Meeting Information

• Date: September 19, 2024
• Title: Regular Meeting of the Minneapolis City Council
• Present: Elliot Payne (President), Robin Wonsley, Michael Rainville, LaTrisha Vetaw, Jeremiah Ellison, Jamal Osman, Katie Cashman, Andrea Jenkins, Jason Chavez, Aisha Chughtai (Vice President), Emily Koski, Aurin Chowdhury, Linea Palmisano
• Absent: None at the beginning
• Guests: Kathy Wait (honored for service), Rachel Sayre (appointed as Emergency Management Director)
• Votes: 20+

Highlights

• Approval of $1.5 million funding for Agate Housing and Services rehabilitation project
• Passage of rental pre-eviction notification ordinance extending notice period to 30 days
• Adoption of encampment removal reporting ordinance
• Contract amendment for ShotSpotter expansion and extension
• Approval of office-to-residential conversion zoning amendments
• Discussion on rethinking I-94 project

Discussion

Agate Housing and Services Funding

The council debated approving $1.5 million in funding for the rehabilitation of Agate’s board and lodge transitional housing shelter facility. The funding source was changed from contingency funds to departmental surpluses to address concerns raised in committee.

Supporters argued the urgency of preserving 130 beds of emergency housing capacity, while opponents questioned the process and impact on department budgets.

Councilmember Chavez stated: “Preventing the permanent closure of this site is important and cost-saving move but more importantly it’s the moral thing to do.”

Councilmember Palmisano expressed concerns: “By allowing Agate to jump the line and bypass any sort of process, any sort of application or selection process it delegitimatizes all other funding opportunities and processes that our city staff have worked to create.”

The measure passed with 13 ayes.

Rental Pre-Eviction Notification Ordinance

The council passed an ordinance extending the pre-eviction notification period for renters from 14 to 30 days. Supporters argued it would give renters more time to access resources and prevent homelessness, while some expressed concerns about impacts on small landlords.

Councilmember Chavez stated: “90% of evictions are due to unpaid rent. And a lot of people that are evicted because of unpaid rent end up in shelter. Do we want to reduce capacity? Do we want to have more shelter space if we’re going to address the housing crisis? I believe we do.”

Councilmember Jenkins noted: “I just want us to be aware of the potential impacts that this can have on very small landlords, and be ready to step in to prevent homelessness in that instance, as well.”

The ordinance passed unanimously.

Encampment Removal Reporting Ordinance

The council adopted an ordinance requiring detailed reporting on encampment removals, including costs, services provided, and outcomes for affected individuals. Supporters argued it would increase transparency and inform better policymaking, while some expressed concerns about administrative burden.

Councilmember Chowdhury stated: “Encampment evictions is one of the most intense, traumatizing, and harsh actions that we conduct. It requires significant resources. There should be so much more oversight and understanding of the impact of this work at our city because of that.”

Councilmember Osman expressed reservations: “If this will make it difficult, as I heard Council Member Palmisano mention, the COO, I hear that. If I hear it creates – it makes more even slower than it is now, then it’s hard for me to support it.”

The ordinance passed with 9 ayes and 4 nays.

ShotSpotter Contract Amendment

The council approved a contract amendment to expand and extend the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system. The amendment reduced the expansion and contract length compared to the original proposal to address concerns raised in committee.

Councilmember Wonsley stated: “I’m grateful for my colleagues particularly Council Member Ellison as well as the staff and policy research and in the Minneapolis Police Department who met and engaged with our offices for the past several weeks to talk about both this need for independent evaluation as well as for working with us and SoundThinking to come up with a modified contract proposal.”

Councilmember Palmisano expressed disappointment: “I still greatly prefer the full expansion and the full time on this contract. Unfortunately, that option didn’t even advance out of committee.”

The amendment passed unanimously.

Office-to-Residential Conversion Zoning Amendments

The council approved zoning amendments to streamline the process for converting office buildings to residential use. The changes aim to support downtown revitalization and increase housing supply.

Councilmember Cashman explained: “Our goal is actually to double the downtown population by 2035, and in order to do that, we need to build a lot more housing downtown. The good news is, we have a lot of vacant buildings to do that with.”

The amendments passed unanimously.

Rethinking I-94 Project

The council adopted a resolution expressing priorities for the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Rethinking I-94 project. The resolution calls for addressing past harms to communities of color and considering options like highway removal.

Councilmember Wonsley stated: “My residents have told me throughout my time in office thus far that they do want to alleviate harms that this highway has caused. And they want a future that honors the cities or our city’s commitment to both transportation, racial equity, public health, equitable development, and sustainability.”

An amendment to include public transit considerations was added, and the resolution passed unanimously.

Public Comments

There were no public comments recorded in this transcript.