Minneapolis Public Health, Safety & Equity Committee Meeting – August 5, 2026

The Public Health, Safety, and Equity Committee met on August 5, 2026, with Chair Jason Chavez presiding. Five members were present (Payne, Vita, Whiting, Stevenson, Chavez), constituting a quorum; Wansley and Rainville were absent. The committee approved a consent calendar, received three presentations, and discussed police reform and crowd-management research.

Consent Calendar

• Approved items 1–9, including contract amendments with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for human trafficking investigators, task force crime analysts, and investigators; a contract amendment with Canopy Roots for behavioral crisis response services; acceptance of public health emergency preparedness and sustainability grants; a Minnesota Department of Public Safety grant for bomb disposal equipment and training; and gift acceptances for staff conference attendance.
• Set public hearings for August 19, 2026, to consider ordinances related to noise regulations and pet ownership restriction reform.
• Postponed the law enforcement concealment of identity ordinance to the September 23, 2026, meeting.
• All consent items were approved by voice vote, with no opposition or abstentions noted.

Discussion Items

City Trees Program Annual Report

• Sydney Schaff, City Trees Manager, reported on the program's 20th anniversary, noting over 25,000 trees distributed since 2006. The program provides containerized trees (4–8 feet tall) for $30 each to private-property owners, with spring and fall sales and a full-service planting program emphasizing Green Zones and environmental justice areas.
• The 2026 target was 2,915 trees, and the program is on track to plant just over 3,200. Spring sales exceeded 1,100 trees; the fall sale opened August 1 with 800 trees, and 437 had been sold in the first four days. Metro Blooms planted 70 replacement trees; full-service plantings totaled 150. A mini forest using the Miyawaki method is scheduled to be planted in November.
• The Tree Ambassador pilot received over 75 applications and selected 15 ambassadors, with at least 250 trees requested through the program so far.
• The condemned tree assistance program, in its second year, has enrolled over 500 addresses and removed over 600 trees; the average removal cost is $5,440.
• Staff are developing a private property tree preservation ordinance with CPED. Public engagement showed community support for strict protections, while builders and developers expressed concern about unnecessary permit barriers. The ordinance is expected early next year.
• Committee members praised the programs and asked about species diversity (approximately 90% native), climate adaptation, and coordination with the Park Board. Councilmember Vita specifically thanked staff for the tree removal assistance program and youth engagement efforts.

Minneapolis Tree Advisory Commission Annual Report

• Co-chairs Giuseppe Morari and Tim Keene presented the commission's annual report, recommending permanent funding for the Park Board's two-trees-planted-per-tree-removed goal (estimated at $1 million annually for about 10,000 trees), creation of a grant writer position, stronger collaboration with development projects, and support for the tree preservation ordinance.
• The Park Board planted 8,000 trees in 2026 and generated $100,000 through a carbon credit offset program.
• Committee questions addressed boulevard tree survival (average lifespan 20 years or less), ginkgo tree diversity rationale, native versus climate-adapted species, and the need for earlier commission input on development projects.

MPD After-Action Review Implementation

• Commander Bryce Robinson reported that the Implementation Unit is tracking 37 findings from the Maturi and Lucer after-action reviews, expanded to 89 action items. Thirty-one items are in progress and six are completed, pending auditor approval.
• The Maturi audit had 15 recommendations (3 policy, 3 training, 4 staffing, 2 dispatch, 3 other); the Lucer audit had 22 (5 policy, 7 training, 1 staffing, 3 dispatch, 6 other). Completed items include a neighborhood mediation program, 911 call response accountability measures, a violent criminal apprehension team, and domestic violence death review protocols.
• Committee members requested more detailed reporting on which specific action items are completed or in progress, with descriptions and next steps, in future quarterly updates.

LRO Report: Police Responses to Public Gatherings

• Legislative Research and Oversight staffer Nick Barkley presented a report tracing the shift from escalated force to dialogue-based crowd management, highlighting the elaborated social identity model (ESIM). Columbus, Ohio's POPS model was cited as a national standard, with a case study comparing the 2015 and 2025 Ohio State championship celebrations showing dramatic reductions in force, injuries, arrests, and costs under POPS.
• MPD's current 'fluid response model' is scalable and reactive, deploying strike teams only after crimes are committed. Challenges include a lack of standardized training, equipment shortages, and the absence of a formal dialogue team. The settlement agreement's independent monitor has not yet reviewed crowd-management policies.
• Community organizers emphasized a spectrum of willingness to liaise with police and recommended that dialogue officers have sufficient rank, authentic First Amendment commitment, negotiation authority, and humility.
• Report recommendations include formalizing dialogue team capabilities, establishing regular public reporting mechanisms (e.g., Madison's after-action review ordinance), and publishing contact information for police personnel managing gatherings.
• Councilmember Whiting and Chair Chavez praised the report and asked about protections for dialogue officers, proactive protection of demonstrators, and use of data reporting, especially in light of DOJ findings and Operation Metro Surge.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved by voice vote; public hearings set for August 19, 2026; law enforcement concealment of identity ordinance postponed to September 23, 2026.
• All three presentations were received and filed by the committee: the City Trees annual report, the Tree Advisory Commission annual report, and the MPD after-action review implementation update.
• The LRO report on police responses to public gatherings was received and filed; committee members expressed support for exploring formalized dialogue teams and standardized reporting.
• No formal votes were taken on the presentations.