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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Minneapolis City Council Organizational Meeting (Start of 2026–2029 Term)

City Council — Monday, January 5, 2026

BodyMinneapolis, Minnesota

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, January 5, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

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Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

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Good afternoon and welcome to assembled family friends and community. My name is Casey Carl.

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I have the privilege of serving as clerk of the city of Minneapolis. In accordance with

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the relevant provisions of the Minneapolis City Charter and laws of the state of Minnesota,

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This is the day fixed for the assembling of the newly installed City Council following the 2025 general municipal election as certified by the Municipal Canvassing Board at its meeting November 10 this past year.

0:39

Certificates of election were provided to all declared winners on November 18.

0:42

Those newly elected and re-elected members of City Council were sworn in as required pursuant to City Charter earlier today as part of the City's inauguration ceremony.

0:52

Consistent with the City Charter and the Council rules, today's organizational meeting marks the commencement.

0:57

of the council's 2026-2029 term with that the minneapolis city council will be in order the

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clerk will call the role of members in numerical order by ward council member payne present

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wansley present rainville present vita present warren present osman present

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present. Schaefer present Stevenson present Chavez present present

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Chugtay present Whiting present Chowdhury present

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Palmasano present there are 13 members present the record will reflect that a

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quorum is present the purpose of this first meeting is to organize the City

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Council for the conduct of City business this organizational meeting is convened

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notice as required by law, which was first posted on Monday, the 22nd of December 2025.

1:52

Printed copies of the agenda have been distributed to all members and copies also are available

1:56

for the public, including from the city's legislative information management system

2:00

from the city's website.

2:02

Council members at this morning's inaugural ceremony, Mayor Fry offered his inaugural

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address for the 2026-2029 term.

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Without objection, I'll direct the clerk to receive and file the mayor's inaugural address

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AND HAVE THAT SPREAD UPON THE JOURNAL.

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IT'S NOW IN ORDER FOR A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA AS

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PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED.

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MAY I HAVE SUCH A MOTION, PLEASE.

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SO MOVED.

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SECOND.

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IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED.

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TO ADOPT THE AGENDA, THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.

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AYE.

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THOSE OPPOSED, SAY NO.

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THE AYES HAVE IT.

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THE AGENDA HAS BEEN ADOPTED.

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MEMBERS, THE FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS IS THE ELECTION OF

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OFFICERS OF THIS BODY.

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IN TERMS OF PROCEDURE, AND AS PROVIDED UNDER THE RULES,

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I will administer the election for president and vice president.

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We will take up the nomination and election of a president and then proceed to the election of a vice president.

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For each office, we will follow the same process, which I'll now explain.

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First, I'll open the floor to nominations for the office.

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Any member may nominate themselves or another member.

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Any member who is so nominated must accept that nomination to be considered.

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After all nominations have been made, the floor will be closed.

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At that point, we will proceed to take the vote by roll call.

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We will vote on nominations in the order they were made and accepted.

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The clerk will call the roll in numerical order by ward.

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The first nominee to receive the required number of affirmative votes shall be declared the winner of the election.

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As provided under City Charter Section 4.3C1, an election requires the affirmative vote of the absolute majority of the body.

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That is, there must be the affirmative vote of at least seven members to be elected to the office.

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As I indicated, we will conduct the election for president first, and then we will follow the same process to elect a vice president.

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Once the election of officers has been completed, we will briefly pause the proceedings in order to seat the president and vice president before taking up the remainder of the agenda.

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Is there any question about the procedures for the election of officers as I have described them?

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ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT, THE FIRST OFFICE TO ELECT IS THAT OF PRESIDENT. WITHOUT OBJECTION, I WILL OPEN THE FLOOR TO NOMINATIONS. ARE THERE ANY NOMINATIONS FOR PRESIDENT? COUNCIL MEMBER CHOWDRI.

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THANK YOU, CLERK CARL. IT IS MY HONOR TO NOMINATE COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIOTT PAYNE TO THE SEAT AND OFFICE OF PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL. IS IT ALL RIGHT IF I SAY A FEW WORDS?

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SO WHERE TO EVEN BEGIN?

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COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIOTT PAYNE OFTENTIMES SHARES HIS STORY AND HOW HE ENDED UP BEING A COUNCIL MEMBER.

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AND I THINK IT'S ONE MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS, MANY COUNCIL MEMBERS ON THIS DAY SEE THEMSELVES IN.

