2026 General Appropriation Resolution,

which fixes the maximum amounts to be appropriated for all departments in the next fiscal year.

Is there any discussion on the motion?

Mr. President, I believe we are ready now to take up the remainder of the markup packet.

Okay. I'm going to hand the gavel over to Vice President Chuck Tai as we move through the remainder of those amendments.

Mr. Clerk.

Mr. President, before you do, I notice we've been joined by Council Member Wansley.

I just wanted to check if she wishes to be recorded as an aye vote on passage of the 2025 tax levy resolution.

All right. Without objection.

Wonderful. All right. Thank you, Mr. President. Colleagues, we have just a few items left to take up to complete our markup packet.

So we're going to pick up with Amendment No. 38.

Then we'll consider the Wansley 38B Amendment.

From there, we'll go to Amendment No. 39, then No. 40, then the new No. 41.

And then there are four revisions to items that have already been approved that we'll consider after that.

So starting with Amendment 38, which is budgetary control financial policy offered by myself, Council Members Kosky and Wansley, we have discussed the underlying motion in committee.

I will once again move approval and ask for a second.

Second.

Excellent.

And I will ask Council Member, I will recognize Council Member Wansley to move her amendment to Section, to Chapter 10 of Financial Policies.

Please introduce and move approval of your amendment.

Thank you, Council Vice President Chuck Tai.

So the current financial policies require that information regarding the city budget and financial statements shall be available to residents in various formats and upon request.

The financial policy before you would add a specific requirement for the administration to make quarterly reports with accounting of the full costs related to implementing the provisions of the settlement agreement between the city of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.

There is also a new requirement for reporting on forecasted costs related to the implementations of the settlement agreement provisions.

This financial policy is a common sense way to ensure that there is accurate, centralized, regular reporting on all costs related to the settlement agreement implementation processes.

Taxpayers need to know that we are stewarding public resources responsibly as we implement the settlement agreement.

And the agreement will bring our police into compliance with human rights law as well as constitutional law should the DOG provisions also be adhered to.

But while we're making sure that we're prioritizing that compliance, it should also be done in a cost effective way and not treat it as a blank check to MPD.

And we must make sure that taxpayers are not given a disservice by us allowing vague references constantly being brought before this body when we're asked to approve contracts or things of that nature.

And those references in the RCA is just saying this is for the settlement agreement.

And essentially that can lead to, if it's not caught early and proactively, to just endless funding without specific and transparent and well-documented accounting of each expense that we're considering.

And the cumulative impacts of those spendings are associated with the settlement agreement.

So this will allow us to have greater transparency and consistent reporting on this specific matter.

And with that, I'll move the financial policy or this amendment, well, policy as amended for approval and ask for a second.

We have a proper motion on the Wansley amendments to 38 regarding with specifically on Chapter 10.

Is there any further discussion?

Not seeing any. First, let's take up the Wansley Amendment, and then we'll take up the underlying motion on number 38.

Clerk, please call the roll on 38B, Financial Policies, Public Participation.

Council Member Jenkins. Aye.

Council Member Palmisano. Aye.

Council Member Chowdhury. Aye.

Council Member Cashman. Aye.

Council Member Randall. Aye.

Council Member Chavez. Aye.

Council Member Vita. Aye.

Council Member Kosky.

Aye.

Council Member Wansley.

Aye.

Vice President Shevtai.

Aye.

President Payne.

Aye.

There are 11 ayes.

That motion carries and that will take up amendment number 38 as amended with 38B.

Clerk, please call the roll.

Council Member Jenkins.

Aye.

Council Member Palmisano.

Aye.

Council Member Chowdhury.

Aye.

Council Member Cashman.

Aye.

Council Member Rainville.

Aye.

Council Member Chavez.

Aye.

Council member Vita. Aye. Council member Kosky. Aye. Council member Wansley. Aye. Vice President Chugtide. Aye. President Payne. Aye. There are 11 ayes. That motion carries. We are now ready to move to amendment number 39, the city auditor office remodel presented by Council President Payne and myself. I'll recognize Council President Payne to introduce this amendment and move approval.

Thank you, Vice President Chag Tai.

This is a rollover for an appropriation that was approved in the last budget.

As you all know, we have, on City Council, have moved our offices back into City Hall.

We have one sole member of the Legislative Department still officing in the Public Service Center.

That is our City Auditor.

We saw many, many delays in our move-in.

and as you can understand, those delays have also impacted our city auditor.

So this is to accommodate the rollover so that those spaces can be completed

and so that the city auditor as a team can all be office together.

And I move approval.

Is there a second?

