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Record of Proceedings

Minneapolis Committee of the Whole Meeting - June 9, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, June 9, 2026
BodyMinneapolis, Minnesota
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 9, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:28:41

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:18

Good afternoon and welcome to the regular meeting of the Committee of the Whole for June 9th, 2026.

0:23

My name is Orreen Chowdry, and I am the chair of this committee.

0:27

I will call this regular meeting to order and ask the clerk to call the role to verify the presence of a quorum.

0:34

Councilmember Payne.

0:36

Present.

0:37

Wandsleep.

0:38

Present.

0:38

Rainville.

0:40

Vita is absent.

0:42

Warren.

0:43

Present.

0:44

Osman is absent.

0:46

Schaefer.

0:46

Present.

0:48

Stevenson.

0:49

Present.

0:50

Chavez.

0:50

Present.

0:51

Whiting.

0:52

Present.

0:53

Palmasano.

0:54

Present.

0:55

Vice Chair Chick Tite is absent.

0:57

And Chair Chow.

1:00

Let the record reflect that we have a quorum.

1:02

I'll also just note that we've been joined by Council Vice President Osman and Councilmember Vita.

1:09

And that Vice Chair Chug Tai is attending to a very pressing matter in her ward.

1:16

And that's why she is not at today's meeting.

1:19

Before we begin the meeting, let me offer a friendly reminder to everyone that these meetings are broadcast live to enable greater public participation.

1:27

The broadcasts include real-time captioning to increase accessibility for the entire community.

1:33

So it's important that all speakers be mindful of the rate of their speech so that our captioners can fully capture and transcribe all comments for the broadcast.

1:43

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

1:48

Colleagues, our agenda is in front of us.

1:51

I'll briefly explain its order.

1:56

First, we will begin with the reports of our standing committees.

2:00

There is one item I am going to be requesting to add into consent.

2:04

We'll actually do that first before our standing committees.

2:07

And then I will be turning the chair over to Councilmember Whiting, Chair of the Settlement Agreement and Consent Decree Subcommittee.

2:15

After Chair Whiting has dispensed of those items, I'll return to chairing the last two items under receive and file.

2:22

Are there any questions about that order or any amendments to make?

2:31

Without objection, I would like to move to amend the agenda by adding an honorary resolution regarding gun violence awareness month.

2:39

Is there a second?

2:42

Thank you.

2:43

Okay.

2:44

With that, may I have a motion to adopt the agenda as amended?

2:48

So move.

2:49

Second.

2:51

All right.

2:52

All those in favor say aye.

2:54

Aye.

2:55

All those opposed say nay.

2:57

The motion passes.

3:01

So since we do not have anything else on the consent agenda for COW today, I'll move approval of this honorary resolution for gun violence awareness month for Thursday.

3:09

All those in favor say aye.

3:11

Aye.

3:12

Those opposed say nay.

3:15

The motion passes.

3:16

Okay, now we will begin our standing committee reports.

3:20

We'll start with the Enterprise and Labor Relations Committee chaired by Councilmember Palmasano.

3:27

Good afternoon.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use and Zoning█████████████████████████████████33%
Procedural█████████████████████████████29%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Personnel Matters████████8%
Racial Equity█████5%
Planning█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Minneapolis Committee of the Whole Meeting - June 9, 2026

The Committee of the Whole met on June 9, 2026, at 6:33 PM (UTC) with Chair Orreen Chowdry presiding. The meeting included reports from six standing committees, a subcommittee session on consent decree and settlement agreement items, and a presentation on the Minneapolis 2050 comprehensive plan. The council adopted an honorary resolution for Gun Violence Awareness Month and approved three contract amendments from the Settlement Agreement and Consent Decree Subcommittee. One item was postponed to July 14, 2026.

Consent Calendar

  • The council adopted an honorary resolution recognizing Gun Violence Awareness Month, added to the agenda by motion without objection. The motion carried unanimously.

Discussion Items

Standing Committee Reports:

  • Enterprise and Labor Relations (Chair Palmasano): Reported 12 items for full council, including a gift acceptance, AmeriCorps program application, Hiawatha Public Works Maintenance Facility expansion, contracts for benefits consulting, temporary staffing, custodial banking, GIS, and City Hall Restack Phase III, legal settlements, 2026 Open Street events, and the local Board of Appeal and Equalization report.
  • Business, Housing and Zoning (Chair Osman): Reported 18 items, including liquor license approvals, land sale for housing, affordable housing financing for Northview project, a Great Streets gap loan for Mercado Central, denial of exclusive development rights to Minnesota Agabe Movement, and a legislative directive related to Heritage Park. Councilmember Warren requested the Heritage Park directive be amended to include referrals to relevant committees.
  • Climate and Infrastructure (Chair Wandsley): Reported 17 items, including street reconstruction projects, grants, event permits, and a lease amendment for storage program. Councilmember Stevenson spoke against the special assessment for the 38th Street and Chicago Avenue reconstruction project, citing the unique circumstances of George Floyd Square. Councilmember Wandsley supported denying the assessment, noting community hardship.
  • Public Health, Safety and Equity (Chair Chavez): Reported 10 items, including an ordinance on law enforcement agreements, and deletion of the Mayor's nomination of Brian O'Hara for police chief (to be fully deleted at council). Other items included contracts for violence prevention and strategic outreach, grants for emergency management, and amplified sound permit extensions.
  • Budget (Vice Chair Schaefer): Reported two items: staff direction to research a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program, and acceptance of a donation for a staff member to attend a policy summit.
  • Intergovernmental Relations (Vice Chair Rainville): Reported one item on a special law for PERA employee, plus an update on state and federal actions.

