[0:38] Good morning. My name is Aisha Chuktai [0:40] and I'm the chair of the budget [0:42] committee. I'm going to call to order [0:44] our budget committee meeting for Monday, [0:47] September 22nd, 2025. [0:49] Before we begin the meeting, I want to [0:51] offer a friendly reminder to all [0:53] members, staff, and the public that [0:55] these meetings are broadcast live to [0:57] enable greater public participation. [1:00] These broadcasts include real-time [1:01] captioning as a further method to [1:03] increase the accessibility of our [1:05] proceedings to the community. Therefore, [1:08] all speakers need to be mindful of the [1:10] rate of their speech so that our [1:11] captioners can fully capture and [1:13] transcribe all comments for the [1:15] broadcast. We ask all speakers to [1:17] moderate the speed and clarity of their [1:20] comments. At this time, I will ask the [1:22] clerk to call the role so we can verify [1:24] the presence of a quorum. [1:26] >> Council member Payne, [1:28] >> present. [1:29] >> Winsley is absent. Rainville [1:32] >> present. [1:33] >> Vita [1:34] >> present. [1:35] >> Ellison is absent. Osman is absent. [1:40] Cashman [1:41] >> present. [1:43] Jenkins is absent. [1:45] Chavez [1:47] >> present. [1:48] >> Chowry [1:48] >> present. Promisano [1:50] >> present. Vice chair Kausski [1:52] >> present. [1:54] >> Chair Chuckai [1:55] >> present. Nine members are present. Let [1:58] the record reflect that we have a [2:00] quorum. I will also remind my colleagues [2:02] that we are using speaker management [2:03] today. So please make sure to sign in. [2:08] Today we have one item on our agenda [2:10] which is receiving three presentations [2:12] related to the mayor's recommended 2026 [2:15] budget. Today we will welcome our [2:17] intergovernmental relations, our [2:20] convention center and office of [2:22] community safety departments. We will [2:24] first begin with the intergovernmental [2:27] relations department. And for that I [2:29] will invite the director Katie Topinka [2:32] to begin the first presentation. [2:34] Welcome Director Topinka. Uh thank you [2:37] Chair Chuckai and council members. Uh [2:39] I'm Katie Topinka. I'm the director of [2:41] the intergovernmental relations [2:42] department here at the city and I'm [2:44] pleased to be here today to represent uh [2:46] or I mean excuse me to present the [2:48] mayor's 2026 recommended budget for our [2:50] department. [2:53] Uh intergovernmental relations [2:54] department sits within the office of [2:56] public service and we are in the [2:59] communications and engagement services [3:01] uh line of business. Uh, so we report up [3:04] to Deputy City Operations Officer Laura [3:06] Melum, and we sit um in a in a line with [3:09] 311, communications, uh, neighborhood [3:12] and community relations, and the [3:13] convention center. [3:18] Uh, this is our organizational [3:20] structure. We are a small department. [3:22] I'm not sure if we still hold the title [3:24] of smallest department, but um, [3:26] certainly one of the smallest. Um, so we [3:29] have the director and then we have five [3:31] staff under the director, two senior [3:34] government relations representatives, a [3:36] government relations representative, a [3:38] government relations coordinator for [3:40] sustainability. This is a position that [3:42] was previously in the health department. [3:44] Last year you all approved transferring [3:47] that position to IGR. Um, so we're happy [3:49] to have someone on board there and they [3:51] are monitoring closely the public [3:53] utilities commission and then helping [3:55] support uh other government relations [3:58] work with a particular focus on regional [4:00] government relations. So supporting [4:02] tracking work being done at the Met [4:04] Council and other uh government [4:06] partners. Um, and then we also have an [4:08] administrative assistant who supports [4:09] the needs of the department. Um and the [4:12] way we break this down is that one of [4:14] our senior government relations [4:15] representatives is focused on federal [4:18] issues and regional issues. Uh and then [4:21] the senior government relations [4:22] representative and government relations [4:24] representative are focused on state [4:26] issues primarily but then also [4:28] supporting uh federal and regional [4:30] issues for uh their issue portfolios. [4:36] Um, this slide includes the mission and [4:39] some of the priority objectives for our [4:41] department. This mission statement is [4:44] new. Um, we just had a team workshop a [4:46] couple of weeks ago and and came up with [4:49] this mission statement together. So, [4:50] this is the first time we're kind of [4:52] sharing it publicly, but it's uh that we [4:54] partner across governments and [4:55] organizations on behalf of Minneapolis [4:57] residents and the city enterprise to [4:59] advance their needs, strengthen [5:01] collaboration, and create lasting [5:02] improvements in quality of life. Um, so [5:05] we hope this reflects uh, you know, the [5:06] work that we do, which is representing [5:08] the city, which includes all the city [5:10] departments, the council, the mayor, um, [5:12] and also the people who live and work in [5:15] Minneapolis um, and and representing [5:17] those interests and needs at other [5:18] levels of government. [5:20] The way we do that work is we develop [5:23] and advocate for the city's policy [5:25] agenda. Um by doing work that is [5:27] responsive and timely. Um we ensure that [5:29] city leadership and staff are informed [5:32] and knowledgeable about what's going on [5:34] at both the state and federal levels. Um [5:37] I'll talk a little bit more about some [5:38] of the ways we do that. Um and then we [5:40] also engage federal lobbyists um to [5:43] support the city's policy agenda with [5:44] federal stakeholders and of course have [5:46] um work on our team um where we focus on [5:50] federal issues. Um we are trying to [5:52] explore new ways to to do that work [5:54] including strengthening relationships [5:56] with the National League of Cities and [5:57] other cities um to make sure we're [6:00] really able to um uh advocate for our [6:03] needs at the federal level. [6:08] um looking at achievements and risks for [6:10] our department. Um you know, I think it [6:13] goes without saying that we're in a [6:15] difficult uh political environment. Um [6:18] and so one of the things I am proud of [6:20] though is our ability to continue to [6:22] advance city priorities even in a more [6:25] difficult political environment than [6:26] we'd had the previous couple of years. [6:28] Um, some of the ways we did were able to [6:30] do that at the state was by working with [6:33] other cities and our city organizations [6:35] like the League of Minnesota Cities to [6:37] preserve local government aid and push [6:39] back against proposed cuts to it. Um, we [6:42] were able to work with all of you and [6:44] the Office of Community Safety and the [6:45] Minneapolis delegation to push back [6:47] against a bill that would have um taken [6:50] away city authority to have a separation [6:51] ordinance. um we were able to work with [6:54] stakeholders to protect a lot of really [6:56] good sustainability policies that had [6:58] been passed in the previous bienium. So [7:01] some of those examples include um there [7:03] was no sunsetting of the community solar [7:05] garden program which was proposed. There [7:08] was no decrease to score funds um and [7:11] there were no changes to the extended [7:13] producer responsibility law that was [7:14] enacted in 2024. Those were all [7:17] important city priorities we had worked [7:19] on. There was some risk uh to those [7:21] programs. this past session and we were [7:23] able to work with others to help push [7:24] back against those changes. We were also [7:27] able to secure some transportation [7:29] funding including uh the last bit of [7:31] funding we needed for the Nicollet [7:32] Avenue Bridge and money for traffic [7:35] calming for cities of the first class. [7:38] On the federal side, um you know, one of [7:41] our achievements this year is really [7:42] just pivoting our work where it's most [7:44] needed. Um, and so, uh, our senior [7:48] government relations representative, [7:49] Lauren Olsen, has really been doing a [7:52] lot of work on the federal side. Um, [7:54] continuing work she was already doing to [7:56] gather information from city departments [7:58] for earmark requests. Um, but then also [8:01] working very closely with the city [8:03] attorney's office, and you're getting an [8:04] update uh later today on city attorney's [8:06] office federal work as well. um but [8:08] working with them on grants tracking and [8:10] making sure we're letting our [8:11] congressional delegation know um where [8:14] we may be having issues with with [8:16] certain grants. Um we've also set up a [8:19] federal funds working group which is [8:20] made up of city departments. Um we meet [8:23] uh monthly to just to talk about uh [8:26] issues around federal grants that we may [8:27] be experiencing and and sharing [8:29] information that way. [8:32] Uh, I already mentioned we have a new [8:34] staff person in IGR this year that was [8:36] transferred from health and it's already [8:38] hit the ground running helping us [8:40] monitor the PUC and um, uh, submitted [8:43] comments and and working with [8:45] stakeholders around sustainability [8:46] issues. [8:48] Um, I think our biggest risk um is is [8:52] really just the current political [8:53] environment, particularly at the federal [8:55] issue, but just also a lot of the [8:56] challenges we've experienced here in [8:58] Minnesota over this past year. Um, I [9:01] mean, it's it's a threat to the work we [9:03] do, um, and being able to help advance [9:06] city priorities, but it's also, you [9:08] know, I just, uh, I do worry about, um, [9:11] our team and just their well-being, um, [9:14] and the stress and burnout that comes [9:16] from working in a difficult environment [9:17] like this. Um, you know, we are we are a [9:21] close-knit team and we do a lot to [9:23] support