Second.

All right.

And we have a proper motion.

Is there any discussion on this item?

I'm not seeing any.

Clerk, please call the roll on Amendment No. 39, City Auditor Office Remodel.

Council Member Jenkins.

Well, I just had one clarification.

So this is an actual rollover of funds that have already been allocated for this purpose.

Aye.

Council Member Palmisano.

Aye.

Council Member Chowdhury.

Aye.

Council Member Cashman.

Aye.

Council Member Ringo.

Aye.

Council Member Chavez.

Aye.

Council Member Vitov.

Aye.

Council Member Kosky.

Aye.

Council Member Wansley.

Aye.

Vice President Chaghtine.

Aye.

President Payne.

Aye.

There are 11 ayes.

That motion carries.

Next is amendment number 40, which is a new amendment titled Economic Development and Cultural Activation Grant offered by Councilmember Chowdhury.

Councilmember Chowdhury, will you please introduce and move approval of this amendment?

Thank you, Chair.

So this amendment establishes an economic development and cultural activation grant program to support culturally significant events and festivals across Minneapolis.

This program is designed to strengthen local economies, activate commercial corridors, and celebrate a rich cultural diversity that defines our city.

Cultural celebrations such as, but not limited to, Juneteenth, Somali Heritage Month, Indigenous Peoples Day, Latino Heritage Month, and community-driven celebrations.

These events generate academic activity, attracting foot traffic, supporting local vendors and entrepreneurs, and creating opportunities for artists and performers, and expanding markets for small and emerging businesses.

Throughout this calendar year, there have been several really amazing cultural events that have occurred in our city.

And time and time again, my office has been approached to see if there's any available city funding to support it,

just to help with the funding stacks to make these events possible.

And every year, these events get bigger and bigger because these are things that really make our neighbors feel seen.

And in Minnesota and in Minneapolis, having these get-togethers is a part of our culture.

And so many local BIPOC business owners have been able to grow their business by being in our city streets.

And one thing that I really hope to do through this is to keep the Minneapolis dollar in Minneapolis.

And so I hope you will support me in this budget amendment.

and should it pass, I would love your help and support in this next year

in reaching out to the different organizations that put together these festivals.

Move approval?

Council Member Chowdhury, move approval?

Yes, I move approval.

Is there a second?

Second.

Colleagues, is there any discussion?

I'll first recognize Council Member Rainville.

Thank you. I have a question for the author.

So I read through all the RCA.

Would Ukrainian culture be considered for this?

I think absolutely it would, especially as the Ukrainian community has just been through so much over the last few years they should apply.

Okay.

That sealed the deal.

Great.

Council Member Cashman followed by Council Member Chavez.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

And question for the author here.

what would be the process to apply or which department would kind of administer it?

Great question. Councilmember Cashman, this would be going to the CPED business team.

And so I'll be working with them to kind of develop how that will look.

And it will really be discretion to the department on what's feasible for them and their current staffing.

I'll just note, maybe you already know this, that Meet Minneapolis has the Community Events Assistance Program,

which is really a similar process where people can apply for funding to host their events.

Yeah, it'd be great to maybe merge the two or be able to stack them

or find a way to make it, like leverage the $760,000 that that program has.

Yeah, thank you so much for that.

Definitely will consider it.

A number of the event organizers have sought out funding from Meet Minneapolis

and some have been successful, some have not.

And I think this creates an opportunity for the city of Minneapolis

to more directly support.

So definitely I'm interested in merging the two,

but access to those Meet Minneapolis dollars

has been a barrier that's been noted to me.

I completely agree.

And one thing that I brought up on the executive committee multiple times

was that there should be more of that money going to the cultural districts

than the downtown organizations.

like downtown council got a big chunk of it taste taste minnesota got a bunch of it um and i hope

that the committee on meet minneapolis will divert more of that to cultural districts in the future

and so whoever is serving on meet minneapolis next year should pay attention to that process

to to advance these goals yeah do you mind if i just say something in regards to that i think this

should definitely be hosted these events should definitely be hosted in the cultural corridors

And I think one thing to note, it's important that these events also take place in different neighborhoods throughout the city to participate in the desegregation of our communities.

That's certainly one thing that I would like to see in the 12th, 11th, 13th wards is just getting out of the areas of concentrated poverty

and creating opportunities for residents in different parts of our neighborhoods

to interact with the amazing organizations that put together these cultural events.

Great.

Thank you.

Next, I'll recognize Council Member Chavez, followed by Council Member Jenkins.

I'll keep it really quick.

Thank you, Chair Trigtai.

