OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Enterprise and Labor Relations Committee Meeting – July 6, 2026

City CouncilMonday, July 6, 2026
BodyMinneapolis, Minnesota
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, July 6, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:36:55
Transcript — Verbatim
0:15

Good afternoon and welcome.

0:16

My name is Linne Palmasano, and I'm the chair of the Enterprise and Labor Relations Committee, and I'll call to order our regular meeting for July 6th, 2026.

0:26

Before we begin, I'll offer a friendly reminder to all committee members, staff, and the public that these meetings are broadcast live to enable greater public participation.

0:36

These broadcasts include real-time captioning as another method to increase our accessibility.

0:42

And all speakers, could you please be mindful of the rate of your speech so that captioners can fully capture and transcribe all comments for the broadcast?

0:52

I'll ask the clerk to please call the roll.

0:55

Councilmember Vito.

0:56

Present.

0:57

Schaefer.

0:59

Stevenson.

1:00

Present.

1:02

Chavez?

1:03

Present.

1:04

Shuktai?

1:06

Is absent.

1:07

Vice Chair Whiting?

1:09

Present.

1:09

Chair Palmasano.

1:11

We have six present.

1:13

Let the record reflect that we have a quorum, and I'll remind my colleagues that we'll be using speaker management.

1:18

So please go ahead and sign in.

1:21

Let's start quickly with our consent items, which I'll read for the record.

1:24

Item number one is a resolution of our quarterly donations report.

1:29

Item two is a resolution for gift acceptance from Co.

1:33

Minnesota.

1:34

That's for Councilmember Stevenson to attend an event.

1:38

Item number three is a collective bargaining agreement with the firefighters, local 82.

1:43

Item four is a legal settlement, the workers' comp claim of Genevieve Hansen.

1:48

Is there any discussion on these items?

1:53

Uh clerk, we don't have the ability to get into queue.

2:00

Ah, there we go.

2:01

I don't see anybody in queue.

2:03

I'm looking at your screen.

2:04

Ah, Councilmember Vita.

2:05

I was just checking.

2:07

Sorry.

2:08

All right.

2:09

Seeing no one up for discussion, I'll move approval of the consent agenda.

2:14

All those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

2:17

Aye.

2:18

Any opposed?

2:20

Those items carry.

2:22

Next, we will have our public hearing, which is the appointment of our city assessor, Rebecca Momquist, and I'll invite the mayor to introduce this item.

2:33

Thank you, Chair Palmasano, Vice Chair Whiting, members of the City Council.

2:37

I'm pleased to nominate Rebecca Anderson Momquist for the position of city assessor.

2:43

The city assessor is the engine behind so much of the work that the city does, and the office is responsible for estimating the market value and classification of property.

2:53

And this valuation is the foundation of property taxes, but also our ability to deliver services throughout our city.

3:00

Since joining Minneapolis in 2014 and later being appointed City Assessor in 2021, Rebecca has led an office responsible for the valuation and classification of a hundred and thirty thousand properties at a $64 billion market value.

3:17

She's also demonstrated some key competency while navigating some extraordinary market volatility that occurred during and the aftermath of COVID-19.

3:30

She led the department through one of the most challenging real estate of environments, probably in modern history.

3:56

And she's managed to maintain a defensible assessment process.

4:00

There's grounded in market evidence.

4:20

It's maintaining a defensible assessment that allows us to collect taxes and run our city, regardless of the external circumstances that may be taking place.

4:31

That is an honorable job.

4:33

It is an honorable profession.

4:36

And our assessor and our assessor's department does it with really great skill.

4:43

Minneapolis successfully defended those valuations through the appeals process, maintain compliance with state uh requirements, and helped ensure confidence in the integrity of the assessment system.

4:54

Additionally, Rebecca represented Minneapolis on the national stage as well through International Association of Assessing Officers serving as their president in 2024.

5:04

And during her service, she founded the Women's Initiative Network establishing the organization's Diversity Equity and Inclusion Council, and was awarded the prestigious fellow designation and recognition of contributions to the profession.

5:19

So these uh experiences have strengthened her leadership, uh, has resulted in better governance uh for the city of Minneapolis, and I'm proud to put forward Rebecca Anderson Momquist because of the work that she's done uh through market uncertainty, the experience she has in steady leadership, and how essential she is to maintaining public confidence in her system.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████50%
Personnel Matters████████████████████████████████35%
Public Safety████████9%
Intergovernmental Relations████4%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Enterprise and Labor Relations Committee Meeting – July 6, 2026

Chair Linne Palmasano called the regular meeting to order at 18:32. The committee approved a consent calendar, held a public hearing to confirm the reappointment of the City Assessor, received the first semi-annual report on separation ordinance complaints, and voted to enter a closed session for labor negotiation strategy. All actions were taken publicly except the final closed session.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved four items without discussion:
    1. Quarterly donations report.
    2. Gift acceptance from Co. Minnesota for Councilmember Stevenson to attend an event.
    3. Collective bargaining agreement with firefighters, Local 82.
    4. Legal settlement for the workers' compensation claim of Genevieve Hansen.
  • Motion carried unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