each other. I mentioned we had a [9:25] team workshop a couple of weeks ago, um, [9:28] which was really nice. We spent a day [9:30] off site, worked together, talked about [9:31] things, you know, that are really within [9:33] our control and how do we work together [9:35] to to focus on those. Um, and I think [9:38] that helps um mitigate that risk, but it [9:41] is something that, you know, we need to [9:43] be closely monitoring. [9:49] Uh, this slide includes um our the [9:52] things we are trying to measure um in [9:55] partnership with um PMI. Um, some of [9:58] those things are that the city's needs [9:59] are understood and advanced at the state [10:01] and federal levels, that we maintain [10:03] effective relationships with uh [10:05] legislators and the state government, [10:07] and that we maintain partnerships with [10:09] regional bodies, and that the city [10:11] enterprise is supported by the advice uh [10:14] of the department, and that the city [10:16] enterprise is able to engage in setting [10:18] city's policy priorities. [10:20] um our work can be a little bit harder [10:23] to measure in terms of you know we don't [10:25] have like a something we're building or [10:28] you know always have definitive ends to [10:30] our projects in the same way other [10:32] departments might. So we've been working [10:34] with PMI to identify ways to measure [10:36] this work. Um one of the main things [10:38] we're doing is setting up some survey [10:40] tools so we can compare year-over-year [10:42] the feedback we're getting from both [10:44] departments and then some of our [10:46] stakeholder partners. So, we're farther [10:48] along in some of those areas than [10:50] others. Um, the the place where we're [10:52] farthest along is this last bullet where [10:55] we're looking at um making sure the city [10:57] enterprise is supported by the advice [10:59] and support of the department and [11:00] engaged in establishing our priorities. [11:02] Uh, last year um Indiraia Felano who [11:05] leads our policy leazison on team [11:07] process worked with PMI to set up a [11:08] survey for the policy leaison team to [11:11] give us feedback for how they felt about [11:13] being able to participate in the [11:14] process. We'll be doing that again this [11:16] year. So then we'll get that baseline [11:17] year-over-year data and we can keep [11:19] comparing that. And we're working to do [11:20] similar things in other areas by um [11:23] doing some surveys with the delegation [11:25] and department heads and and others. So [11:28] we do have a um a impact story though [11:32] that PMI published earlier this year and [11:34] that QR code on the slide will take you [11:36] to that as well. [11:40] Um so this slide includes our department [11:43] level budget. Um the budget is [11:47] decreasing by the proposed budget is a [11:50] 2.81% decrease from last year. Um most [11:54] of this decrease is a reflection of uh [11:57] the removal of an IRA IIGA budget item. [12:00] This was something that the uh you had [12:02] all approved in both 2024 and 2025. Uh [12:06] $50,000 each of those years. They were [12:09] one-time proposals. Um we did not seek [12:11] that funding again this year because um [12:14] that work is ongoing but IRA, the [12:18] inflation reduction act and the tax [12:20] credits that came along with that at the [12:21] federal level are winding down. Um we [12:25] have been able to secure some direct pay [12:27] for things like electric vehicle [12:29] infrastructure [12:30] uh and our electric vehicle fleet um [12:34] through the IRA tax credits. So that's [12:36] been uh really good for the city and we [12:38] have some things that are still in [12:39] process but um it's not something that [12:43] um is really needed moving forward. Um [12:46] the other change here is that um [12:49] personnel and internal services charges [12:51] are increasing slightly. Um but you will [12:54] see and I'll talk more about this on a [12:55] later slide that there uh is a proposal [12:58] to reduce um the legislative aid [13:01] position um which would offset those [13:03] increases. [13:05] Um and then other changes across the [13:07] cost categories are really the result of [13:10] base budget realignment um that IGR [13:13] worked on with the budget office uh to [13:15] reflect some of the increases in [13:17] membership costs we're seeing for things [13:19] like the League of Minnesota Cities and [13:21] National League of Cities. um those [13:23] those membership dues come out of the [13:25] IGR budget and have increased slightly. [13:27] So we moved some funds from contractual [13:29] services to operating costs to reflect [13:31] that. [13:36] And then here is our FTE summary. Um as [13:40] I just mentioned um there is a proposal [13:43] to reduce uh the FTEEs from 6.35 to six. [13:48] So that's a reduction of the seasonal [13:49] legislative aid position. We don't have [13:51] any vacancies currently. The seasonal [13:53] legislative aid position is only filled [13:55] during session. So there's no one in [13:57] that position right now that will would [13:59] be that we'd have to um lay off or [14:02] anything as a result of this reduction. [14:03] We just would not fill that position [14:05] moving forward. [14:07] Um so uh the six uh FTEEs reflect what I [14:12] talked about earlier in the [14:13] organizational structure slide and I'll [14:15] talk a bit more about the seasonal [14:17] legislative aid reduction on a later [14:19] slide. [14:24] Um so IGR's program program is really [14:28] the work of our department. Uh it's [14:30] advocating at the regional, state, and [14:32] federal levels um for the city's policy [14:35] agendas and making sure that the work we [14:37] do as quality and responsive and timely [14:41] um and then ensuring that city [14:42] leadership and staff are informed about [14:44] policy updates. We also oversee the work [14:47] of the city, state, and federal [14:48] contracted lobbyists. So, some of the [14:51] ways we do that are we collaborate to [14:53] develop the city's policy agenda. Um, we [14:56] offer regular updates for council [14:58] leadership and the mayor and staff [15:00] during session. Uh, we have a policy [15:02] newsletter and then we provide policy [15:05] updates to departments across the year. [15:12] Um, and then as I've mentioned, the [15:14] mayor's 2026 recommended budget includes [15:16] the reduction of the seasonal [15:18] legislative aid position. Um, this [15:21] reduction absorbs the costs of internal [15:24] service charge increases. Um and while [15:27] we really value the work of the seasonal [15:30] legislative aid and um you know it's [15:32] been great to have that position um we [15:35] recognize that uh in the environment [15:37] we're in there we have to find ways to [15:40] um absorb cost increases and um we do [15:44] have other ways that we can manage the [15:46] work that has been done by the seasonal [15:48] legislative aid including relying on our [15:50] contract lobbyists to track committees [15:52] during session and give us notes. Um, [15:55] and then, um, we have a regular [15:57] newsletter we put out during session and [16:00] we can transfer some of that work to our [16:02] government relations representatives and [16:03] our administrative staff to help make [16:05] sure that continues to get out on a [16:07] regular basis. We may have to reduce the [16:09] frequency with which it goes out. The [16:12] seasonal legislative aid worked to get [16:13] it out weekly during session. Might be [16:15] something that becomes bi-weekly or [16:17] monthly um, as a result of the [16:19] reduction. [16:23] Um so with that that concludes my [16:25] presentation. I just want to conclude by [16:26] saying we're I'm really grateful for the [16:30] intergovernmental relations team. Um I [16:32] think even in this difficult environment [16:34] we continue to find ways to innovate, [16:37] build strong relationships and just work [16:39] through really challenging situations. [16:41] And I think we we represent the city [16:43] well to other levels of government. Um [16:46] and I'm just grateful for the commitment [16:48] that the team continues to show to the [16:49] city of Minneapolis. So thank you. [16:52] Wonderful. Thank you for that [16:54] presentation, Director Topinka. Um first [16:58] I will note that uh we have been joined [17:01] in this committee meeting by council [17:03] member Wanssley. Um and with that, [17:08] colleagues, are there any questions or [17:11] discussion items um related to the [17:14] intergovernmental relations [17:17] um [17:18] uh presentation? I see council member [17:21] Wley. [17:22] >> Thank you, Chair Chuck. I also I did [17:24] have a comment, but wanted to note for [17:26] the clerks that there is not the speaker [17:28] management set for us to get in Q [17:32] at least and I've tried refreshing [17:33] minds. Okay, it's I I see that it's [17:36] working for me and vice chair Ksky, but [17:40] um it looks like we have Okay, [17:42] wonderful. Excellent. [17:43] >> Um thank you, Director Topinga. [17:47] Specifically, I'm going to slide six and [17:49] again this is just a comment or some [17:51] more feedback. So, the city's needs are [17:54] understood in advance at the state and [17:56] federal level. I think this is is [17:59] actually an area where we could use a [18:01] lot of room for improvement regarding [18:02] the specificity of our needs as it [18:05] relates to um how we're um communicating [18:09] that to our state government partners um [18:12] especially through our individual IGR [18:14] process and how that also even relates [18:16] to the executive process. I say that [18:18] because something that I've seen as a [18:20] pattern for the past uh last few [18:23] sessions is um [18:26] actually confusion around what are the [18:29] priorities from a united sense of of [18:33] council [18:34] mayor basically overall city and I think [18:37] of an example for instance many of us [18:40] wanted to see uh funding be devoted to [18:43] um homeless related service providers [18:46] this past uh session [18:48] because we all got the SOS around those [18:51] service