I just want to thank Council Member Chaudhary for bringing forward this amendment.

I think this is something that I personally hear from a lot of residents.

It's a big need in the community.

So I just want to say thank you and very proud to support this.

Thank you.

And then finally, I will recognize Council Member Jenkins, followed by Council Member Palmisano.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

And, you know, I will be supporting this.

I do want to just point out that many of the events that have been named do actually happen on cultural corridors.

and the whole point of cultural corridors was that they should be getting support through CPED for these very purposes.

So I'm a little baffled as to why every time I go to CPED for organizations that want support along cultural corridors,

They're not able to accommodate those.

And, you know, it just, there's no point in having cultural corridors

if we're not supporting the cultural events that take place along those corridors.

So I just wanted to make that comment.

Thank you.

Thank you, Council Member.

And finally, I'll recognize Council Member Palmisano.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I will be reluctantly supporting this amendment.

I want to point out, if I'm keeping track right, that this is now $2.4 million taken from the downtown assets fund so far in the amendments.

And yesterday, City Comptroller Hargrave cautioned us that this fund is softening.

Let's be careful with how often we dip into it.

Let's be careful how much we're transferring.

Councilmember Chowdhury mentioned a good point about bringing cultural activities to places that don't often have them and I wanted to bring up

In another example, which would be the local art shanty project. We were able to attract that to locate in Minneapolis

It's on one of our city lakes Lake Harriet

And that is typical to many of the arts organizations that are struggling with

funding that they used to have in the past that now with different federal

regulations people are pulling back from in seeking support through the city

somehow to help continue the art shanty project which culturally speaking I

don't know it just maybe be specific to someone that loves snow someone that

loves cold weather they were able to meet with meet Minneapolis because some

of those fees were about the city fees, the city permit fees that I don't know if they

were successful in getting that grant through Minneapolis or not.

But I did want to point out maybe one of the spots that we're not seeing here is our arts

organizations that really rely on funding that has gone away and that they won't be

to be putting them on and maybe they should be eligible for some funding somehow as well

thank you i'm gonna i'm not seeing anyone else in queue so um

can one let's i'll note that we've been joined in this meeting by council member osmond council

Council Member Osmond, would you like to be recorded as voting in the affirmative on the resolution adopting the maximum or the levies payable for 2026?

And we have taken up and disposed of amendment number 38, 38B, and 39.

Would you like to be recorded as voting in the affirmative on those?

those all passed with unanimous support yes please wonderful um clerks we've noted that

excellent um okay now on amendment number 40 economic development and cultural activation

grant clerk please call the roll council member jenkins aye council member pomizano

Aye.

Council Member Chowder.

Aye.

Council Member Cashman.

Aye.

Council Member Osmond.

Aye.

Council Member Chavez.

Aye.

Council Member Vita.

Aye.

Council Member Kassi.

Aye.

Council Member Wonsley.

Aye.

Vice President Shetka.

Aye.

President Payne.

Aye.

There are 12 ayes.

That motion carries.

We will now move to Amendment No. 41, Protecting Civilian Investigators.

investigators. This is the sheet in green that was passed out during the public hearing this evening.

This is offered by Council Member Wansley. Council Member Wansley, will you please introduce and move approval of this amendment?

Yes. Thank you, Council Vice President Chuck Tai.

So last Friday, Council earmarked two positions to restore cuts made to the civilian investigators that the mayor proposed.

This was after extensive conversation with staff last year, which led to council bringing forward an amendment to address the backlog of cases.

However, as budget discussions have continued over the past couple of days, I have been really concerned by the repeated comments made by both MPD and the mayor's staff that in order or to justify implementation of some other budget amendments related to public safety, they will lay off civilian staff.

staff. I have heard loud and clear from residents across the city as well as from my colleagues

that we want to see both a growth in our sworn and civilian investigative staff in order to

advance the city's overall goal of helping NPD solve its more than 5,000 backlog cases

and ultimately improve safety for all communities across the city. NPD currently budgets for 29

civilian investigators, 11 of which are assigned to the use of force internal affairs division.

The budget for these investigators, including the two civilian FTE positions that council restored

last Friday, equals to $3.6 million for the 31 positions. This budget earmarks funding so that

these positions are prioritized within NPD's budget and are not sacrificed, again, as justification

for implementing other budget amendments or safety programs at the discretion of the mayor and NPD.

So with that, I will move approval of this motion and ask for a second.

Second.

This amendment has been properly moved and seconded.

Is there any discussion?

Not seeing any.

Council Member Palmasano, are you hoping to?

