Minneapolis City Council Regular Meeting (Dec. 11, 2025)

The Minneapolis City Council met on December 11, 2025 (regular meeting; reconvened after an earlier recess and pre-meeting honorary presentations). Council President Elliot Payne presided. The council adopted multiple walk-on agenda items, approved extensive committee reports, debated and adopted major ordinances on immigration-related “separation” policy and a Humane Encampment Response framework, took action on George Floyd Square (38th & Chicago) design/implementation items, adopted gas and electric franchise fee increases to support climate/weatherization programs, and passed resolutions related to immigrant community protections and MPD accountability.

Attendance/Quorum: Roll call reflected 12 members present initially with Councilmember Osmond absent, then Osmond joined and the meeting proceeded with 13 members. Several later votes included members temporarily out of the chamber; the Clerk later recorded additional votes for members who confirmed how they intended to vote.

Recess/Timing: A 20-minute recess was announced earlier with a plan to return at 12:15 p.m. Council later adjourned to Dec. 16, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. as a placeholder date in case mayoral actions required council reconsideration.

Agenda Amendments (Walk-ons)

• Council adopted agenda amendments to add six walk-on items, including:
  • Honorary resolutions (Human Rights Day/International Migrants Day; Somali-American community recognition)
  • Statements of position/resolutions relating to MPD oversight/accountability and immigrant community protection
  • New business items: Great Northern Winter Festival block event permit; Q3 Contracting amendment for lead service line replacements
• Vote: Agenda amendments adopted 13–0; agenda adopted as amended 13–0.

Honorary Resolutions & Recognitions (presented before regular agenda)

• Human Rights Day & International Migrants Day
  • Recognized Dec. 10, 2025 as Human Rights Day and Dec. 18, 2025 as International Migrants Day.
  • Speakers included:
    • Viviana Salazar, Chair, Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights: expressed apology and solidarity with targeted communities.
    • Michelle Rivera, Director, Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA): urged residents to use the OIRA webpage for rights information and resources.
• Service recognitions (honorary resolutions):
  • Samantha Priest-Denson, Vice President, Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET)
    • Cited achievements including accessibility improvements and support for investments such as $2.6 million for youth programming.
  • Councilmember Katie Cashman (Ward 7)
    • Noted 3,749 constituent cases by Nov. 2025; Cashman personally responded to 1,747; 3-day average response time.
    • Cited 200+ pieces of legislation authored in a two-year term.
  • Councilmember Emily Kosky (Ward 11)
    • Cited creation of a dedicated public safety auditor, expansion of behavioral crisis response, and the Labor Standards Intervention Pilot Project.
  • Councilmember Jeremiah Ellison (Ward 5)
    • Cited housing/renter policies (e.g., right to return, relocation assistance, right to counsel), environmental justice work, and tenant ownership pathways.
  • Councilmember Andrea Jenkins (Ward 8)
    • Recognized as the first openly Black transgender city council member and first Black transgender council president in the U.S.; cited 20 years of City service (staff + elected).
  • Fire Chief Brian Tyner
    • Career began 1995; appointed Fire Chief Dec. 5, 2020; retirement Dec. 31, 2025.
    • Cited Safe Stations at Stations 14 and 7, and Narcan vending expansion at Stations 5, 14, 21.
• Somali-American community resolution (presentation)
  • Recognized Minneapolis as home to the largest Somali-American community in the U.S., described as “tens of thousands of residents.”
  • A councilmember described ICE activity and stated the community was “under attack,” urging recognition that Somali-American citizens were being targeted.

Consent Calendar

• No standalone consent calendar was identified in the transcript. (Routine items were primarily handled through committee reports and roll-call votes.)

Public Comments & Testimony

• Committee of the Whole public hearing on separation and encampment ordinances was referenced during debate (not transcribed here).
• During encampment ordinance debate, Councilmember Palmisano cited that “the public made it very clear in their public hearing that they do not support this ordinance.”