providers approaching a [18:53] financial cliff. Um yet when we would go [18:56] or staff would go to approach there was [18:58] not specific [19:00] specificity around programs that were [19:02] looking to advocate for figure amounts. [19:05] um even the data was not cohesive in [19:08] terms of the city reporting at one point [19:10] that we only have 27 folks um unhoused [19:13] on the streets whereas Henipin County is [19:16] using their data that they report to our [19:18] federal partners saying there's over 300 [19:21] 400 um so for us to not be on the same [19:24] page around even the number of uh [19:26] unhoused residents on the streets the [19:29] significance of needing services like [19:31] Avivo um to AGOT and being able to come [19:34] in as the United Front behind those [19:36] service providers so that we could have [19:38] secured that funding and now we're in [19:40] the space where it's going to be unclear [19:42] how are we providing supports needed to [19:45] get people housed and to stay off the [19:46] streets. I think there is a disconnect [19:48] in regards to how that priority even got [19:51] commun communicated or advocated for um [19:55] this past legislative session. Um and [19:58] again I often see we have to go up there [20:01] individually and lobby for our own um [20:05] projects uh that we don't see the [20:07] executive administration staff do even [20:10] though it's adopted by this body through [20:12] our IGR report. So I think there is [20:14] again just how do we get on the same [20:17] page around what are those core city [20:19] priorities? How do we then leverage our [20:22] relationships? Um so that partners at [20:26] the capital have a clear sense of what [20:28] are the city priorities? There's detail [20:30] around it. Um and we're aligned with [20:33] even other partners at the table because [20:35] I often hear am's body that they're [20:37] saying, you know, we need to have state [20:38] and county folks. They are coming to the [20:40] table. Sometimes we're not just on the [20:44] same page for some reason on the city [20:45] sides with those partners. So, I would [20:48] love to see more clarity of how we do [20:51] our pri like adoption process of um of [20:57] specific IGR amendments that we then say [21:01] is the city's priorities and then how do [21:03] we hone in on that for a legislative [21:05] session and how do we show up more as a [21:08] united front with our other key [21:09] partners. [21:16] Uh, excellent. Um, we've got two [21:19] additional members in queue right now. [21:21] Um, so I'll first recognize council [21:23] member Palmisano. [21:25] Thank you, Director Topinka. Just a [21:28] couple quick comments. Um, last year I [21:30] had joked that it was a tight race [21:32] between you and arts and REI for who is [21:34] the smallest department. And even with [21:36] these slight reduction in personnel and [21:40] cuts, you're still not quite the [21:41] smallest. Um, but even though your team [21:45] is small, I think it's fair to say [21:47] everybody up here sees you as being [21:49] mighty. Um, and you might just have one [21:52] of the difficult one of one of the most [21:55] difficult jobs in the city right now. [21:58] Um, I really appreciate that we all face [22:02] an uncertain future on the federal and [22:04] state levels and you and your team do it [22:06] with optimism and with grace and we [22:09] really appreciate that. I'm sure there [22:11] are a lot of days that you um go home [22:14] feeling defeated and I saw that you [22:16] noted staff stress as one of the risks [22:18] of your department, but we all know how [22:21] hard you work to represent the city of [22:22] Minneapolis and we thank you. [22:26] >> Wonderful. Thank you. Um, and then next [22:29] I'll recognize Council Member Chowry. [22:31] >> Thank you so much, Chair Chugai, and [22:33] thank you, Director Topinka, for your [22:34] presentation. Um, I share similar [22:37] sentiments as Council Member Palmasano. [22:40] Uh it's been really uh a privilege and a [22:44] joy to get to be the chair of IGR and to [22:48] have a closer relationship to the IGR [22:51] team and see you in action at the [22:54] capital um through some very uh tough [22:57] legislative mo moments and for me I've [23:00] seen two legislative sessions as the [23:03] chair of IGR and they both have been um [23:07] very very unique in their own way and [23:09] difficult in their own way. And even [23:11] through the difficulty, there have been [23:14] objective wins that your team's been [23:16] able to deliver. Um, and I know that [23:18] this legislative session isn't going to [23:21] be any easier. Right. There's a lot of [23:23] grief at the state capital and also we [23:27] are kind of waiting to see if there's [23:30] going to be a special session that is [23:32] going to bring your team into action [23:34] earlier um than anticipated. And so I [23:38] just wanted to say thank you for that [23:40] and I look forward um to working with [23:44] you um into this next legislative [23:46] session and the rest of your team to [23:48] figure out how we can kind of it just [23:50] seems like we're artfully figuring out [23:52] how we can um find opportunities for the [23:56] city of Minneapolis and our community [23:57] and artfully figure out how do we stand [24:00] tall on our values and communicate that [24:03] um even as we're taking on the headwinds [24:06] from the national level coming into [24:07] state. A question that I did have and [24:10] maybe it's for you and maybe it's also [24:12] for um DCCO Melum is one of the risks [24:16] that you mentioned or the risk that you [24:18] mentioned was staff stress and burnout [24:20] and I think in this moment especially [24:23] since you are so frontline to the [24:25] political work um at the state capital [24:29] it's there's a lot of trauma to hold and [24:32] experience and that trauma is often [24:33] times very difficult to metabolize like [24:37] these last 3 4 months have been a great [24:40] example of that. Um I kind of wanted to [24:42] get a better understanding of what type [24:44] of supports are there for your team, [24:48] yourself and even other city staff um [24:51] that have to experience this um to [24:54] ensure that yeah people aren't burning [24:56] out and they have an opportunity to [24:59] go through this and as it is a part of [25:02] the work at this present moment. Hi. [25:05] >> Uh, thank you, Council Member or Chair [25:07] Chuckai, Council Member Chowry. I'll [25:09] just say something briefly on internet [25:11] over DCM. I'm um I think you've, you [25:14] know, hit it on the head of of kind of [25:16] how hard this past few months have been. [25:18] Um, you know, I think one of the things [25:20] that helps is that um, you know, we try [25:23] to support one another and and talk [25:26] through things together. We have a very [25:27] open and collaborative team. Um, and I [25:30] think everyone's pretty comfortable [25:31] sharing uh sharing issues and concerns [25:34] with each other. Um, you know, we also [25:36] have a lot of uh people we work closely [25:39] with who also work at the capital and so [25:41] I think everyone has sort of their [25:42] different um uh sources of of support in [25:46] that way. Um, but certainly there are [25:49] also resources that the city has [25:51] available and so maybe I'll turn it over [25:52] to DCO Melum to talk a little bit more [25:54] about that. But um you know I think I [25:57] think we do try to you know continuously [25:59] check in on one another, make sure we're [26:01] all doing okay. And um I try to [26:04] encourage people to take time off and be [26:07] off and not look at their emails and [26:09] their texts and just and take that time [26:11] to to kind of um uh restore, you know, [26:16] do what they need to do to to have a [26:18] break. So I'll turn over to DC. [26:20] >> Thank you. [26:23] Good morning, Chair Chuktai, Council [26:25] Member Chattery, members of the [26:26] committee. I'm Laura Melum. I'm the [26:27] deputy city operations officer over [26:29] communications and engagement. Um, I [26:31] really appreciate the recognition um for [26:33] the impact that that some of the events [26:36] over the last several months have had on [26:38] our staff, particularly the IGR staff. [26:40] And I just wanted to note too that um [26:43] you know through a lot of the planning [26:45] that we've done related to the national [26:47] incident management system IGR now does [26:50] have a seat in the joint information [26:51] center. So not only are they [26:53] experiencing this with colleagues that [26:55] they've worked with at the state level [26:56] but they're also have a role in um in [26:59] communicating with stakeholders at all [27:01] levels of government for um many of the [27:04] emergency events that have happened. Um [27:06] I I would just note, you know, we are [27:08] trying to ensure that our employees [27:09] across the board and especially those [27:11] who have had to um really play a major [27:13] role in these response efforts um are [27:16] aware of the resources that are [27:18] available to them through the employee [27:19] assistance center. Um that information [27:21] is all on City Talk for anyone who might [27:23] be watching. There are um a number of [27:25] mental health resources that are [27:27] available to employees through um [27:29] through the employee assistance program. [27:34] >> Thank you. Thank you so much. I really [27:35] appreciate it. [27:36] >> That's it for me. [27:38] >> Wonderful. Thank you. And then I'll [27:39] recognize council member Kashman. [27:41] >> Thank you, Chair Chugai. Thank you, [27:42] Director Chapinka. Yeah, appreciate all [27:45] of your work and the strong [27:46] communication with council on our [27:49] priorities. Um, I just wanted to make a [27:51] note or something to suggest to our IGR [27:54] chair and vice chair as well as you as [27:56] we head into this year is I think that [27:59] with this new position moving into IGR [28:02] with a focus on regional work, I would [28:05] really like to um emphasize some of our [28:09] priorities to the Met