Yeah, I just

I'm sorry. We're we're seeing this. I'm seeing this I think almost all of us are seeing this just really quickly here and even

There is a problem with getting these at the very last minute. I understand why Councilmember Wansley is bringing this now

So are we restoring something that we originally moved can you say a little bit more about

about we're appropriating $3.6 million to support increased capacity for investigations.

But in your explanation, and I might not have been listening fully, I'm sorry, it sounded

like you were saying the concern coming from other people was that they'd need to cut some

of these civilian positions.

Yep.

Can I respond? Yes. So this is not related to the two civilian FTEs that we took up last Friday.

This is in response to, as I mentioned, numerous conversations with the administration during these budget proceedings where they have said both in front of us and behind private conversations that they will lay off civilian staff, specifically those doing investigative work throughout the division to also support implementation of other budget amendments.

So this is earmarking those existing civilian positions that's already filled within MPD for a total of 31.

I see.

So you're sort of, if in other terms, like sequestering that money and saying that it's for civilians that already exist.

That's already existing.

I see.

Thank you.

Wonderful.

I'm not seeing anyone else in queue for further discussion.

So, Clerk, please call the roll on Amendment No. 41, Protecting Civilian Investigators.

Council Member Jenkins.

Aye.

Council Member Phamasana.

Aye.

Council Member Chowdhury.

Aye.

Council Member Cashman.

Aye.

Council Member Osmond.

Aye.

Council Member Rainbow.

Aye.

Council Member Chavez.

Aye.

Council Member Dutal.

Aye.

Council Member Kossi.

Aye.

Council Member Wansley.

Aye.

Vice President Chokhut.

Aye.

President Kaine.

Aye.

There are 12 ayes.

That motion carries.

All right.

So the next three amendments that we need to consider here are revisions to amendments that have already been approved.

I'm going to take these up in chronological order.

So the first one that I'm going to ask you to just pull up in front of you is number nine revised immigration legal services.

Does everyone have that in front of them?

It should be on a green sheet of paper.

Excellent.

So this is amendment number nine was approved early on.

So for us to be able to take this up,

we will first need a motion to reconsider.

Madam Vice President,

the recommendation has come from the committee

with this being approved.

So right now, I would say you're amending the amendment.

So I would just make this in the form of an amendment,

and I think probably the authors will explain

the difference between the action we took at committee

and what's previously in front of you.

But this would just be handled as an amendment.

I think that's the easiest way forward.

Great. Excellent.

All right.

So this motion is offered by Council Member Chavez and Wansley.

Council Member Chavez, will you please introduce

and move approval of the revised Amendment 9.

Thank you, Chair Chagatai.

As a reminder, this is an amendment.

The one that's number number one was the amendment we passed unanimously on Friday

to increase ongoing funding for immigration and legal services.

When we passed that budget amendment, you heard comments coming from me

that we were looking for additional resources

because when we originally drafted this budget amendment,

i was and has always been here for for a hot minute but it has only immigration enforcement

has only increased since our budget book became public so we were looking for ongoing dollars

while this amendment does not have additional ongoing dollars we were able to work closely

with the administration to find additional one-time dollars and that is what the amendment

here is before you the funding source which we chose was by working with council vice president

truck tie and the administration on uh extra reserves funds that we found so i just wanted

to at least add that reasoning we are increasing this funding stream uh based on the conversations

we have had with various immigration legal experts into the need that we have right now

in our community i know that in the previous budget remember amendment customer osman added

himself as an author so i'd also add him on there on this one too all right clerks if we can reflect

that we're adding council member osmond to this amendment um is there a second to this amendment

um proper motion before us is there any discussion i will recognize council member jenkins

thank you madam chair i guess i'm not clear i thought the author said

this was one time but the actual revised document says ongoing yeah

I can answer that. So number one, it's kind of hard to read.

What we passed on Friday was this amendment, but just number one.

The one that's number one we passed on on Friday, this amendment is basically adding number two, which is just additional one-time dollars.

We were hoping for ongoing. We couldn't find it. We'll figure that out eventually.

But for this reasoning, the only change to what we passed on Friday is just number two on this one, which adds more one-time dollars.

Thank you. And, you know, I guess we heard on Friday the concerns about the school-based clinics and decreasing the funding for young people who are experiencing mental health crisis.

I mean, I serve on the youth coordinating board, and that is one of the gems of the work that the city does in regards to the youth coordinating board and Minneapolis Public Schools is to help support young people with mental health challenges.

So I'm just deeply concerned about the source.

Yeah, I can address that question or concern, Councilmember.

This source, the use of school-based clinics, was one that was identified by the administration.

