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I’d like to share this message from Council Members Osman, Chavez, Chughtai and Chowdhury about one way to support immigrant communities amid the ongoing attacks by the federal government:
This holiday season, we ask you to take action. Shop at immigrant-owned businesses in Minneapolis: buy groceries, share a meal, purchase gifts, and spend time in our vibrant commercial corridors.
Your presence matters. Your support matters. We can help our immigrant neighbors and keep our communities strong during this difficult time.
With the increase in federal immigration enforcement actions in our community, we are seeing unspeakably traumatic and life-changing events; families are being torn apart, neighbors are being disappeared, and communities are being left to pick up the pieces.
Our office has been on the ground in our wards talking with residents and community members, working to connect impacted families with resources. One of the things we hear repeatedly is that our local businesses are facing a significant strain and chilling effect from the ongoing federal immigration enforcement operations. Our local immigrant-owned businesses are dealing with employees and coworkers in fear of being abducted, and their main clientele is so scared to leave their homes. Some local immigrant-owned businesses have seen upwards of an 80% decrease in customers.
Together, we can stand up for our immigrant neighbors, and with your support, we can show our local immigrant-owned businesses that we know they make our city great. The diversity of our commercial corridors is the fabric of who we are as a city; they make Minneapolis vibrant and welcoming. We are resilient and rich in culture, art, and shared community because of them.
As we approach this holiday season, time off from work and school, visits from family and friends, and just some time to relax, please join us in supporting our immigrant neighbors. You can do so by shopping at the many wonderful immigrant-owned businesses in Minneapolis. We have grocery stores, restaurants, gift shops, and more along these corridors that are a perfect place for us to spend time as we gather with loved ones and neighbors. This is one impactful way we can support each other during these hard times.
Signed by proud Immigrant and children of immigrant council members,
Aisha Chughtai – Minneapolis Council Vice-President
Jason Chavez – Minneapolis Ward 9 Council Member
Aurin Chowdhury – Minneapolis Ward 12 Council Member
Jamal Osman – Minneapolis Ward 6 Council Member
Summary: Mayor Frey successfully pushed Council to eliminate ongoing funding for a new program to provide housing and wraparound social services to unsheltered families. Instead, the funding will be used to subsidize MPD officers’ personal off-duty side gigs.
Background: Last week, the City Council unanimously approved a 2026 Budget that meaningfully addressed some of the most pressing equity and quality of life issues in our city.
The 2026 Budget was developed through a transparent, democratic process. Hundreds of working class people took the opportunity to organize around priorities, testify at City Hall, sign petitions, and contact Council offices. Council debated the budget and took votes in a transparent democratic process. On Tuesday, December 9th, the Council voted unanimously to adopt the 2026 budget.
Council scheduled an adjourned meeting for a week later, on Tuesday, December 16th, in anticipation of a potential mayoral veto of the 2026 Budget.
Mayor Frey had been clear from the outset that he did not support some of the most significant investments in the budget, specifically investments in Housing First responses to homelessness. In 2025, Council allocated $1.8 million for a Housing First partnership with Hennepin County and the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority that would provide permanent housing and wraparound social services for 50 families and 50 individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. Mayor Frey refused to implement this partnership, and in August proposed eliminating it from the 2026 Budget. Council rejected this proposal, and voted to restore funding for the program to be implemented in 2026.
Despite Council unanimously adopting a budget that funded Housing First, Mayor Frey continued his efforts to gut the program. Unfortunately, the Mayor was successful at flipping enough Council Members to eliminate the ongoing funding to provide permanent housing for unsheltered residents. Council Vice President Chughtai brought forward amendments to the 2026 Budget on behalf of Mayor Frey.
The original budget item adopted by Council included ongoing funding of $1.4 million/year. This amount had been determined in partnership with the County and Public Housing Authority as enough to provide 100 housing vouchers– 50 for individuals and 50 for families. The Frey/Chughtai amendment lowered the amount to $1 million for one year with a statement that the mayor will “try” to implement it and fund it for three years. As a matter of policy, the City Budget Office has always maintained that one-time funding for programs is fiscally irresponsible and creates uncertainty of implementation and long-term viability. Giving unsheltered families housing without ongoing funding will create yet another multimillion-dollar fiscal cliff in the City’s budget. It could also result in hundreds of people being put onto the street sometime between 2027 and 2029.