Council as a body [28:11] that does have a lot of power over the [28:13] region and just some of what I think [28:16] should be our priorities are [28:17] strengthening the urban growth boundary [28:19] in in the region. Um advancing, you [28:22] know, fair housing proposals so that all [28:24] the suburbs and all everyone in the [28:26] region is building as much affordable [28:28] housing as we are. Um and then also on [28:31] the transportation side, you know, [28:32] making sure we're not expanding the [28:34] highway network anymore so that we can [28:36] actually reach our transportation goals. [28:39] And so I think u the Met Council does [28:41] have a lot of power and that we need to [28:43] be in closer dialogue with them. So, [28:46] I'll be bringing some of that to our IGR [28:49] um this fall and hoping that we can find [28:50] some ways to strengthen that [28:52] coordination and communication with them [28:54] as a as a decision-m body. Thank you. [28:59] Thank you. I'm not seeing anyone else um [29:02] in Q. So, with that, I will um ask the [29:07] clerk to file that presentation. Thank [29:09] you again, Director Topena. Um, our next [29:12] presentation is regarding the convention [29:14] center and downtown assets. For this, I [29:18] will now invite uh Jeff Johnson, the [29:20] convention center director to begin that [29:23] presentation. [29:30] Thank you. [29:35] Thank you, Chair Chugai, uh, and Vice [29:38] Chair Kski and council members. Good [29:40] morning. My name is Jeff Johnson. I'm [29:42] the general manager of the Minneapolis [29:43] Convention Center. And today I'm here to [29:45] present the mayor's recommended budget [29:48] for the downtown assets fund. I also [29:50] want to take some time to introduce uh [29:52] some of our partners that are in the [29:54] room. From Meet Minneapolis, uh we have [29:56] President and CEO uh Melvin Tennet, [29:59] senior vice uh president of Destination [30:02] Development and Public Affairs Abby [30:04] Posski, and Senior Vice President [30:06] Finance Administration Sandy [30:08] Christensen. We also have some members [30:11] from uh Minnesota sports and events uh [30:13] chief operating officer John Clinkenberg [30:16] and then Tyler Boyi who is the executive [30:18] director of the local organizing [30:19] committee for the 2026 WWE SummerSlam [30:22] event. We appreciate their support uh in [30:26] what we do every single day. [30:29] So our department resides in the office [30:31] of public services in the communications [30:33] and event engagement work group under [30:35] the supervision of deputy city [30:36] operations officer Laura Melum. [30:39] We oversee programs for the convention [30:41] center, the target center, PV Plaza and [30:44] we fund the Kohl's center program for [30:46] the department of arts and culture. [30:49] This slide highlights the purpose of the [30:51] downtown assets fund and its role and [30:53] the role it plays to delineate the use [30:56] of the local option sales taxes, provide [30:59] predictable support to the general fund [31:01] and to support our hospitality assets. [31:05] It is important to understand where the [31:07] majority of the downtown assets funding [31:09] comes from. In 1986, the state [31:11] authorized the city to collect local [31:14] option sales taxes to support [31:15] hospitality in Minneapolis. The taxes [31:18] are a.5% sales tax, 3% tax ono hotel [31:22] lodging, 3% tax on restaurants, 3% tax [31:26] on liquor sales, and a 3% tax on live [31:29] event tickets. These taxes bring in [31:32] about hund00 million a year with about [31:35] 20 million of that going to the city's [31:37] debt payment on US Bank Stadium and the [31:40] rest supporting the general fund, [31:42] convention center, meet Minneapolis, [31:45] Target Center, PV Plaza, and the Coal [31:48] Center. The taxes have rebounded from [31:51] the devastating economic effects of the [31:53] pandemic, but they haven't come back [31:56] equally. The power of the live event is [31:59] driving our entertainment tax to be very [32:01] strong and that trend is continuing into [32:04] 2025. [32:06] Unfortunately though, a downward trend [32:08] in spending is showing up in our other [32:09] taxes and will be a theme of my [32:12] discussion about 2025 performance. [32:16] Let's jump into talking about the [32:18] convention center. Our mission is [32:20] something that we live every day. To be [32:23] the best is not just a slogan, but a [32:25] challenge to make sure that we continue [32:27] to provide economic benefits to the [32:29] residents of Minneapolis through jobs, [32:32] generating taxes, and providing [32:34] customers for our local businesses. We [32:37] do this in a sustainable way with a [32:39] service mentality. [32:42] These graphs speak to who we are. We are [32:45] the face of Minneapolis and maybe even [32:48] the smiling face of Minneapolis. [32:51] We continue to have a majority of our [32:53] staff showcase the diversity of our [32:55] city. We are making strides in [32:57] increasing opportunities for leadership [32:59] positions with our bipok and female [33:00] employees as well as improving our [33:03] female representation in all parts of [33:05] our organization. [33:07] When you say that you want to be the [33:09] best, sometimes it's hard to know when [33:11] you've achieved that level of success. [33:14] For us, being the best means that each [33:17] day we come to work dedicated to give [33:19] our best efforts to be great co-workers, [33:22] customer focused, and communitydriven. [33:25] When you do this consistently, people [33:27] notice. I'm proud to let you know that [33:30] the staff and programs of the [33:31] Minneapolis Convention Center have been [33:34] recognized by our peers at the [33:36] International Association of Venue [33:38] Managers as a venue of excellence. This [33:41] is our third time that we have re [33:43] received this award and it speaks to our [33:46] consistent quality work over many years. [33:49] For us, this is kind of like winning the [33:51] Oscars or a Grammy or maybe even a Super [33:53] Bowl championship. And really, the best [33:56] part of this award is that it recognizes [33:58] the accomplishments [34:00] of our employees and sets the bar for [34:02] how we show up to work each and every [34:05] day. [34:06] As highlights of some of our work, our [34:08] sustainability programs continue to have [34:10] real and positive impacts on our [34:12] community. We save natural and financial [34:15] assets by focusing using our resources [34:19] responsibly to the tune of over $7.7 [34:22] million in savings since we started our [34:25] programs. We've also reduced our [34:27] greenhouse gas emissions by 85%. [34:31] Building a great staff also takes [34:33] effort. Our staff is dedicated to each [34:35] other because we have programs in place [34:38] that let them grow. We now have several [34:41] programs that allow employees to gain [34:42] skills at assistant or lower grade [34:45] positions and then have a pathway to a [34:47] higher grade and higher paying position. [34:50] We hire people who have the hospitality [34:52] skills that we desire and then we give [34:54] them the opportunities to build those [34:56] skills to have a great career. [35:00] Everything that we do is with a purpose [35:02] and in order to represent our city well. [35:05] I could tell you stories all day, but I [35:06] thought it would be nice to hear from a [35:08] customer who took time to post on social [35:10] media how she experienced the convention [35:12] center. The post talked about how we use [35:15] our facility to market Minneapolis to [35:17] visitors. I won't read it all, but they [35:20] ended the post with this comment. This [35:23] is a masterclass in marketing. I left [35:25] with a feeling of a fantastic customer [35:28] experience. That is our goal with each [35:31] guest who enters our facility. [35:34] 2025 is bringing to light some risks [35:36] that will challenge us going forward. [35:38] The convention center faces competition [35:40] not only from the facility needs of our [35:42] customers, but from the experience [35:44] attendees have in our downtown, at our [35:47] hotels, and with our visitor amenities. [35:50] Many cities are investing in their [35:52] convention centers and creating [35:53] districts that help energize the area [35:56] around centers with hospitality assets. [35:59] We can see that cities that have not [36:01] been competitors like Milwaukee and [36:03] Cincinnati are raising the level of [36:05] their convention centers and their [36:07] downtowns. Our time to act is now. We [36:11] have the opportunity to not only help [36:13] the hospitality industry, but to [36:15] activate our city, which aligns with [36:16] many of the community plans that have [36:18] been built over the last few years. [36:21] 2025 is also bringing with it financial [36:25] challenges. The pressure to keep [36:26] expenses down is immense. Costs increase [36:30] faster than we can increase our prices [36:31] to our customers. Providing services and [36:34] space that clients desire is our goal [36:37] and is essential to remaining [36:39] competitive. [36:41] In 2025, we have seen economic [36:43] instability affect our business. There [36:46] are multiple factors at play like [36:48] international and um nationwide travel [36:51] declines, consumer confidence uh in [36:54] spending declines, problems with [36:57] fending, federal funding of nonprofits, [36:59] which nonprofits are a huge uh source of [37:02] national conventions and also just [37:05] problems with uh federal staff that used [37:07] to be able to go to conventions uh and [37:09] travel and now they're not able to. [37:11] We've also seen our corporations cut [37:13] back on their spending for events. And [37:17] if we look back in time to generally our [37:20] our booking schedule is about 5 years. [37:23] And so we are right now working on 2029 [37:26] and 2030. So if you look back to 2020 [37:28] and 2021 when we were looking at booking [37:31] our 2025 events, obviously we were right [37:34] in the middle of the pandemic and and [37:35] other social unrest. And