And so that's why it came to be the source of choice here.

This also was a part of the discussion, as you correctly point out, with funding being

used from school-based clinics.

I think this was something we asked Budget to just come up and add some further clarification

on on Friday, but I'll summarize once more here that there is additional resources that

exist within a special revenue fund balance that supports school-based clinics that needs

to be spent down and so this won't have an interruption or or disruption to existing service

related to school-based clinics and this is just the source that was identified for this reason.

Thank you for that clarification. Wonderful let's go back okay I'm not seeing any further discussion

So I will ask the clerk to call the roll on the revised amendment number nine, immigration legal services.

Council Member Jenkins.

Aye.

Council Member Ponsonet.

Aye.

Council Member Chowdery.

Aye.

Council Member Cashman.

Aye.

Council Member Osmond.

Aye.

Council Member Rainbow.

Aye.

Council Member Chavez.

Aye.

Council Member Vita.

Aye.

Council Member Kosky.

Aye.

Council Member Wansley.

Aye.

Vice President Chudka.

Aye.

President Payne.

Aye.

There are 12 ayes.

That motion.

All right. The next two amendments are Amendment No. 11 revised and Amendment No. 12 revised.

So this is Speak Minneapolis and Cultural Media Programming.

This is on a yellow sheet that's stapled together.

The first page of this is Amendment No. 11 revision.

The second page is Amendment No. 12 revision.

So it's in the yellow.

I believe there might have been a green version of this passed around.

Oh, gotcha.

Green.

That was passed around as well.

Thank you.

And these revisions, this is something that was just caught after the first day of markup,

where we had the administration just come back and catch that they wanted to see a different source used here.

This is, again, school-based clinics part of the conversation.

Both of these amendments we took up together the first time.

I'm going to propose that we take these up together this time as well.

Council Member Chowdhury, will you move approval of this?

Yes, I move approval.

Is there a second?

Wonderful. We have a proper motion before us.

Is there any discussion on the revised Amendment No. 11 and 12?

I'm not seeing any.

Clerk, please, do we need to do a reconsideration here?

Nope.

Great.

Clerk, please call the roll on the revised Amendment No. 11 and 12,

Speak Minneapolis and Cultural Media Programming.

Council Member Jenkins.

Aye.

Council Member Palosano.

Aye.

Council Member Chowdhury.

Aye.

Council Member Cashman.

Aye.

Council Member Osner.

Aye.

Council Member Rainville.

Aye.

Council Member Chavez.

Aye.

Council Member Vita.

Aye.

Council Member Kosky.

Aye.

Council Member Wansley.

Aye.

Vice President Shepton.

Aye.

Aye.

There are 12 ayes.

That motion carries.

All right.

Last one.

This is related to Amendment 22, and you may remember Amendment 22 had three parts that

we considered, and this is adding one additional section for one-time appropriation.

I'm going to recognize Council Member Wansley to introduce this item, move approval.

Thank you, Council Vice President Chuck Tai.

So, again, many conversations have been had with city staff around budget amendments.

And from those conversations, this amendment actually came about, and it actually helps to better address the intent of the 2025 Emergency Housing Voucher Appropriation

that we took up on Friday as part of 22A.

This language supports advancing a rollover of 2025 one-time costs

for administrative needs related to the implementation

of the Emergency Housing Voucher Program.

MPHA was under their impression that the financial agreement

was being sent back over back this past July or recent July.

And then the budget, as we've talked about,

was cut from the mayor's proposed 2026 budget a few weeks later.

This ensures that the original $400,000 one-time cost that we appropriated for 2025,

as was also reflected in the original motion of 2022A, is going to be available in 2026 for use.

So just wanted to give that context.

And with that, I move this motion forward for approval.

Second.

And ask for a second.

this 22d has been properly moved and seconded is there any discussion i'll recognize council

member palmasano thank you madam chair this is probably pretty elemental and i'm sure you've

thought all the way through this but so none of this 400 000 was used this year so it would just

roll over and be part of the administrative needs for next year yeah so i thank you council member

promisano so this is part of that 1.8 that we also included in a resolution of support for rolling

over for next year but yes this ear marks it within that 1.8 okay thank you wonderful thank

you and and just to clarify the um 22a the 2025 budget amendment that that was for the 1.4 that's

It's moving over to address the fiscal cliff within stable homes, stable schools.

Then there's the legislative directive, then the 2026 amendment.

And so this is just cleaning up the remaining.

Okay.

Any further discussion?

Council Member Rainville.

Thank you.

So to be clear, maybe the author could explain it.

So the total will be $1.8 million that we're putting in this fund.