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HE WAS A SERVANT TO THIS CITY WORKING IN PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION TIRELESSLY

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to ensure that we grew our public safety system

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Council Governance█████████████████████████████████████████████55%

Public Safety██████████12%

Environmental Protection███████8%

Affordable Housing██████7%

Economic Development█████6%

Homelessness████5%

Community Engagement███4%

Technology and Innovation██3%

Summary of Proceedings

Minneapolis City Council Organizational Meeting (2026–2029 Term)

The Minneapolis City Council convened its organizational meeting to begin the 2026–2029 term following the 2025 general municipal election (results certified by the Municipal Canvassing Board on November 10, 2025; certificates issued November 18). City Clerk Casey Carl conducted the call to order and officer elections. All 13 council members were present (quorum). The Council adopted its agenda; elected a Council President and Vice President by roll call; debated and voted to reinstate Majority and Minority Leader positions (nonpartisan offices, but heavily discussed in relation to political diversity and Democratic Socialists on the Council); approved a charter-required line of succession; adopted a new committee structure (with amendments); adopted the 2026 meeting calendar; adopted updated Council rules; designated members to the Audit Committee; postponed external board/commission appointments; and introduced/referred two routine ordinances for later committee action.

Key Administrative Steps

Notice: Meeting notice was posted Monday, December 22, 2025 (per the Clerk).
Agenda: Adopted by voice vote (no tally stated).
Mayor’s inaugural address: Received and filed; directed to be spread upon the journal (no vote recorded).

Discussion Items

Reinstating Majority Leader & Minority Leader roles
- Council President Elliott Payne proposed restoring these leadership positions to expand the leadership team under Council Rule 2.2.D (other officers), with duties “as may be assigned or delegated” and inclusion in the proposed succession plan.
- Questions/concerns raised (Rainville, Vita, Whiting, Warren, Palmisano, Schaefer): lack of clear job descriptions; confusion over what “majority/minority” means in a nonpartisan council; concerns about transparency/process and perceptions of factionalism.
- Clarifications:
  - City Attorney: council offices are nonpartisan and cannot be organized around political parties.
  - City Clerk (history): majority/minority leadership previously related to the former Executive Committee structure (removed by 2021 government structure amendment), not necessarily party labels alone.
  - Council Member Robin Wansley stated her understanding of “minority leader” as formal recognition of political diversity, specifically representation of Democratic Socialists on the Council, while also asserting ability to work across the body.
Committee structure and leadership assignments
- President Payne proposed largely retaining the prior structure: 6 standing committees + 1 special committee; policy committee membership increased from 6 to 7 members.
- Committees were scheduled largely at 1:30 p.m. on assigned days, with regular full Council meetings continuing at 9:30 a.m. on Thursdays (second week of the cycle).
- Members raised concerns about decisions being made without adequate consultation (Warren, Palmisano) and about leadership distribution.
- Amendments were offered and voted on (see Key Outcomes).

Key Outcomes

Roll call / quorum: 13 members present.
Council President election (absolute majority required = 7 votes)
- Nominations: Elliott Payne (nominated by Chowdhury); Lisa Palmisano (nominated by Warren).
- Payne elected Council President on first ballot: 8–5.
Council Vice President election
- Nominations: Jamal Osman (nominated by Chughtai); Lisa Palmisano (nominated by Whiting).
- Osman elected Vice President: 7–6.
Motion to postpone Majority/Minority Leader elections
- Motion to postpone (raised by Palmisano; supported by others) failed: 6–7.
Majority Leader election
- Aisha Chughtai elected Majority Leader: 8–5.
Minority Leader election
- Robin Wansley elected Minority Leader: 7–6.
Resolution: Line of succession (Mayor and Council President)
- Explained as charter-required; identified succession order including President, Vice President, then Majority Leader and Minority Leader, followed by additional ordering.
- Adopted (roll call reflected 12 ayes; transcript indicates all but one name was omitted from the readout, but no “no” votes were stated).
Resolution: Standing committees established (structure, membership, quorums, and meeting dates)
- Adopted after amendments.
- Notable structural changes:
  - “Administration & Enterprise Oversight” re-formed as Enterprise and Labor Relations Committee.
  - “Public Health and Safety” renamed/modified to Public Health, Safety, and Equity Committee.
  - Four policy committees meet week 1; Budget and Committee of the Whole meet week 2; Intergovernmental Relations is a special committee.
- Amendment 1 (passed): Replace Council Member Warren with Council Member Schaefer as Budget Committee Vice Chair.
  - Vote: 11–2.
- Amendment 2 (failed): Replace Council Member Stevenson with Council Member Warren as Climate & Infrastructure Vice Chair.
  - Vote: 5 ayes, 7 nays, 1 abstention.
- Final vote on committee resolution (as amended): 12–1.
2026 calendar of regular meetings
- Council noted first regular cycle begins the week of January 26.
- Two tentative one-week cycles already scheduled for January 12 and January 19 to address time-sensitive matters; use/cancellation to be communicated via email and the Legislative Information Management System.
- Adopted unanimously: 13–0.
Council Rules of Order (2026 version)
- Adopted (incorporating Majority/Minority Leader positions and committee structure).
- Adopted: 12–1.
Audit Committee designations
- President Payne designated himself as Audit Committee Chair and Council Member Chughtai as the second council representative.
- Clerk clarified: no vote required; noted and filed.
External appointments (boards/commissions/other bodies)
- Item postponed without objection to allow staff and members time to review/finalize the list; intended to return at the next Committee of the Whole.
Ordinance introductions and referrals (routine organizational items)
- Title II, Chapter 20 (wages and salaries): referred to Enterprise and Labor Relations Committee.
- Title 20, Chapter 530 (rezonings): referred to Business, Housing, and Zoning Committee.
- Approved unanimously: 13–0.