so that those [37:38] effects are showing up today. [37:42] All of these factors have caused our [37:44] revenue to underperform projections by [37:46] over 5% this year. This is significant [37:49] because we did predict a difficult 2025. [37:53] But these challenges have impact our [37:54] community more severely than we even [37:57] predicted. As we look forward, there are [38:00] bright days ahead. We are predicting a [38:02] better 2026. [38:04] But those predictions will only come [38:05] true if our economy normalizes and [38:07] spending confidence returns. [38:10] So, what can we do to move forward? [38:12] Well, we need to be able to adapt and [38:14] change. The event business evolves, [38:16] client expectations change, and we need [38:20] to be able to reach those. Investment in [38:23] the convention center is needed to meet [38:25] the needs of our clients who have a new [38:27] demographic and generation to serve. We [38:30] are losing market share and competing [38:32] with new competitors. I will be working [38:35] with Meet Minneapolis to provide [38:37] strategies and options for rising to [38:39] this challenge over the coming months. [38:42] As we encounter these industry [38:44] competitiveness challenges, we are also [38:46] going through a major transition in our [38:48] workforce with many individuals retiring [38:50] or soon to retire. Hospitality is a [38:54] wonderful career, but it also can be [38:56] non-traditional in its hours and [38:58] demands. Hiring the next generation of [39:01] leaders at MCC is a critical focus for [39:04] us over the next two years. Our legacy [39:06] of good service can only continue if we [39:10] recruit and keep great people. [39:14] We're going to move now into our [39:15] outcomes. Minneapolis information. I'm [39:17] going to move quickly because uh the [39:19] measures on these slides are actually [39:21] going to find themselves in future [39:23] slides. [39:26] The entire downtown assets budget [39:27] continues though to grow modestly. [39:31] The main expense within the downtown [39:33] assets budget is the support of the [39:35] convention center. [39:38] Our FTEEs continue to remain flat and [39:40] still down from our prepandemic numbers [39:43] just slightly. Vacancies are typical in [39:46] our work because of the part-time and [39:48] temporary staff that help sustain us [39:50] during our busiest event times. Also, we [39:53] see vacancy results, the vacancy results [39:57] of some retirements this year and us now [40:00] working to try to replace those [40:02] positions. [40:04] Next, I'm going to go through our [40:06] specific programs. [40:08] We continue to try to manage the [40:10] expenses of the convention center. The [40:12] majority of our increases and expenses [40:14] have come from city derived expenses [40:16] through increased labor costs and other [40:18] city charges. To help cushion those [40:21] increases, we have worked hard to try to [40:23] decrease operating costs. [40:26] A highlight of 2024 was that the MCC had [40:30] no reportable injuries for staff, which [40:33] meets our goal of having a safe [40:35] environment for staff while also saves [40:37] the expense of lost work hours and [40:39] medical bills. We do hope though, as we [40:41] said, that 2026 is going to bring [40:43] stronger revenue to our building. [40:47] Now, moving on to our events program. [40:49] This is how we pay to service our [40:52] customers. About a half of this budget [40:54] is given to Meat Minneapolis for [40:56] marketing and sales activities which [40:58] feed our revenue growth. [41:01] These graphs show the weak performance [41:03] that we are experiencing in 2025 and the [41:06] forecast of better days to come in 2026. [41:11] We do survey our clients after their [41:13] event and this slide shows some data [41:15] points from those surveys. The first [41:18] graph shows a net promoter score that [41:21] consistently places the experience of [41:23] the client inside the convention center [41:25] higher than their experience in [41:27] Minneapolis as a destination. [41:30] The good news here is that the [41:31] destination score has risen [41:33] significantly from some very low numbers [41:36] the past few years. The reputation of [41:39] the city and the experience of visitors [41:41] when they come to our city is improving, [41:44] but we must must work to keep this [41:47] momentum going forward. The second graph [41:50] speaks to the number of problems that a [41:52] client has while at the convention [41:54] center and if our staff is empowered to [41:56] fix those problems. Through second [41:59] quarter, we continue to have very few [42:00] problems, which is great. Um, and we are [42:03] really close to our goal of resolving [42:05] 66% of those issues in the moment. This [42:09] graph really speaks to the excellence of [42:11] our staff. [42:14] As we seek to make a positive impact on [42:16] our community, these graphs show the [42:18] strength of the hospitality jobs in our [42:20] community and the growth of those jobs [42:22] through 2024. [42:24] We are a human centered industry that [42:27] provides careers to many people in our [42:30] community. [42:32] Our next convention center program is [42:34] the facilities program which maintains [42:36] our building infrastructure. [42:39] Some people don't like to talk about [42:40] their age, but I always mention to our [42:43] clients that our building is 35 years [42:45] old because we take great care in [42:48] providing a competitive and [42:49] well-maintained facility. Our clients [42:52] score the convention center highly, but [42:54] we're seeing in 2025 numbers through the [42:57] first half of the year are down a little [42:59] bit on the quality question. This could [43:02] be due to comparing us to our [43:04] competitors or it could be that some of [43:06] our aging infrastructure challenges are [43:08] catching up to us. We are reviewing this [43:11] information and making sure that we [43:12] understand where we might be coming up [43:14] short. Resting on our packs past success [43:17] will not ensure success in the future. [43:21] Using our resources responsibly is an [43:24] important part of our mission. [43:25] Investments in our facility and [43:27] dedication from our staff shows that [43:29] consistently over time we have made our [43:31] facility less wasteful. We now use 50% [43:36] less water than we did a decade ago and [43:39] we consistently recycle over 60% of our [43:42] waste. [43:44] Utility expenses are a huge factor that [43:46] drives up our costs. Our energy efforts [43:49] have saved $7.3 million in electricity [43:52] costs and $42,000 [43:55] in water costs. We've reduced our [43:57] overall energy usage by 25% which has [44:00] resulted in an 85% decrease in our [44:02] greenhouse gas emissions. [44:06] Now moving on to the target center. [44:10] Most of our resources go towards capital [44:12] projects to maintain the 36-year-old [44:14] building and to support the operation of [44:16] the building through our operator, [44:18] Legends Global. 2024 was a historic year [44:21] for the Target Center with a wonderful [44:23] lineup of events like USA Gymnastics and [44:26] the Big 10 men's and women's basketball [44:28] tournaments along with great playoff [44:30] runs from the Lyns and the Timberwolves. [44:32] roll in an impressive lineup of concerts [44:34] and you can see that the target center [44:36] produced a lot of tax revenue and [44:39] activity for Minneapolis. [44:41] We also measured the amount of capital [44:43] projects that we complete that are [44:45] critical to the success of the arena. It [44:47] was very challenging to find time in [44:49] 2024 to complete projects due to how [44:51] busy the arena was. But we were able to [44:53] fit projects into the calendar and [44:54] continue to make progress now in 2025. [44:58] Many of these projects don't get [44:59] completed in one calendar year and must [45:01] roll to the next. As part of the success [45:04] for 2024, the Target Center is nominated [45:07] for a prestigious award from the [45:09] International Entertainment Buyers [45:11] Association as the arena of the year for [45:14] 2024. We may not have the newest arena [45:17] or the biggest arena. Uh but I think one [45:20] of the great things that we can know as [45:22] a as a city is that uh the different [45:27] artists and promoters that come to the [45:29] arena are treated well and want to come [45:31] back and are prioritizing coming to the [45:34] target center through all of the very [45:36] very strong work that is Legends uh [45:39] Global is doing. We should know uh in [45:43] October if we are winning this award. [45:46] It's the International Entertainment [45:47] Buyers Association Arena of the Year [45:49] Award for 2024. [45:52] 2025 has been a more difficult year [45:55] though than 2024, same as at the [45:57] convention center. Uh there haven't been [46:00] as many large events and there has been [46:02] some weaker consumer spending. Luckily [46:04] though, our concerts are remaining [46:06] strong and our Lynx and Timberwolves uh [46:08] teams are among the best in their [46:10] leagues. Both teams are drawing large [46:14] crowds and adding more games through [46:16] long playoff runs. And this is really [46:18] helping out our economy. The additional [46:20] games bring that additional economic [46:22] benefit to the businesses and generate [46:24] more taxes through all of that spending. [46:27] The Target Center is a major reason for [46:29] the success in our strong entertainment [46:31] tax collections. [46:34] Now moving on to Pavey Plaza as our next [46:37] budget area. Pave Plaza is currently [46:39] maintained and operated by the downtown [46:41] improvement district. It has been a [46:44] great year at Pave because it has been a [46:46] safe and clean year at Pavey. I'm very [46:49] thankful for the efforts that the DID [46:51] has put into making sure that Pavey [46:53] Plaza is a welcoming and beautiful area [46:55] for all. As you can see, some of our [46:58] programming frequency has been reduced. [47:00] Part of the reason for the reduction in [47:02] 2024 was that we had a lot of event [47:04] rentals uh that took up space and time [47:07] at Pavey. It was also a planned [47:09] reduction as we really wanted to use [47:11] 2023 as a reintroduction of the new Pey [47:14] Plaza for those that had not been [47:16] downtown for a while. Going forward, the [47:19] DID will coordinate programming so that [47:21] it has the best effect and works well [47:24] with the programming that they are doing [47:26] on Nicollet. 