Four speakers testified in support of the reappointment of Rebecca Anderson Momquist as City Assessor:

  • Joan Gendler (50-year Minneapolis resident, retired property tax attorney): Praised Ms. Momquist's professionalism, knowledge, and ethical conduct, noting improvements in the assessor's office since she became chief deputy.
  • Pat Chapman (Ramsey County Assessor, representing Minnesota Association of Assessing Officers): Highlighted Ms. Momquist's leadership, collaboration, and service as president of the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO).
  • Alex Guggenberger (Anoka County Assessor): Emphasized her steady, principled leadership, integrity, and commitment to transparency at local, state, national, and international levels.
  • Brian Kaiser (Chief Appraiser, Minneapolis Assessing Department): Called her passion for assessing contagious, praised her focus on staff and doing the right thing, and gave full support despite occasional frustrations.

Discussion Items

First Semi-Annual Report on Separation Ordinance Complaints Katie Topinka (Interim Deputy COO for Communications and Engagement) presented the report, required by the updated separation ordinance passed in late 2025. Key data:

  • No complaints were received by the Human Resources Investigative Unit or the Ethics Officer.
  • The Office of Police Conduct Review (OPCR) and Internal Affairs received a combined total of 9 complaints: 8 from community members, 1 from city personnel.
  • 4 complaints have been closed with no discipline; 5 remain open under investigation.
  • Complaints can be filed via 311, the Ethics Officer, or OPCR. For non-MPD personnel, complainants receive confirmation within three business days; for MPD-related complaints, OPCR contacts complainants within seven days.

Councilmember Chavez raised concerns about the city's failure to provide separate updates required by the separation ordinance regarding ICE staging on city property. She cited three incidents (murders of Nate Good and Alex Predi, and the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa Solis) where masked ICE agents and unmarked federal vehicles were present, and asked about MPD's involvement. Director Topinka took the questions for follow-up.

Councilmember Stevenson asked about complaints regarding ICE use of city parking lots; Director Topinka noted this report covers only complaints against employees, but she would check with 311 and MPD.

The report was filed by the committee.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent calendar approved unanimously.
  • Reappointment of Rebecca Anderson Momquist as City Assessor confirmed by a roll-call vote of 6-0 (all members present voting aye). Councilmembers Vita, Whiting, and Palmasano expressed strong support, citing her professionalism, team-building, transparency, and responsiveness to residents.
  • Separation ordinance complaint report filed; staff will follow up on councilmembers' specific inquiries.
  • Closed session authorized under Minnesota Statutes § 13D.03 to discuss labor negotiation strategy with the Police Officers Federation. Motion passed with 5 ayes (Councilmember Shuktai was absent). The public broadcast continued, and the committee will reconvene in open session after the closed discussion.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon and welcome. My name is Linne Palmasano, and I'm the chair of the Enterprise and Labor Relations Committee, and I'll call to order our regular meeting for July 6th, 2026. Before we begin, I'll offer a friendly reminder to all committee members, staff, and the public that these meetings are broadcast live to enable greater public participation. These broadcasts include real-time captioning as another method to increase our accessibility. And all speakers, could you please be mindful of the rate of your speech so that captioners can fully capture and transcribe all comments for the broadcast? I'll ask the clerk to please call the roll. Councilmember Vito. Present. Schaefer. Stevenson. Present. Chavez? Present. Shuktai? Is absent. Vice Chair Whiting? Present. Chair Palmasano. We have six present. Let the record reflect that we have a quorum, and I'll remind my colleagues that we'll be using speaker management. So please go ahead and sign in. Let's start quickly with our consent items, which I'll read for the record. Item number one is a resolution of our quarterly donations report. Item two is a resolution for gift acceptance from Co. Minnesota. That's for Councilmember Stevenson to attend an event. Item number three is a collective bargaining agreement with the firefighters, local 82. Item four is a legal settlement, the workers' comp claim of Genevieve Hansen. Is there any discussion on these items? Uh clerk, we don't have the ability to get into queue. Ah, there we go. I don't see anybody in queue. I'm looking at your screen. Ah, Councilmember Vita. I was just checking. Sorry. All right. Seeing no one up for discussion, I'll move approval of the consent agenda. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Those items carry. Next, we will have our public hearing, which is the appointment of our city assessor, Rebecca Momquist, and I'll invite the mayor to introduce this item. Thank you, Chair Palmasano, Vice Chair Whiting, members of the City Council. I'm pleased to nominate Rebecca Anderson Momquist for the position of city assessor. The city assessor is the engine behind so much of the work that the city does, and the office is responsible for estimating the market value and classification of property. And this valuation is the foundation of property taxes, but also our ability to deliver services throughout our city. Since joining Minneapolis in 2014 and later being appointed City Assessor in 2021, Rebecca has led an office responsible for the valuation and classification of a hundred and thirty thousand properties at a $64 billion market value. She's also demonstrated some key competency while navigating some extraordinary market volatility that occurred during and the aftermath of COVID-19. She led the department through one of the most challenging real estate of environments, probably in modern history.

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