I'm sorry.

You're asking the total cost for it that we approved?

Right.

If we approved this, $400,000, what would the total be?

The $400,000 is inclusive of $1.4 ongoing.

So the total would be $1.4.

No, the total will be $1.8.

$400,000 of that is one time.

$1.4 million is ongoing.

Got it. Thank you.

Excellent.

Any additional

clarifications, questions?

Not seeing any, clerk, please call the roll

on amendment

number 22D,

emergency housing voucher CPET

implementation. Council Member Jenkins?

Aye. Council Member

Palmasano? Aye. Council Member Chowdhury?

Aye. Council Member Cashman? Aye.

Councilmember Osmond.

Aye.

Councilmember Rangel.

Aye.

Councilmember Chavez.

Aye.

Councilmember Vitao.

Aye.

Councilmember Kosky.

Aye.

Councilmember Wansley.

Aye.

Vice President Chugtine.

Aye.

President Payne.

Aye.

There are 12 eyes.

That motion carries.

Colleagues, we have completed the markup packet.

With that, I will turn the chair back to Council President Payne.

I actually, Councilmember Jenkins, were you in queue on this?

Okay, sorry.

Thank you, Vice President Chugtai. The clerk will, well, I suppose, is there any discussion on the total resolution for the budget?

All right. Seeing none, the clerk will call the roll on the adoption of the resolution as amended by this body, setting departmental operating budgets in fiscal year 2026 paid by taxes and fees.

Council Member Jenkins.

Aye.

Council Member Palmasana. Aye. Council Member Chowdhury. Aye. Council Member Cashman. Aye. Council Member Osmond. Aye. Council Member Randall. Aye. Council Member Chavez. Aye. Council Member Vita. Aye. Council Member Kosky. Aye. Council Member Wonsley. Aye. Vice President Chubtay. Aye. President Payne. Aye. There are 12 ayes.

That carries, and the 2026 general appropriation resolution is adopted.

The next item is the proposed six-year capital improvement program, which covers fiscal year 2026 and the out years through 2031.

Vice President Chugtai, will you present that item for us?

Mr. President, I move adoption of a resolution adopting the 2026 through 2031 six-year capital program and fixing the maximum amounts for 2026 to be expended by the various funds under the jurisdiction of the City Council.

Vice President Chuck Tai has moved the passage of the resolution adopting the 2026 through 2031

capital improvement program and fixing the maximum amounts for capital projects to be

expended by departments in fiscal year 2026. Is there any discussion on that motion?

Councilmember Paul Mazzano. Thank you, Mr. Chair. As we spoke about at length,

this police training facility that has been worked on for six years is a big part of the

capital program and a big part of our bonding ask that is important to me.

I won't be able to support this capital plan.

I know it is for many, many more things than just that training facility,

but I do hope that this is something we can come to resolution on at the

beginning of next term. So I won't be supporting it.

I will point out that the vote on that particular item was seven to five.

So maybe other colleagues will join me on this. Thank you.

Seeing no further discussion, the clerk will call the roll on the adoption of the six-year

capital improvement program.

Council Member Jenkins?

Nay.

Council Member Pumasani?

No.

Council Member Chowdhury?

Aye.

Council Member Cashman?

Aye.

Council Member Osman?

I'm sorry, what are we putting on?

Capital plan.

Aye.

Council Member Rado.

I'm not even sure what.

Council Member Maynum.

Council Member Chavez.

Aye.

Council Member Vita.

No.

Council Member Kosky.

Aye.

Council Member Wansley.

Aye.

Vice President Shugton.

Aye.

President Payne.

Aye.

There are eight ayes and four nays.

That motion carries and the six-year capital improvement program is adopted.

Next, we have a series of bonding resolutions totaling more than $213 million,

all reflected in Agenda Items 4 through 6. These actions request that the Board of Estimate and

Taxation authorize the city to incur indebtedness and to issue bonds for those specific purposes.

Vice President Chagatai, would you present those items for us? Mr. President, as you noted, the

Budget Committee is forwarding three resolutions requesting the issuance and sale of city bonds by

the Board of Estimate and Taxation in a total amount of $213,111,460.

I move approval of all resolutions reflected in items 4, 5, and 6 on the meeting agenda.

Excuse me, Chair.

I would like to change my vote on the last one.

That's the one that I voted no, and it was repeated.

Am I correct?

I voted no about the facility.

Training facilities, correct?

Yeah.

But this is the whole capital plan, not just that one facility.

Right. Mr. Clerk?

Mr. President, we recorded Council Member Osmond as an aye vote on item 1.3,

which is the city's six-year capital improvement program.