2025 has been a slower [47:29] summer with very few rental events at [47:32] the PV Plaza. Again, very similar to [47:34] what's happened at the Target Center and [47:35] very similar what's happened at the [47:37] convention center. The positive though [47:39] out of PVP PV is that this summer [47:42] there's been some new security protocols [47:44] put in place and it has been very very [47:47] successful in maintaining a safe [47:49] atmosphere at PV Plaza. [47:53] Moving forward now, the mayor is [47:55] recommending two budget additions for [47:57] the downtown assets fund totaling [47:59] $600,000. [48:03] The items are $500,000 in support of the [48:07] WWE SummerSlam event and $100,000 to [48:11] explore the convention cent's [48:12] competitive climate to determine future [48:14] priorities. I'll start with the [48:17] competitiveness uh funding. The [48:19] convention center is at an important [48:20] juncture in its history as a major [48:22] investment in the facility has not [48:24] happened in 25 years. Our competitive [48:28] climate continues to evolve and this [48:30] funding will be used to help gather [48:31] information to make informed, smart, and [48:34] strategic plans that specifically [48:37] identify actions we could take. We want [48:40] to be proactive and these resources will [48:42] allow us to help act now to remain [48:45] competitive and we'll really follow up [48:46] on the work that Meet Minneapolis did [48:48] through their destination management [48:50] plan and be able to put those um actions [48:53] into play and and make sure that we're [48:55] moving forward to have results. [48:59] The $500,000 one-time expense to support [49:02] the WWE SummerSlam event in the summer [49:05] of 2026 was part of the bid that [49:07] Minnesota Sports and Events put together [49:10] several years ago to draw the event to [49:12] Minneapolis. We asked that this money [49:15] would be added to the Meet Minneapolis [49:17] contract to help pay for event expenses. [49:21] If if you don't know about SummerSlam, [49:23] you should know that it is a very large [49:26] event that will be held at US Bank [49:28] Stadium, at the convention center, and [49:30] then some possible events at the Target [49:32] Center. About 150,000 people from 50 [49:36] states, all 50 states, and about a dozen [49:39] international markets will travel to [49:41] Minneapolis, eat in our restaurants, [49:43] sleep in our hotels, and enjoy [49:45] themselves. [49:47] Much like the Super Bowl and the Final [49:49] Four, the event also gives back to our [49:51] community through its youth programs. We [49:54] have data from other cities that have [49:56] hosted this growing event, and [49:58] Minneapolis can expect over $100 million [50:01] in economic impact. [50:05] With that, that concludes my uh [50:09] presentation and I would be happy to [50:10] stand for any questions. [50:15] Thank you for that presentation, [50:17] director. Um, colleagues, are there any [50:20] questions or comments related to um, Mr. [50:25] Johnson's presentation? I will first [50:27] recognize Council Member Rainville, [50:29] followed by Council President Payne. [50:31] >> Thank you. I'm in queue for Council [50:32] Member Cashman. [50:34] >> Go ahead, Council Member Cashman. [50:36] >> Thank you, Madame Chair, and thank you, [50:38] Director Johnson. um pretty familiar [50:40] with these facilities given that I think [50:43] most of them if not all are in W 7 [50:45] except US Bank Stadium and just the the [50:48] benefit to having these public [50:50] facilities for residents and for the [50:52] economy. So just you know reiterating [50:55] that there are tens of thousands of [50:56] hospital hospitality jobs that depend on [50:59] the strength of these facilities [51:01] including with unions like IATSI, Unite [51:03] Here, Teamsters and others. And also for [51:07] the residents who live downtown. Um the [51:10] the amenities that these facilities [51:13] provide are really important. For [51:14] example, convention center is our [51:16] emergency um destination during a heat [51:19] wave or a flood etc. So, for a lot of [51:22] downtown residents, that is an important [51:23] place to be able to go. And then just [51:25] the the amenities like the public [51:27] bathrooms, the PV Plaza public bathroom [51:30] trailer is something I get a lot of [51:33] positive feedback about because it's [51:34] very hard to find a public restroom in [51:36] this city and the few that we do have [51:39] are really useful. I think we need a lot [51:41] more of them. Um, but just wanted to [51:44] thank you for those benefits, you know, [51:46] to the residents and and to the city. I [51:49] would like to just ask for you to share [51:51] a little more at this point about your [51:53] plan to recoup in 2026 because I'm [51:55] hearing some hope and optimism for 2026 [51:58] recovery, but not how we're actually [52:00] going to get there. And I believe in our [52:02] last meet Minneapolis meeting, we did [52:04] talk about focusing a lot on the [52:06] regional tourism. People from the [52:08] suburbs, people from the Iron Range, [52:10] people from Fargo coming to the city and [52:13] and um appreciating Minneapolis and just [52:16] being a tourist within their own state [52:18] as a really powerful way to uh to recoup [52:23] this these losses. But can you say a [52:25] little more about what the plans are [52:26] looking like? [52:28] >> Yes. uh through the chair, Council [52:30] Member Cashman, and Council Member [52:31] Rainville for passing it through. Um [52:34] there are a lot of things going on. [52:35] Everything from uh the details of us as [52:39] a staff uh getting together and really [52:41] relooking at how we're uh charging for [52:45] our services and trying to say, is there [52:47] a different way for us to do this? Uh [52:49] can we do things differently that will [52:50] help us uh drive revenue in our [52:53] building? uh from investments uh in our [52:56] food and beverage at the convention [52:58] center to make sure that we're uh [53:00] providing the types of food and beverage [53:03] that people desire uh to uh monthly it's [53:07] been about monthly meetings with Meet [53:09] Minneapolis to just brainstorm on [53:11] revenue and and what we can do going [53:13] forward. So that's kind of the smallest [53:15] level. But then as you start to to go [53:16] out to the the larger level, uh we know [53:19] that 2026 uh right now is looking better [53:22] because we have uh again that five years [53:25] of of work that have gone into [53:28] scheduling uh for 2026. And so we know [53:31] that we have better uh national events [53:33] uh coming in 2026. And so that's why [53:36] this work on that that small level to [53:38] make sure that we actualize uh greater [53:40] revenue uh when those events uh do come [53:43] to town is something that's very very [53:45] important to us. Uh from a marketing and [53:47] sales standpoint obviously meet [53:49] Minneapolis is working on that and and [53:51] and working forward. The regional work [53:53] is something that is very important as [53:55] we as I talked about in my presentation [53:58] that travel right now is is is difficult [54:00] uh both international travel and [54:03] national travel. And so, uh, we may [54:05] become a more regional destination for [54:07] the short time. And so, uh, making sure [54:09] that we're reaching out to those, uh, [54:11] regional, um, areas like the the and and [54:15] really when you look at Minneapolis, we [54:16] are a regional hub of hospitality. [54:18] People love to come to Minneapolis [54:20] because we have the amenities that they [54:22] are desiring. And so being out being [54:23] able to go out and tell those stories [54:25] >> through the marketing plan. I don't have [54:27] specifics on how much is going to be [54:28] spent or or anything, but that is [54:30] definitely something that we're going [54:31] forward on for those national [54:33] conventions. If you remember uh in uh 20 [54:37] uh 25 when we uh brought the new Meet [54:40] Minneapolis contract through, we added [54:42] some additional resources uh to them for [54:46] help in the sales process uh through [54:48] additional money to help attract uh [54:51] those uh bigger events to Minneapolis. [54:54] And so it takes time to do that and [54:56] we'll start to see some of uh the [54:59] benefit of that that those additional [55:01] resources in 2026, [55:03] but we will most likely see more of the [55:05] benefits as we get out into further [55:07] years where that that those additional [55:09] resources can really help us uh market [55:12] the city, but also help uh with costs so [55:15] that uh events in a competitive climate [55:18] will want to come to Minneapolis. [55:21] >> Okay. Thanks. And also on the new [55:24] expenditures, the $600,000, [55:27] um can you detail out what the $500,000 [55:30] investment uh would be in the WWE event [55:35] as well as, you know, the study for [55:38] $100,000. Um what exactly we're hoping [55:41] to get out of that and what the RFP [55:44] would look like. Uh I think, you know, [55:46] $100,000 is pretty high for a study. So [55:50] wondering what exactly would be [55:52] encompassed in that cost. [55:55] >> Through the chair, uh, Council Member [55:56] Cashman, um, for the $500,000 for the [55:59] Summers Slam event, it would really go [56:01] towards event expenses. A lot of those [56:04] expenses are, uh, city costs. Uh, so if [56:07] there are any costs for shutting down [56:09] roads or anything, permits, things that [56:11] they would have to pull, also [56:13] potentially costs of the facilities that [56:15] they are using in order to come