Meeting Information

• Date: October 17, 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
• Absent: Linea Palmisano
• Guests: Various community members for honorary resolutions
• Votes: 12

Highlights

• Council overrode Mayor’s veto of 2025 License Fee Schedule
• Debate over the implementation of a carbon dioxide fee
• Discussion on the future use of the former Third Precinct site
• Amendment to the franchise agreement with CenterPoint Energy
• Approval of various grants and contracts for city services

Discussion

Override of Mayor’s Veto on 2025 License Fee Schedule

The council voted to override the Mayor’s veto of the 2025 License Fee Schedule. The vote required a two-thirds majority to pass. Council members debated the merits of the fee schedule and its potential impact on businesses and residents.

Councilmember Jenkins expressed concerns about the fee schedule, stating, “I understand the issue here, but there are times when off-duty police officers are doing side gigs, if you will, and then a criminal act happens and those police officers have to go on duty. So how do we shift, right? Off-duty they pay a fee and then the chief says, hey, we need everybody to come to this thing.”

The override passed with a vote of 9-2.

Carbon Dioxide Fee Implementation

There was significant debate over the implementation of a carbon dioxide fee as part of the Pollution Control Annual Registration program. Councilmember Wonsley proposed setting the fee at $452 per ton, with an implementation date of July 1, 2025.

Councilmember Cashman proposed an amendment to change the fee amount to “TBD” (To Be Determined) instead of a specific dollar amount, arguing that a fee study should be completed first.

The City Attorney advised that the fee must be based on the actual costs of the program, which has not yet been established.

Councilmember Wonsley argued, “We were provided $452 per ton as the basis of their expertise. And they did a lot of thorough research to get there. That’s the information that we’re using to, you know, move forward on this action.”

The amendment to change the fee to “TBD” failed with a vote of 5-6. The original motion to set the fee at $452 per ton with a July 1, 2025 implementation date passed with a vote of 9-2.

Future Use of Former Third Precinct Site

The council discussed a resolution regarding the future use of the former Third Precinct site. The resolution opposed the construction of a storage warehouse on the site and called for immediate cleanup and beautification of the area.

Councilmember Wonsley argued for the importance of acknowledging the site’s history, stating, “We can’t move forward towards racial equity and justice until we reckon with those realities and particularly starting in our city with the shameful atrocity that took place at the Third Precinct.”

Some council members expressed concern about potentially limiting the site’s use for election and voter services. The City Clerk clarified that the resolution was a statement of position and would not legally bind future decisions.

The amended resolution passed with a vote of 8-3.

CenterPoint Energy Franchise Agreement Amendment

Councilmember Cashman introduced a notice of intent to amend the franchise agreement with CenterPoint Energy, extending it through April 17, 2025. This amendment aims to align the negotiation timelines for franchise agreements with both CenterPoint Energy and Xcel Energy.

No vote was taken on this item as it was only a notice of intent.

Approval of Grants and Contracts

The council approved several grants and contracts, including:

• $858,000 grant for the Farmers Market Sustainable Modernization Project
• Contract amendments for immigration legal services providers
• Grant acceptance from the Minnesota Department of Health for maternal and child health efforts

These items passed unanimously without significant discussion.

Public Comments

There were no formal public comments during this meeting. However, several community members spoke during the presentation of honorary resolutions at the beginning of the meeting, including representatives from Speak Minneapolis (formerly MTN) for Community Media Day and youth representatives for Youth Civic Engagement Day.