Meeting Information

• Date: August 15, 2024
• Title: Regular Meeting of the Minneapolis City Council
• Present: Chowdhury, Cashman, Osman, Chavez, Vetaw, Wonsley, Jenkins, Palmisano, Chughtai, Payne
• Absent: Ellison, Rainville, Koski
• Guests: Chief of Police, Urban Scholars program participants, Shut Down Smith Coalition members
• Votes: 8

Highlights

• Approval of renter rights ordinance with amendments
• Discussion of cannabis business regulations
• Approval of Community Commission on Police Oversight bylaws
• Settlement of $275,000 in Simmons v. Brown litigation
• Approval of pilot program for personal delivery devices
• Discussion of tree preservation ordinance exploration

Discussion

Renter Rights Ordinance

Council member Wonsley introduced an ordinance to strengthen renter protections by requiring landlords to disclose certain information to tenants. Council member Chowdhury proposed an amendment to require disclosure of contact information for service of process. There was debate about whether this was duplicative of existing state law. Some council members expressed concerns about landlord privacy and potential burdens on small property owners.

Council member Jenkins stated: “I believe this ordinance and the underlying motion as Council member Chowdhury stated is already in process. We already have state laws. We already have a city requirement that you must put a contact information for the landlord and/or their agent. So I believe this entire ordinance and the underlying motion is redundant.”

Council member Wonsley responded that the ordinance would give regulatory services more tools to enforce existing requirements and better inform renters of their rights.

The amendment passed 10-2 with 2 abstentions. The full ordinance passed 10-2 with 2 abstentions.

Cannabis Business Regulations

Council member Osman introduced notices of intent to introduce ordinances creating regulations and a registration program for cannabis businesses. Several council members expressed excitement about the economic development potential and desire to ensure equitable implementation. The ordinances will be formally introduced at a future meeting.

Community Commission on Police Oversight Bylaws

The council approved bylaws for the new Community Commission on Police Oversight, including authorizing standing committees. Council President Payne noted this was one step in ongoing police reform efforts, stating: “Each one of these steps alone is not going to solve our police reform problem. But as we continue to have these items, it’s important to recognize that there’s a body of work that we’re taking as a legislative body that I’m hoping is going to translate into meaningful differences on the ground.”

The bylaws were approved unanimously.

Simmons v. Brown Settlement

Following a closed session, the council voted to approve a $275,000 settlement in the Simmons v. Brown litigation. No details were provided about the nature of the case. Council member Cashman noted the incident took place in Ward 7 and wished Mr. Simmons well.

The settlement was approved unanimously.

Personal Delivery Device Pilot Program

The council approved a one-year pilot program to issue permits for personal delivery devices (autonomous robots) at the University of Minnesota. Council member Wonsley, who represents the area, expressed some concerns about potential impacts on workers but looked forward to learning from the pilot. She stated she plans to work on appropriate regulations as the technology develops.

The pilot program was approved unanimously.

Tree Preservation Ordinance Exploration

The council accepted a grant from Hennepin County to explore developing a tree preservation ordinance. Council member Palmisano expressed strong support, describing issues with developers removing trees and stating: “We need to stop this type of behavior and really treat some of these trees as assets in our community.”

The grant acceptance was approved unanimously.

Public Comments

There were no public comments during this meeting.