Oh, I think he's asking his vote on the original budget amendment reflected for the police training center.

He voted no on that.

And that is included in this, and that's what he just asked.

Yeah.

Council Member Osmond, would you like to change to a no vote for the entire capital plan?

Sure. Yes. No.

Without objection.

No, that's what I mean.

Thank you.

And what does that bring our vote total to?

Seven to five.

Okay.

That vote is reflected, and that item still carries.

Vice President Chaghtai has moved adoption of the bonding resolution.

Is there any discussion on that item?

Seeing none, I will ask the clerk to call the roll on those three capital bonding resolutions.

Councilmember Jenkins.

Aye.

Councilmember Pomisano.

Aye.

Councilmember Chowdhury.

Aye.

Councilmember Cashman.

Aye.

Councilmember Osmond.

Aye.

Councilmember Rainville.

Aye.

Councilmember Chavez.

Aye.

Councilmember Vitaab.

Aye.

Councilmember Kosky.

Aye.

Councilmember Wansley.

Aye.

Vice President Chugtai.

aye president payne aye there are 12 eyes that carries and those bonding resolutions have been

adopted the last item tied to the city's 2026 budget relates to utility rates to be effective

january 1 2026. i'll recognize vice president chuck ty to introduce that matter for us

mr president i move adoption of a resolution setting rates for municipal utility services

including water sewer storm water and solid waste all of which become effective january 1 of 2026

vice president chug tai has moved passage of the resolution to designate utility

rates for municipal services to become effective january 1 2026 is there any discussion on that

motion seeing none i will ask the clerk to call the roll council member jenkins

Aye.

Council Member Pomisano.

Aye.

Council Member Chowdhury.

Aye.

Council Member Cashman.

Aye.

Council Member Osmond.

Aye.

Council Member Rainville.

Aye.

Council Member Chavez.

Aye.

Council Member Kosky.

Aye.

Council Member Wansley.

Aye.

Vice President Chugtay.

Aye.

President Payne.

Aye.

There are 12 ayes.

That carries on those rates for municipal services have been established to become effective January 1, 2026.

Finally, there are a series of resolutions, directives, and other actions that were submitted

by the Budget Committee for our consideration tonight.

These items are connected to the Council's action on the City's 2026 budget, but are

not technically included as part of the adopted budget.

These items are listed as items 2 through 7 on our agenda, as well as items 1 and 2

under the addendum section.

I'll recognize Vice President Chuck Tai to present the Budget Committee's report on those

items.

Thank you, Mr. President.

The Budget Committee is bringing forward, I believe it's actually nine additional because

of the one more that we added, right?

Oh, great.

Never mind.

Mr. President, the Budget Committee is bringing forward eight additional directives, resolutions,

and amendments to the city's current year budget that came out of our budget markup work. Item

number two is a resolution and legislative directive related to a future community

connections conference. Item number three is a resolution urging the termination of the city's

contract with Zen City. Item number four is a legislative directive requesting quarterly

updates on the status of implementation of the non-fatal shooting task force and the current

clearance rates of the police department. Items number five and six are an amendment to the 2025

general appropriation resolution and legislative directive related to emergency housing vouchers.

Item number seven is a resolution setting the annual salaries for the mayor and council members

for the 2026 through 2029 term. Under the addendum portion of the agenda, we will have two additional

items that were forwarded this morning by the budget committee after this meeting's agenda had

already been published. So addendum number one is a direction to reappropriate funding for the

procurement of an enterprise policy management system. And item number two consists of two

directives related to the reclassification of full-time employees in the legislative research

and Oversight Division of the City Clerk's Office.

I will move approval of all of these items.

Vice President Chug Tai has moved approval of items 2 through 7

in the Budget Committee's report.

In addition to the items under addendum,

is there discussion on the motion,

or would anyone like to pull any of these items for separate votes?

Council Member Cashman.

I'd like to pull item 2 for a separate vote.

Councilmember Cashman has moved to poll two for a separate vote.

Is there any discussion on the remainder of the items?

Councilmember Chavez.

I'd like to pull out number seven for a separate vote.

Okay.

Councilmember Chavez has pulled number seven for a separate vote.

Any discussion on the remainder of those items?

Seeing none, I will ask the clerk to...

I'm sorry, Mr. Chair.

Could we also pull out the Zen City 1 item number 3 for a separate vote?

Number 3 for a separate vote.

Okay.

Seeing no one else left in queue, I will ask the clerk to call the roll on items 2 through 7 minus 2, 3, and 7.

