City of Minneapolis sent this bulletin at 06/21/2024 06:00 PM CDT
Council Member Linea Palmisano
June 21, 2024
Dear Neighbor,
Next week, the City’s police labor contract will be coming before the Administration & Enterprise Oversight (AEO) Committee on Tuesday, June 21 at 5:00 p.m. This tentative contract agreement includes two significant changes: 1) increasing pay for Minneapolis police officers, making the MPD among the highest paying departments in Minnesota by 2025 and 2) delivering on significant reforms that increase transparency and strengthen managerial oversight. If you’d like to read more, the entire Labor Agreement and an Executive Summary are now publicly available.
The MPD has reached critically low, unsustainable staffing levels. This week in committee, the MPD said there were 554 officers on active duty, down from 892 in 2018. Research shows that the biggest value in recruiting law enforcement officers is community and political support. I work hard on that every day. Second to that, it is wage competitiveness. I believe our officer pay must be competitive in comparison to neighboring suburbs and other law enforcement agencies, and this new contract adjusts for that. We need to ensure officers are choosing to work, and stay, in Minneapolis. Increasing the MPD staffing is not only imperative for public safety but also for officer wellness and quality policing. The City’s current officers are being asked to pull double duty, spending most of their shifts running from call to call and completing mandatory overtime. We can’t continue to operate like this–it is not fair nor sustainable for residents and police officers alike. I will be voting in support of this proposed contract agreement. It is a significant step towards positive change and reform.
Despite some of my colleagues' desires to delay the decision on the contract, I intend to move this forward for a vote at our next full City Council meeting on Thursday, June 27. I also intend to bring forward perspectives from three community groups–League of Women Voters, Plymouth’s Re-Imagining Community Safety Group, and the Unity Community Mediation Team. These groups reached out to me and requested to present their perspectives on the contract after learning that Minneapolis for A Better Police Contract (MFBPC) would be presenting before the committee. Prior to the publication of the AEO Committee Agenda, they were not aware of the opportunity for community groups to present before the committee. Because they missed the deadline to be added to the agenda and Chair Wonsley declined to do a “late addition” before agenda publication at noon today, the decision to allow these groups to present will be voted on by my colleagues who sit on the committee–Chair Wonsley and Council Members Chughtai, Ellison, Cashman, and Vetaw–and myself.
As Vice Chair of the AEO Committee, I firmly believe that all community groups should be provided the same opportunity and platform. If we are going to open the door to presentations from outside advocacy groups, we have to let everyone in–not just those who are ideologically aligned with the committee’s chair.
I hope my colleagues will allow these diverse community coalitions to share their perspectives before the committee. However, if they aren’t granted the same opportunity as the MFBPC group, I will not delay this important decision. I have instead encouraged the members of these organizations to utilize their two-minute public comment period at the meeting on June 25.
The City Council meets in Room 350 of Public Service Center at 250 South Fourth St.
The room will open 30 minutes prior to the meeting start time. Speaker registration will be available 30 minutes prior to the meeting. Written Comments
Written comments may also be submitted for the record of this public hearing. Written comments may be submitted three different ways:
You can take adoptable shelter dogs out for a day of adventure and companionship. By participating in this program you can:
Reduce kennel stress for dogs in our care
Gain valuable insights about a dog’s personality and behavior that we can share with potential adopters
Increase a dog’s chance of successfully being adopted into a forever family
Enjoy a day of hiking, playing, or snuggling with a dog, commitment-free!
To take a dog on a field trip, you need to be at least 18 years old, provide a valid ID, be able to pick up and return the dog during shelter hours, and agree to keep the dog leashed whenever you are outside.
The METRO E Line is a planned bus rapid transit (BRT) line that will provide faster and more reliable transit service in the Route 6 corridor along University Avenue/4th Street, Hennepin Avenue, and France Avenue from the University of Minnesota to Southdale.
Station Construction
E Line construction will take place over the 2024 and 2025 construction seasons. Stations to be constructed beginning in June 2024:
Upton & 43rd Street (construction coordinated with City of Minneapolis sewer and water utility improvements at this intersection)
France & 44th Street*
France & 47th Street*
France & 50th Street*
France & 54th Street*
France & 58th Street
* Additional pedestrian safety improvements will be constructed at these intersections in coordination with Hennepin County.
Construction Staging and Timeline
Construction will occur at five intersections on France Avenue. Throughout construction, France Avenue will remain open to northbound traffic. Southbound traffic will be detoured to Xerxes Ave. Local access to northbound and southbound traffic on France Avenue will remain open between station intersections.
Pedestrian access to all properties will be maintained, and a minimum of three accessible pedestrian crossings will be maintained at each intersection.
Construction began on June 10 and is expected to last approximately fourteen weeks, concluding in September 2024.
Public Works is making steady progress on the 43rd and Upton sewer project. Despite all of the recent rain, they expect to finish on schedule, by Friday, June 28. Public Works has been coordinating with Metro Transit, and Metro Transit has been onsite to start preliminary work for the E Line Project.
One of the best parts of my job is getting to meet with my constituents, learn more about you and hear your questions, concerns, hopes and dreams for our shared community.
If you'd like to schedule a time to meet with me, send me an e-mailand my staff will help get it scheduled. Please let me know what you'd like to talk about and a convenient place to meet—a coffee shop, a park, your home, my office, etc. I try to reserve Fridays for constituent meetings, but can work them in other times, as necessary, too.
We've moved while work is being done in City Hall. Our office is in:
Room 100, Public Service Center 250 South 4th St. Get directions
For reasonable accommodations or alternative formats please contact 311. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 at 612-673-3000. TTY users call 612-263-6850. Para ayuda, llame al 311. Rau kev pab, hu 311. Hadii aad caawimaad u baahantahay, wac 311.
