Minneapolis City Council Adjourned Meeting (FY 2026 Budget Reconsideration & Amendments) — December 16, 2025

The Minneapolis City Council convened an adjourned meeting for December 16 to address procedural follow-up to the FY 2026 budget package adopted on December 9, 2025 and transmitted to the Mayor on December 10. The City Clerk reported the Mayor returned the budget acts with no vetoes (some signed, some returned unsigned but deemed approved), and the Council’s main decision was whether to reopen (“reconsider”) the previously adopted general appropriation resolution in order to make targeted refinements negotiated with the Mayor’s administration.

Discussion Items

• Procedural status of FY 2026 budget actions (City Clerk)

  • The Clerk explained the City Charter process and that no mayoral vetoes were issued on the budget acts.
  • The meeting’s remaining purpose was to consider whether the Council wished to refine/perfect its prior budget actions.
  • The Clerk advised that reopening prior adopted budget actions required a motion to amend/reconsider prior action with a two-thirds vote of members present. With 12 members present, 8 affirmative votes were required.

• Motion: Reconsider the 2026 General Appropriation Resolution to adopt three refinements (Vice President Aisha Chughtai, Budget Chair)

  • Vice President Chughtai moved to reconsider the 2026 general appropriation resolution to make three amendments described as the result of discussions/negotiations with the Mayor’s administration intended to secure a signed/accepted budget framework.
  • Chughtai summarized the three changes:
    1. Non-fatal shooting task force language: a language-only change intended to keep funding whole, replacing phrasing about “staffing to implement” with language to “support the administration’s plan to create a non-fatal shooting task force.”
    2. Emergency housing vouchers: revised the funding approach to achieve $1.4 million for implementation by decreasing the Health Department by $1.0 million and reappropriating existing resources from an overage to the City Clerk’s Office, along with maintaining an identified source from the City Attorney’s Office. Chughtai stated this was paired with a written mayoral commitment (to be attached in the legislative file) for three years of resources to implement emergency housing vouchers.
    3. Civilian investigators: a clarifying language change as approved by the City Attorney’s Office.
  • Chughtai also referenced a letter from the Mayor committing to implement Council-adopted budget amendments, including the three-year emergency housing voucher commitment.

• Recess to allow additional time related to ordinance signatures (Council Member Robin Wonsley, Council Member Katie Cashman, Council President Elliot Payne)

  • Council Member Cashman raised concern that two ordinances passed the prior Thursday—gas and electric franchise fee ordinances—were needed to provide funding for the budget (including $4 million for weatherization/retrofitting she had worked on for six months), and requested waiting until those ordinances were signed.
  • The Council voted to recess the meeting (captioning noted as available until 7:00 p.m.), returning later the same evening.
  • Vote to recess until 6:30 p.m.: 12–0.

• Debate on reconsideration and emergency housing voucher funding structure (multiple members)

  • Council Member Palmisano urged honoring the negotiated approach and stated the Mayor signed the budget “in good faith,” framing last-minute changes as harmful to governance relationships.
  • Council Member Ellison supported reconsideration, arguing one prior amendment risked layoffs—specifically warning that removing funds from ongoing personnel lines could cause “four” AFSCME (union) positions to be eliminated. Ellison stated the revised approach would kick-start work and included a three-year commitment while avoiding layoffs.
  • Council Member Wonsley opposed reconsideration, stating the Council had already adopted the budget unanimously after a transparent public process and criticizing “closed-door negotiations.”
    • Wonsley argued the shift for emergency housing vouchers from ongoing funding to one-time/limited commitments would create a fiscal cliff and could result in “hundreds of people” returning to the street between 2027 and 2029.
    • Wonsley also argued layoffs are operational decisions controlled by the Mayor and characterized the pressure as misleading.
  • Council Member Chavez stated the decision was difficult; expressed concern that reliance on a letter commitment felt like a “pinky promise” and worried about a three-year fiscal cliff and implementation delays, but said she would support reconsideration based on the stated risk of veto/layoffs.
  • Council Member Rainville expressed trust in the Budget Chair and referenced the Mayor’s veto authority as part of the governing system.

Key Outcomes

• Recess (procedural)

  • Approved recess to 6:30 p.m.: 12–0.

• Motion to reconsider / reopen the FY 2026 general appropriation resolution

  • Approved: 9–3
  • Ayes (9): Palmisano, Chowdhury, Cashman, Rainville, Chavez, Ellison, Jenkins, Chughtai, Payne
  • Nays (3): Osmond, Kosky, Wonsley
  • Result: The Council opened the previously adopted budget resolution to allow the proposed refinements.

• Adoption of the three refinements/amendments (taken together as a single vote)

  • Approved: 11–0 (with one member absent at vote call)
  • The Clerk called Council Member Wonsley as absent during the amendments vote (despite Wonsley participating earlier), and recorded 11 ayes.
  • Result: The FY 2026 budget packet adopted on December 9 remained in place with three changes:
    • Adjusted language regarding the non-fatal shooting task force to align with the administration plan (no funding change stated).
    • Revised the funding structure for $1.4 million in emergency housing voucher implementation, including a $1.0 million Health Department decrease and reappropriation of existing resources from an overage in the City Clerk’s Office, paired with a stated three-year mayoral commitment to resources.
    • Clarified language related to civilian investigators (City Attorney-approved).

• Adjournment

  • The Clerk stated the Council had completed the business before it and that the budget was complete as amended; the meeting adjourned.