Discussion Items

Administration & Enterprise Oversight Committee (AEO) – 49 items

• Chair: Councilmember Wansley.
• Notable items included:
  • Contracting, bids, and settlements; polling locations designation for 2026.
  • Health Department master contracts (2026–2028) revised from 69 to 53 master contracts; amount revised to not-to-exceed $5.7 million (temporary, intended to avoid service disruption and allow the next council to develop a longer-term RCA).
  • Low-barrier employment program contract with Task Unlimited Inc. (pilot focused on the Southside Green Zone, including Greater Phillips and Cedar Riverside) for tasks like trash collection, graffiti removal, snow/ice control.
• AEO Item 43 (Workers’ compensation claim of William Palmer) was voted separately.
• Votes:
  • AEO report (minus item 43): 13–0.
  • Item 43 separately: 10–3 (No votes: Chavez, Wansley, Vice President Chughtai).

Business, Housing & Zoning Committee (BHZ) – 25 items

• Chair: Councilmember Osmond.
• Highlights:
  • Modification to 59 TIF districts (Item 4) was pulled for separate action.
  • Great Streets Gap loan supporting a cannabis-related business project in Ward 4; Councilmember Vita stated it would create 100 jobs.
  • Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) 2025 recommendations.
  • Blue Line Extension grant acceptance (FTA).
  • Wrecking permit notice/environmental mitigation ordinance (Councilmember Chavez described expanded notice to owners within 350 feet and potential required environmental mitigation plans for hazardous materials/waste criteria).
  • Interim use permit for a shelter near City Hall.
• Votes:
  • BHZ report (minus Item 4; with some item-specific handling): most items 12–0; Item 2 passed 11–1.
  • Item 4 (TIF modification):
    • Motion to return to staff failed 3–9.
    • Approval then passed 11–1 (No: Wansley).

Climate & Infrastructure Committee – 14 items

• Chair: Councilmember Cashman.
• Highlights:
  • Multiple reconstruction/variance items; Winterapolis Curling Plaza block event permit Feb. 13–22 (Nicollet Mall).
  • Hennepin County waste disposal contract revised to 1 year and reduced from ~$15 million to ~$7 million.
  • Legislative directive on proposed closure of Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC): requested staff return around June with answers; members reiterated support for closing HERC while seeking additional information.
  • Gas and electric franchise fee ordinances to expand climate/weatherization funding.
• Votes:
  • Items 1–11 (incl. revised waste contract): 11–0.
  • HERC legislative directive: 11–0.
  • Gas/electric franchise fees: 10–3 (No: Palmisano, Rainville, Vita).
    • Debate included concerns about burden on low-income residents and business impacts versus arguments that climate/weatherization investments reduce long-term costs and address climate impacts.
    • Councilmember Cashman stated that in 2025, 62% of projects completed through the Green Cost Share Program were in green zones or environmental justice areas.

Committee of the Whole – 8 items

• Chair: Councilmember Chavez.
• Items 1–2 were pulled for separate votes:
  1. Separation ordinance (immigration enforcement separation)
  2. Humane Encampment Response ordinance
• Item 6 (Enterprise policy framework) was pulled briefly for clarification.
• Votes:
  • Remaining items (excluding pulled items): 13–0.

Separation Ordinance (immigration enforcement separation)

• Co-authors referenced: Chavez, Chowdhury, Vice President Chughtai; Osmond later added as co-author.
• Key points stated by supporters:
  • Strengthens separation of city activities/resources from federal immigration enforcement.
  • Emphasizes training, reporting, and limits on sharing data/resources absent compulsory legal process.
  • Speakers stated that since Dec. 1, ICE arrested 400+ people in the Twin Cities, “a majority…with no criminal convictions” (presented as context for urgency).
• Vote: Adopted 13–0.

Humane Encampment Response Ordinance

• Co-authors: Vice President Chughtai, Chowdhury, Chavez.
• Core provisions described:
  • Public-health-centered response; sanitation and waste planning.
  • Standardized pre-closure notice (authors referenced 7 days), coordination with providers, and property storage.
  • Exceptions for imminent threats/emergencies.
• Positions:
  • Palmisano opposed, citing safety concerns, cost, and public testimony opposition.
  • Osmond supported, stating the city lacked consistent policy and describing Ward 6 encampment challenges.
  • Cashman opposed, citing concerns with longer closure timelines but supported some provisions (storage, reducing police-centric responses).
• Vote: Adopted 8–5 (No: Palmisano, Cashman, Rainville, Vita, Jenkins).