Leadership and Committee Chairs (as approved)

Council President: Elliott Payne
Vice President: Jamal Osman
Majority Leader: Aisha Chughtai
Minority Leader: Robin Wansley
Committee leadership highlights (chairs / vice chairs):
- Enterprise & Labor Relations: Palmisano (Chair) / Whiting (Vice Chair)
- Business, Housing, & Zoning: Osman (Chair) / Chowdhury (Vice Chair)
- Public Health, Safety, & Equity: Chavez (Chair) / Stevenson (Vice Chair)
- Climate & Infrastructure: Wansley (Chair) / Stevenson (Vice Chair)
- Budget: Chughtai (Chair) / Schaefer (Vice Chair) (amended)
- Committee of the Whole: Chowdhury (Chair) / Chughtai (Vice Chair)
- Settlement Agreement & Consent Decree Subcommittee: Whiting (Chair) / Payne (Vice Chair)
- Intergovernmental Relations (special): Chowdhury (Chair) / Rainville (Vice Chair)

Public Comments & Testimony

The meeting stated there was no public comment during these proceedings.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon and welcome to assembled family friends and community. My name is Casey Carl. I have the privilege of serving as clerk of the city of Minneapolis. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Minneapolis City Charter and laws of the state of Minnesota, This is the day fixed for the assembling of the newly installed City Council following the 2025 general municipal election as certified by the Municipal Canvassing Board at its meeting November 10 this past year. Certificates of election were provided to all declared winners on November 18. Those newly elected and re-elected members of City Council were sworn in as required pursuant to City Charter earlier today as part of the City's inauguration ceremony. Consistent with the City Charter and the Council rules, today's organizational meeting marks the commencement. of the council's 2026-2029 term with that the minneapolis city council will be in order the clerk will call the role of members in numerical order by ward council member payne present wansley present rainville present vita present warren present osman present present. Schaefer present Stevenson present Chavez present present Chugtay present Whiting present Chowdhury present Palmasano present there are 13 members present the record will reflect that a quorum is present the purpose of this first meeting is to organize the City Council for the conduct of City business this organizational meeting is convened notice as required by law, which was first posted on Monday, the 22nd of December 2025. Printed copies of the agenda have been distributed to all members and copies also are available for the public, including from the city's legislative information management system from the city's website. Council members at this morning's inaugural ceremony, Mayor Fry offered his inaugural address for the 2026-2029 term. Without objection, I'll direct the clerk to receive and file the mayor's inaugural address AND HAVE THAT SPREAD UPON THE JOURNAL. IT'S NOW IN ORDER FOR A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA AS PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED. MAY I HAVE SUCH A MOTION, PLEASE. SO MOVED. SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED. TO ADOPT THE AGENDA, THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE OPPOSED, SAY NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. THE AGENDA HAS BEEN ADOPTED. MEMBERS, THE FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS IS THE ELECTION OF OFFICERS OF THIS BODY. IN TERMS OF PROCEDURE, AND AS PROVIDED UNDER THE RULES, I will administer the election for president and vice president. We will take up the nomination and election of a president and then proceed to the election of a vice president. For each office, we will follow the same process, which I'll now explain. First, I'll open the floor to nominations for the office. Any member may nominate themselves or another member. Any member who is so nominated must accept that nomination to be considered. After all nominations have been made, the floor will be closed. At that point, we will proceed to take the vote by roll call. We will vote on nominations in the order they were made and accepted. The clerk will call the roll in numerical order by ward. The first nominee to receive the required number of affirmative votes shall be declared the winner of the election. As provided under City Charter Section 4.3C1, an election requires the affirmative vote of the absolute majority of the body. That is, there must be the affirmative vote of at least seven members to be elected to the office.

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