Not items 2, 3, and 7, yeah.

Right.

Council Member Jenkins.

I'm not clear.

We're voting on a package deal.

What's been moved in front of you is on the committee's or on the council's agenda, starting

on the second page, item number two, it says Community Connections Conference.

We're not voting on that one.

We're voting on items four, five, six, and then numbers one and two under addendum.

We are not voting on items two, Community Connections Conference, three, cuts to civilian

investigators or seven mayor council compensation I council member Palm

Sano hi council member Chaudhry aye council member Cashman aye council member

Osmond council member rainbow aye council member Chavez aye council member

Vita aye council member Kosky aye council member Wansley aye vice

president Chaghti aye president Payne aye there are 12 eyes those items carry

Next we will take up item number two.

Is there any discussion on that item?

Seeing none, I'll ask the clerk to call the roll.

Council Member Jenkins.

Aye.

Council Member Palmisano.

Aye.

Council Member Chowdhury.

Aye.

Council Member Cashman.

Nay.

Council Member Osmond.

Aye.

Council Member Rainbow.

Aye.

Council Member Chavez.

Aye.

Council Member Vita.

Aye.

Council Member Kosky.

Aye.

Council Member Wansley.

Aye.

Vice President Chugtide.

Aye.

President Payne.

Aye.

There are 11 ayes and 1 nay.

That item carries.

Next we'll take up item number 3.

Any discussion?

Seeing none, I will ask the clerk to call the roll.

Council Member Jenkins.

Aye.

Council Member Palmisano.

No.

Council Member Chowdhury.

Aye.

Council Member Cashman.

Aye.

Council Member Osmond.

Aye.

Council Member Rainville.

Aye.

Councilmember Chavez.

Aye.

Councilmember Vita.

Aye.

Councilmember Kosky.

Aye.

Councilmember Wansley.

Aye.

Vice President Chug Thai.

Aye.

President Payne.

Aye.

There are 11 ayes and 1 nay.

That carries, and finally we will take up item number 7.

Is there any discussion on that item?

Seeing none, I'll ask the clerk to call the roll.

Councilmember Jenkins.

Aye.

Councilmember Pomisano.

Aye.

Councilmember Chowdhury.

Aye.

Councilmember Cashman.

Aye.

Councilmember Osmond.

Aye.

Councilmember Rainville.

Aye.

Councilmember Chavez.

No.

Councilmember Vita.

Aye.

Councilmember Kosky.

Aye.

Councilmember Wansley.

Aye.

Vice President Chugtai.

Aye.

President Payne.

Aye.

There are 11 ayes and 1 nay.

That carries and that completes all of our items on our agenda today.

and those items are adopted.

Are there any announcements from council members?

Any announcements?

I do have announcements.

Councilmember Osmond.

Yes, thank you.

I know, colleagues, you guys, you will have to, you've been here,

but thank you so much for being patient.

I just want to say that I was called in the community

and what I witnessed today, it was really devastating.

ICE agencies enter press grants and demanded IDs.

They locked behind them, behind doors, and demanded IDs for everyone.

They stopped people randomly, and they hold, joke someone,

and then, you know, beat up a young man who is a U.S. citizen,

took him to Bloomington and fingerprinted him,

and then they realized he was a U.S. citizen.

And so they told him to leave when we had a storm, you know, snow that was happening.

I just wanted to mention that some of our community today are feeling singled out, are feeling they are being targeted.

And I really want to say that what's happening right now in our streets, it's disheartening, it's sad.

and I think everyone has an obligation to at least think about

and preach out to a neighbor.

I really want to thank the students and the people that stood up today

and that came out and supported us.

My community is scared.

Our businesses have not been open for days now.

young people are scared to go to school

people are scared to go to work

and I'm talking about U.S. citizens

that's what we're feeling

we're feeling out there

we are in crackdown and we have to stay home

and

I just want to thank

my colleagues who have been

reaching out to me, I want to thank the

mayor and I also want to thank the chief

of police to continue

to stand out for our community

I want to thank the neighbors

Minneapolis

residents Minnesota residents and just wanted to really close it down and say

that you know some of our neighbors today are feeling scared thank you

council president thank you councilmember Osmond and thank you for

being there for your community seeing no one else left in queue let's see here

I'll just say thank you to Vice President Chugtai for leading us in this body through the hardest budget season I think that I've been in since we've been elected.

And I really want to thank all of our professional staff for all of your really, really diligent work to get us to this balanced budget.

So much appreciation all around and seeing no further business to come before us, I will declare this meeting adjourned.

Thank you, everyone.

Thank you.

Thank you.