Settlement Agreement and Consent Decree Subcommittee (Chair Whiting):

  • Chair Whiting provided an overview of the subcommittee's purpose, rooted in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder and the resulting DOJ consent decree and MDHR settlement agreement. Three contract amendments were presented:
    1. Contract amendment with Exceptional Edge Consulting for MPD training on stop, search, citation, arrest, and non-discriminatory policing. No additional funding; extension to December 2027. Approved unanimously.
    2. Contract amendment with First Response Actors for MPD role-playing scenario training. Cost of $103,300 for extension through 2026 to support academies. Approved unanimously.
    3. Contract amendment with DLG Consulting for investigatory services in the Force Investigation Team (FIT). Commander Markstrom explained the need due to staffing shortages and increased workload from takedowns becoming level two uses of force. Councilmember Wandsley and President Payne questioned about internal affairs staffing and procurement planning. The contract has a remaining balance of about $650,000. Approved unanimously.

Receive and File – Minneapolis 2050 Comprehensive Plan Presentation:

  • CPED staff (Joe Bernard, Mailing Smith, Shanna Sether) presented the engagement framework and timeline for the Minneapolis 2050 comprehensive plan update, required by state law every 10 years. The plan must accommodate growth to over 500,000 residents by 2050 and meet affordable housing targets. The process will run through 2029, with phases for vision/goals, draft concepts, public draft, and Met Council review. Engagement will include community events, targeted outreach, and a project website. Councilmembers expressed support and raised concerns about learning from the 2040 process, implementation clarity, and ensuring community input shapes the plan.

Key Outcomes

  • Votes:
    • Agenda amended and adopted (unanimous).
    • Honorary resolution for Gun Violence Awareness Month adopted (unanimous).
    • Contract amendment with Exceptional Edge Consulting approved (unanimous).
    • Contract amendment with First Response Actors approved (unanimous).
    • Contract amendment with DLG Consulting approved (unanimous).
    • Motion to postpone item five (MPD spending legislative directive) to July 14, 2026, carried.
  • Referrals and Next Steps:
    • The 2050 comprehensive plan presentation was received and filed; engagement activities to begin in summer 2026.
    • Staff to provide one-on-one briefings with councilmembers on the 2050 plan.
    • Administrative follow-up requested on procurement and workload forecasting for the DLG contract.
    • The committee reports and items will be forwarded to the full City Council meeting on June 11, 2026, for action.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon and welcome to the regular meeting of the Committee of the Whole for June 9th, 2026. My name is Orreen Chowdry, and I am the chair of this committee. I will call this regular meeting to order and ask the clerk to call the role to verify the presence of a quorum. Councilmember Payne. Present. Wandsleep. Present. Rainville. Vita is absent. Warren. Present. Osman is absent. Schaefer. Present. Stevenson. Present. Chavez. Present. Whiting. Present. Palmasano. Present. Vice Chair Chick Tite is absent. And Chair Chow. Let the record reflect that we have a quorum. I'll also just note that we've been joined by Council Vice President Osman and Councilmember Vita. And that Vice Chair Chug Tai is attending to a very pressing matter in her ward. And that's why she is not at today's meeting. Before we begin the meeting, let me offer a friendly reminder to everyone that these meetings are broadcast live to enable greater public participation. The broadcasts include real-time captioning to increase accessibility for the entire community. So it's important that all speakers 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 please moderate the speed and clarity of their comments. Colleagues, our agenda is in front of us. I'll briefly explain its order. First, we will begin with the reports of our standing committees. There is one item I am going to be requesting to add into consent. We'll actually do that first before our standing committees. And then I will be turning the chair over to Councilmember Whiting, Chair of the Settlement Agreement and Consent Decree Subcommittee. After Chair Whiting has dispensed of those items, I'll return to chairing the last two items under receive and file. Are there any questions about that order or any amendments to make? Without objection, I would like to move to amend the agenda by adding an honorary resolution regarding gun violence awareness month. Is there a second? Thank you. Okay. With that, may I have a motion to adopt the agenda as amended? So move. Second. All right. All those in favor say aye. Aye.

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