Enterprise Policy Framework (Item 6)

• Discussion emphasized the framework does not delegate council policymaking authority; enterprise policies still require council adoption.
• Vote: Approved (roll call showed 11–0 at the time; Clerk later recorded Jenkins as aye, resulting in 12 ayes).

Public Health & Safety Committee – 6 items

• Chair: Councilmember Chavez.
• Included ordinances (e.g., city resources reporting; small & underutilized business enterprise updates) and agreements.
• Vote: Adopted (initial roll-call details were truncated in transcript; Clerk later recorded Jenkins as aye).

Resolutions (post-committee reports)

• Council adopted resolutions that had been presented earlier (including Human Rights Day/International Migrants Day, Somali-American community support, and multiple service recognitions).
• Vote: Adopted with 12 ayes at time of roll call; later adjustments indicated additional member vote recording.

Unfinished Business – George Floyd Square (38th St & Chicago Ave)

• Items:
  1. Concept layout approval (“open flexible street” concept)
  2. Council resolution supporting additional commitments (including elements tied to the Community Vision Council/CVC)
  3. Pedestrian mall ordinance (returned to author)
• Positions and concerns:
  • Chavez opposed the open flexible concept plan, supported the resolution; emphasized distrust and urged serious implementation of CVC work.
  • Payne supported the CVC vision but said the open flexible concept differs technically from the CVC’s preferred layout; supported the resolution but not the concept layout.
  • Chowdhury added amendments to the resolution, including urging completion of the “24 demands,” community engagement on closure procedures, reducing barriers (including permitting), and support/funding for memorial maintenance.
  • Jenkins supported moving forward; said the pedestrian mall approach was constrained by requirements tied to property owners/business support.
• Votes:
  • Concept layout approved 10–3 (No: Chavez, Vice President Chughtai, Payne). Wansley changed vote to nay after the roll call (without objection), making the final tally effectively 9–4.
  • Resolution adopted 13–0.
  • Pedestrian mall ordinance returned to author 13–0.

New Business

1. Great Northern Winter Festival large block event permit
   • Vote: 13–0.
2. Q3 Contracting amendment for lead service line replacements
   • Vote: 13–0.
3. Resolution urging mayor to direct MPD to protect residents/immigrant communities (presented by Wansley)
   • Described as urging MPD to differentiate between verified federal immigration enforcement and potential kidnappings/impersonation of law enforcement, and to intervene when not verified.
   • Vote: Passed 8–3.
4. Resolution expressing positions on MPD oversight/accountability relating to the separation ordinance (authored by Chowdhury and others)
   • Requested consequences for officers who violate separation requirements via police contract or discipline matrix; asked that violations be categorized at high discipline levels (Category D/E).
   • Also stated council opposition to use of “less lethal” weapons for crowd control.
   • Vote: Passed 7–3.

Key Outcomes

• Separation ordinance strengthening city separation from federal immigration enforcement: adopted 13–0.
• Humane Encampment Response ordinance establishing notice/storage/public health framework: adopted 8–5.
• Gas & electric franchise fee increases for climate/weatherization programming: adopted 10–3.
• TIF district modification (59 districts) approved after motion to return to staff failed: approved 11–1.
• George Floyd Square:
  • Open flexible concept layout approved (10–3, later vote change recorded).
  • Unanimous council resolution adopted supporting community-centered commitments and memorial support: 13–0.
  • Pedestrian mall ordinance returned to author: 13–0.
• Walk-on new business approvals:
  • Great Northern Winter Festival permit: 13–0.
  • Lead service line replacement contract amendment (Q3): 13–0.
  • Resolutions on MPD direction/accountability related to immigrant protections: passed (8–3 and 7–3).
• Meeting adjourned to Dec. 16, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. as a contingency date to address potential mayoral actions; council requested prompt communication from the mayor if further action is needed.