Administration & Enterprise Oversight Committee Meeting Summary

Meeting Information

• Date: November 4, 2024
• Title: Administration & Enterprise Oversight Committee Regular Meeting
• Present: Wonsley (Chair), Vetaw, Ellison, Chughtai (Vice President), Palmisano (Vice Chair)
• Absent: Cashman
• Guests:
  • Dr. Brittany Lewis and team (Research and Action)
  • Tawanna Black (Center for Economic Inclusion)
  • Jared Jeffreys (Office of Community Safety Chief of Staff)
  • Prince Corbett (REIB Director)
• Votes: 1 (Roll call vote on items 18 & 19, passed 3-2)

Highlights

• Organizational assessment of the Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (REIB) Department presented by Dr. Brittany Lewis revealing tensions and challenges in department management
• Racial Equity Dividends Index report showing City of Minneapolis scoring 49.3% on equity measures
• Status update on three overdue Legislative Directives related to Neighborhood Safety Department management and police protest response
• Presentation on information governance and surveillance technologies landscape from City Auditor’s office

Discussion

REIB Department Assessment

Dr. Lewis presented findings from an organizational assessment revealing five key tensions in the department’s formation and operation. Major concerns included department turnover, budget control issues, and questions about leadership effectiveness. Council members expressed skepticism about whether systemic issues could be resolved. Councilmember Ellison noted: “I’m looking at the trend… is the administration just sort of rotating Black faces until we get one that is willing to play ball?”

The survey results showed discomfort among city leaders with terms like “white supremacy” and skepticism about whether announced changes would be implemented. Director Corbett emphasized plans to refocus the department on its core mission as defined in city ordinance.

Racial Equity Dividends Index

Tawanna Black presented findings showing Minneapolis scoring 49.3% overall on equity measures, with strengths in community development and public safety but weaknesses in workforce development and procurement. The assessment identified opportunities for improvement in leadership buy-in, data collection, and resident engagement in budgeting processes. The report provides specific recommendations for improvement across multiple categories.

Legislative Directives Update

Chief of Staff Jeffreys reported that three Legislative Directives were overdue from October. He committed to delivering the Neighborhood Safety Department management update by November 18th but could not provide firm dates for the other two directives. Chair Wonsley expressed frustration about the delays, noting multiple unsuccessful attempts to get responses through informal channels before resorting to Legislative Directives.

Surveillance Technologies Assessment

The City Auditor’s office presented findings on current surveillance technology practices and recommendations for improvement. The presentation emphasized challenges in keeping policies current with rapidly evolving technology and highlighted examples from other cities’ oversight models. Vice Chair Palmisano questioned whether implementation challenges were unique to surveillance technology or common to all new departments.

Public Comments

No public comments were recorded during this meeting.