Instead of supporting housing for unsheltered families in a financially sustainable way, the Frey/Chughtai amendment shifted the funds to continue providing $1 million/year to subsidize MPD officers’ off-duty side gigs. These are jobs that MPD officers work for personal profit, subsidized by taxpayer resources. According to MPD’s own data, taxpayers contributed about $1.4 million towards off-duty side gig subsidies in 2024. Over the last two years, I led Council to pass legislation that would allow us to end the taxpayer subsidy of off-duty starting in 2026. Ending the subsidy would free up over a million dollars in the MPD budget, which could be used for Emergency Housing Vouchers with a net zero budget impact to MPD. Instead, thanks to the Frey/Chughtai amendment, taxpayers are likely to continue to give over $1 million in subsidies directly to MPD officers’ side gigs, many of whom make six figures.
The funding increase for MPD is particularly egregious given that MPD recently reported they went about $20 million over budget this year. They will face essentially no consequences for this fiscal mismanagement, and to the contrary were essentially rewarded with a $1.4 million bonus towards MPD side gigs. MPD’s catastrophic financial mismanagement is a major factor in high property taxes. The Mayor’s continued resistance to commonsense financial regulation will lead to significant property tax increases in the coming years.
I am deeply disappointed that despite this awareness the majority of my colleagues moved to support the Frey/Chughtai agreement. The amendments were presented to Council as a “deal,” but they lead to bad outcomes for ordinary people. These actions are a significant setback to reducing homelessness, commonsense reforms within MPD, and balancing the City budget. They harm working class people, especially unsheltered people, neighbors and small businesses impacted by encampments, and anyone who pays property taxes.
I believe that most Minneapolis residents want to see homelessness reduced, and see property taxes go down. The Mayor’s deal with Council Members to amend the budget this week were major setbacks to these goals.
It will take significant organizing from residents to ensure that future budgets correct for these setbacks and hold every single elected official accountable for investing in programs and priorities that serve working class residents. I remain committed to working closely with all residents around this shared vision in 2026 and beyond.
Key votes: Council voted 9-3 to reconsider the 2026 Budget and consider the Frey/Chughtai amendments to eliminate funding for Housing First and continue subsidizing MPD officer’s personal side gigs. Council Members Osman, Koski and I were the votes of opposition and Council Member Vetaw was absent. Council then voted 11-0 to adopt the Frey/Chughtai amendments. Council Member Vetaw and I were absent.
Summary: Mayor Frey vetoed an ordinance that would set standards on how the City responds to encampments.
Background: Last week, Council approved the Humane Encampment Response Ordinance. The policy standardizes things like when bathrooms and handwashing stations need to be provided, timelines for notice of eviction, and requirements for the City to provide storage. In the past, the City has administered services without any standardization, evicting some encampments immediately and letting others stay for over 100 days. The Humane Encampment Response Ordinance would help encampment residents, housed neighbors near encampments, and service providers have a more predictable understanding of what to expect from the City.
This week, Mayor Frey vetoed the ordinance. There are no more council meetings scheduled for this year. The incoming Council will hold a vote on whether or not to override the veto early next year.
I have heard concerns from residents about why this ordinance was voted on so close to the end of the year, and why a meeting was not scheduled for veto override given the Mayor’s extensive history of opposition to any regulation of encampment response. I hear and share these concerns. Looking to the future, I encourage residents to ensure that the incoming 2026 Council hears loud and clear about the benefits of this ordinance prior to the veto override vote.
Key votes: On December 11th, Council voted 8-5 for the Humane Encampment Response Ordinance. Mayor Frey vetoed the ordinance. Council will consider the veto override at the beginning of the 2026 term.
Below are the most recent streetlight repair updates from the Public Works Department for November 24 – Dec 11:
New Theft
- More on St. Anthony Parkway
- Kenwood Neighborhood
Completed
- Hiawatha bike trail
- Samatar crossing bike trail
In Progress
- Repairs in Kenwood
- Repairs in St. Anthony Parkway
Additional Info
- Public Works designed a flyer for targeted areas adjacent to recent theft where new theft may occur. Some distribution along St. Anthony and Stinson Parkway has started.
- Park Police has been focusing overnight shifts in areas where we anticipate future theft.
- January repair date provided by Xcel for Bde Maka Ska (Xcel waiting on specific parts).
- Our work will slow down significantly as we get deeper into winter.
Contact Ward 2
Visit: minneapolismn.gov/ward2
Email: ward2@minneapolismn.gov
Phone: 612-673-2202
City Hall
350 S. Fifth St., Room 370
Minneapolis, MN 55415
For reasonable accommodations or alternative format 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. |