here. [56:18] And so, um, that money helps incent, uh, [56:22] a big event again that's going to bring [56:24] over hund00 million in e economic [56:26] benefit to our city to come here. And, [56:29] um, and so that is generally what, uh, [56:31] those, uh, those dollars will be used [56:33] for. The $100,000 that the mayor is [56:36] recommending uh, is [56:39] a little flexible at this time, and I [56:42] don't know that it's going to be just [56:43] for a study. It's really to help us with [56:45] that competitiveness and try to [56:47] understand what are the things that we [56:49] need to do in order to be competitive. [56:52] >> Um, and that component really ties into [56:56] how we've said, you know, and I've said [56:58] this many times uh today is that there [57:01] there needs to be some investment in the [57:03] convention center. We need to be able to [57:05] follow uh the lead of what the [57:08] destination master plan for meet [57:10] Minneapolis has talked about in what we [57:12] do to ensure that a convention center [57:14] district is something that really [57:16] provides the opportunities for our [57:19] clients and guests when they come to [57:21] Minneapolis to engage with Minneapolis [57:24] and spend their money and have a great [57:25] time while they're here. And so, um, I'm [57:28] asking for a little bit of flexibility [57:30] with the exact details of what that [57:32] $100,000 will be used for. There'll be [57:35] components of it that that will be [57:36] helping us get that information so that [57:40] we can come forward and and uh say to [57:43] this body, these are the things that [57:45] that we need to do and these are the [57:47] things that we need to activate in order [57:48] to be successful and in order to respond [57:51] to the information that we learned [57:53] through the destination master plan. [57:55] Mhm. Okay. Thanks. Just wanted to um [57:58] thank you for your presentation and also [58:01] give a special shout out to Miss Posski [58:03] who I know is new and has been doing an [58:05] amazing job and has been just really [58:07] collaborative um on these efforts to [58:09] increase signage and wayfinding downtown [58:12] and working with partners to pilot out [58:14] what that can look like. because I know [58:15] it really benefits tourists when they [58:17] visit here to know where they're going [58:19] in the skyways in particular, but also [58:21] really benefits the residents who live [58:23] here and also want to be able to [58:25] navigate the city. So, thank you for [58:26] that. [58:28] >> Thank you. Next, I'll recognize Council [58:30] President Payne, followed by Council [58:32] Member Pisano. [58:33] >> Thank you, Vice President Chuck Tai. [58:35] Thank you, director. I was just curious [58:37] if you could speak to the degree to [58:38] which uh we use uh debt financing for [58:43] maintaining uh capital or for capital [58:46] improvements for the convention center [58:48] versus direct appropriations from the [58:50] downtown asset fund. if there's any [58:51] strategy to that [58:54] >> through the chair, council president [58:56] pay. Uh debt f financing historically [58:59] has been used for large projects and so [59:02] this year uh the convention center will [59:04] be debtree and so there would be an [59:06] opportunity um to have to to think about [59:11] uh if another investment is is coming or [59:14] needed as far as uh debt financing. As [59:17] far as year-to-year uh capital [59:19] improvements and using debt financing [59:21] for that, uh that has not been something [59:24] that we have used in the past. [59:26] Obviously, it is a financial tool that [59:27] could be used. Um I think in the past uh [59:32] generally we uh those that make the [59:35] financial decisions have decided that it [59:37] it made more sense to use uh the [59:40] resources that we had versus to go into [59:42] debt for those year-to-year costs. And [59:45] then in the instances where debt [59:47] financing was used for a major project, [59:49] did it just go through the standard [59:50] click process or did we have a different [59:53] approach to that for the convention [59:54] center [59:55] >> through the chair, council president uh [59:57] Payne? Uh generally it was always a [59:58] different uh process. Even looking back [60:01] to the target center uh renovation in in [60:03] 2017, that was a different process where [60:06] uh I came before the council at that [60:08] time with the request. um did not go [60:11] through the click process because it was [60:13] not general fund dollars and because it [60:15] was from a special revenue source. [60:17] >> Thank you. [60:20] >> Thank you. And then uh next I'll [60:22] recognize council member PMano. [60:24] >> Thank you, Director Johnson, for this [60:26] update. And you're absolutely right. I [60:28] have a bit of a learning curve on [60:29] worldwide wrestling events, but I [60:33] promise to get up to speed if I need to. [60:35] Um, could you remind us where you're at [60:38] for phase 2 and phase three convention [60:41] center updates? Like where are you at in [60:45] those improvements? [60:47] >> Through the chair, uh, council member [60:48] Palmisano. So, we have been bringing [60:50] forth uh, some projects for our meeting [60:53] room renovations and, uh, the phase two [60:57] project is complete. There's a few punch [60:59] list things that they're they're working [61:00] on. Uh phase three of the meeting room [61:03] renovation uh starts uh in November of [61:06] this year and goes through about April [61:10] 1st of 2026. [61:13] >> Thank you. Um when you mentioned risks [61:17] and competition, um is there a way you [61:19] could make it really tangible for us? [61:21] And maybe that's not something you want [61:22] to do in public, but like what other [61:24] cities do you see having that [61:26] competitive advantage over Minneapolis [61:29] for some of these events? [61:32] >> Through the chair, Council Member [61:33] Palmasano. Uh [61:35] it's hard to say that because I feel [61:37] really strongly about Minneapolis and I [61:39] think that we can compete with everyone. [61:40] But also I think uh the two that I I [61:43] mentioned uh Milwaukee and Cincinnati, [61:47] Milwaukee because they had a smaller [61:50] convention center that for years we [61:53] never really heard about. uh and and [61:56] they have put in I think it was $350 [61:59] million into a uh convention center [62:02] expansion which almost mimics the exact [62:05] size of our building and so um it now [62:10] they are on our playing field and a very [62:14] similar as far as central to the country [62:17] similar size uh city I like our city a [62:21] lot more but uh they have have now [62:24] stepped into the competition with us uh [62:26] when you know generally we did not see [62:29] them in those rooms. When you look at [62:31] Cincinnati, they actually are shutting [62:33] down their convention center and [62:35] remodeling it completely. But I guess I [62:38] call out Cincinnati for some of the cool [62:40] things that they're doing in their city [62:42] to activate their city. Uh Ben Johnson, [62:45] uh our director of arts and cultures, [62:47] comes to me all the time and talks to me [62:48] about some of the things that Cincinnati [62:50] is doing to really make that city a [62:53] place that people enjoy visiting. And I [62:56] think that those are the the components [62:58] to um what I want to look at is how do [63:01] we again help the city become more [63:03] active? What role do we play to to make [63:06] sure that the city is more active? And [63:08] we we know and we've seen that uh some [63:11] of the hospitality assets have moved [63:13] away from the convention center. They're [63:15] they're moving more towards the river, [63:17] which is fantastic. I love the river. I [63:19] love to be by the river. So, we know [63:22] that is happening. Now, how do we [63:23] respond to that? How do we engage with [63:25] that? How do we connect to that? We [63:27] talked about wayfinding as potentially a [63:29] component of that. um and then how can [63:32] we add to our area to make sure that [63:34] that we continue that energy all the way [63:36] to the to the river for people. And so [63:40] um it it's really trying to build off of [63:43] all that, uh everyone has been talking [63:45] about and try to say how can we actually [63:47] affect it and how can we actually get [63:49] something going to really make sure that [63:51] we have a tangible product. [63:53] >> Thank you. [63:56] >> Wonderful. Thank you. and then I will [63:59] recognize vice chair Kosski. Thank you, [64:01] Madam Chair. Thank you so much, [64:02] director, for the presentation. Um [64:05] really appreciate it and really it's [64:08] been clearly a a hard road to move up, [64:11] but you and your team have done an [64:13] incredible job um doing that. I just had [64:15] a question kind of piggybacking on [64:18] council member Palmisano's, you know, [64:20] when you think about the future of the [64:22] convention center and you describe um it [64:26] being far more robust than just the [64:27] building itself. Um so I was wondering [64:30] if you could just share a little bit [64:31] about that vision and that connectivity [64:34] like you said to the river and what that [64:36] could look like for us. [64:38] >> Yeah, through the chair vice chair Ksky. [64:43] There's a lot of dreams, right? I mean [64:44] everybody has dreams. [64:45] >> Dreams are free. [64:46] >> Dreams are free. The the the actual plan [64:49] uh is not. And and I think when you look [64:52] at the convention center, you know, we [64:54] have a great opportunity because even [64:58] locally, very close to the convention [65:00] center, we have control of a lot of the [65:02] space. So, we have this beautiful plaza [65:04] that is right out in front of our [65:06] building. Something that is an amenity [65:08] for uh our residents. We see dog walk [65:11] walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk [65:11] walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk [65:11] walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk [65:11] walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk [65:11] walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk [65:11] walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk [65:11] walk walk walk walk walk walk walk walk [65:11] walk walk walk walkers out there every [65:12] single day but also an amenity for our [65:15] uh visitors and and the people that are [65:17] in conventions to be able to go out and [65:18] and you know live the brand of city by [65:21] nature we bring that brand to them in [65:24] reality and so I'm really trying to look [65:27] at that plaza and say how do we uh use [65:30] that in a different way in a better way [65:32] what can we do and what can amenities [65:34] can we bring to that plaza to make sure [65:37] that it is something that is an [65:39] attractor for the neighborhood, but also [65:41] an attractor for our our um our clients [65:44] and our visitors. Uh I can't remember [65:47] where I heard it, but it was someone who [65:48] was really really smart said that that [65:50] when you invest in something for your [65:53] city, you should do it so that the [65:55] residents enjoy it, but also that [65:57] visitors enjoy it. you shouldn't [65:59] necessarily from from a hospitality [66:01] perspective, not from a public works [66:03] perspective necessarily, but from a [66:05] hospitality perspective, uh you should [66:07] do something that both uh groups will [66:09] enjoy and want to be at. And really, [66:11] that's my vision for uh at least the [66:14] local area right outside of the [66:16] convention center is that we become this [66:18] place where our visitors and our [66:21] residents are intermingling, telling [66:24] each other where the great uh places to [66:25] eat are and and really enjoying. And um [66:29] we see a lot of these great spaces [66:30] across the the the world and the country [66:33] in the great cities of of our of our [66:35] world. And I want to bring some of that [66:37] to uh the area around the convention [66:39] center. [66:41] Thank you. Appreciate that. [66:44] >> Thank you. I'm not seeing um anyone else [66:46] in Q. So um with that, thank you for [66:50] your presentation and for um answering [66:55] uh questions today. Um I will direct the [66:58] clerk to file that report. [67:00] >> Thank you. [67:02] >> Thank you. Um, we'll now move to our [67:04] third and final presentation for today, [67:07] which will be from the Office of [67:10] Community Safety. For this, uh, I will [67:13] invite Todd Barnett, uh, the [67:16] Commissioner of Community Safety to join [67:19] us and begin that presentation. Welcome, [67:22] Commissioner. [67:25] >> Good morning. Thank you, Chair [67:35] Good morning. Um, Vice President, [67:38] Council President Chuck Chai, other [67:40] council members. Good morning. Todd [67:42] Barnett, the commissioner of community [67:44] safety for the city of Minneapolis. Uh, [67:46] I'm here today to present on the [67:48] recommended 2026 [67:51] budget for the Office of Community [67:53] Safety. Joining me today in uh the [67:57] audience is the deputy commissioner um [68:00] Jared Jeff, also the chief of staff Andy [68:04] Scootman, director of design [68:06] implementation Will Christensen and also [68:09] our director of administration Min [68:12] Anderson. [68:27] For a sense of scale, the five [68:28] departments under OCS [68:32] are responsible for uh more than 1,500 [68:35] employees citywide and a combined budget [68:38] of roughly $355 [68:41] million. [68:43] Looking specifically at OCS, the office [68:45] itself is proposed to have eight FTEEs [68:50] in 2026. [68:52] The deputy commissioner position, as you [68:54] know, was added uh this year in 2025 to [68:58] strengthen the leadership uh capacity. [69:01] Deputy uh Commissioner Jared Jeff's [69:04] focus on advancing the work under the [69:06] settlement agreement and the consent [69:09] decree pro uh provisions as well as [69:13] managing highle strategic partnerships [69:15] across the enterprise. You also notice [69:19] um [69:22] that the communications [69:24] uh [69:26] staff are not [69:29] here we go are not um [69:32] included in [69:35] the um [69:37] 2026 slide. It's a recommendation that [69:41] we move them to the city communications [69:43] department in 2026 to better align with [69:47] the city communication plan and [69:49] strategic planning. [69:52] As been noted many times before, uh the [69:54] mission of OCS is to provide a [69:56] coordinated, comprehensive, and [69:59] equitable uh safety services for all of [70:02] our residents and visitors. Our goals [70:05] continue to be to build a a um [70:08] comprehensive and cohesive community [70:11] safety ecosystem, [70:13] implement the settlement agreement and [70:15] consent decree provisions, also [70:17] strengthen the city's ability to respond [70:20] to emergencies and largecale events. Our [70:24] work is guided by of course the [70:26] settlement agreement but also by the [70:28] safe and thriving community report and [70:31] the NYU assets and gaps analysis as [70:34] well. [70:36] As we look at some of the achievements [70:38] for 2025 [70:40] uh we've launched a safe and thriving [70:42] community work group. We put into [70:44] practice recommendations from the safe [70:46] and thriving community report in the NYU [70:50] assess and gap analysis. We made [70:52] measurable progress in year one of the [70:55] settlement agreement and have identified [70:57] areas for us to focus on. Uh though [71:01] we've made progress, there's still a [71:02] long road ahead of us. We've conducted [71:05] citywide exercises and improved [71:08] coordination during largecale incidents. [71:12] We've enhanced our collaboration with [71:14] our partners at the county, state, and [71:16] federal levels on crime. And also when [71:19] we look at the late night safety [71:22] plans, we've expanded that coverage [71:24] beyond downtown into Deacon Town and [71:27] Uptown. [71:33] We look at our challenges and lessons [71:36] learned. Um although overall [71:39] violence is uh I mean violent crime is [71:43] down overall, property damage continues [71:46] to go up. [71:48] uh we look and we know that when it [71:50] comes to juvenile crime, substance [71:52] abuse, and behavioral uh health issues, [71:55] that requires a different response and [71:58] resources. And we continue to do better [72:00] at that [72:02] during these times where resources are [72:04] tight. Uh that does uh restrict our [72:07] flexibility, but also creates [72:10] opportunity for us to be a little bit [72:12] more creative. We know that um [72:15] progressive cities like Minneapolis [72:18] continues to face uh federal funding [72:20] challenges. Uh Minneapolis in [72:23] particular, similar to other uh cities [72:27] um look at their funding as far as [72:30] federal grant funding um as a key source [72:33] start to decline. In 2026, [72:37] we expect our OCSA departments to depend [72:39] on about $3.5 million in federal [72:43] funding. [72:45] Look at some of the lessons that we've [72:47] learned within this last year. Um, we [72:51] know that our largecale events or [72:53] emergencies continue to increase. Each [72:56] response uh requires the city to review [73:00] what's worked, what we need to improve [73:02] on, and make adjustments to close gaps. [73:06] For example, we have recently added uh [73:10] to the joint information center our [73:12] inter intergovernmental relations [73:15] director uh and that's to help with us [73:18] to pro ensure accurate timely [73:20] information flow to our state [73:22] stakeholders. [73:24] Year one of the settlement agreement has [73:26] taught us that organizational tr uh [73:29] change is steep and requires a sustained [73:32] focus. We've made progress. Like I've [73:35] said earlier, we still have a long way [73:37] to go. [73:39] We also know that uh when we see [73:43] different crime uh trends that it [73:45] requires us to be flexible and nimble. [73:48] Uh and that's a goal that we have is to [73:51] be able to deploy resources where they [73:53] are when they're needed. [73:57] When we look at our outcomes [73:59] Minneapolis, uh we focused on three key [74:02] areas. Uh those areas include [74:05] implementation of the settlement [74:07] agreement, responding effectively to [74:10] emergencies and planned events, also [74:13] advancing uh the work in the safe and [74:15] thriving community uh recommendations. [74:19] year one of the settlement agreement um [74:22] that Alifa put out their report in March [74:24] of 2025 of this year and shows [74:28] significant implementation steps but [74:30] also highlighted that time and staff [74:33] capacity is needed for full adoption. [74:37] We anticipate that Alifa's midyear uh [74:41] report would be out by the end of this [74:43] year. OCS has also strengthened uh [74:47] Minneapolis's emergency response [74:49] capability. As you see in that second uh [74:52] graph, [74:54] we've uh had more than 180 staff members [74:58] be trained in advanced incident command [75:00] and NIMS protocols. Uh that training [75:04] continues to be led by our emergency [75:06] management leadership team and has [75:08] proven to be critical in managing [75:10] large-scale events. [75:14] Looking at the ecosystem uh system [75:17] developments, OCS has advanced 80 [75:19] recommendations from the safe and [75:21] thriving community report. Many remain [75:24] in progress as you can see on this slide [75:27] and a lot of them in particular uh [75:30] require a deeper system change for us. [75:38] Should one [75:41] Oops. [75:49] the um [75:52] sorry about that. When we look at the [75:56] budget for 2026 overview, the [75:58] recommended budget for 2026 for our [76:01] office is $1.9 million. Um 91% of that [76:07] budget is for staff cost costs. The [76:11] other 8 to 9% [76:13] uh really focus internally on funding [76:16] software rent liability and also funding [76:19] the stipens for the safe and thriving [76:22] community work group. Um, as you will [76:25] notice here, and I've mentioned it [76:27] earlier in the presentation, um, there [76:30] is, uh, a drop in the funding. You can [76:34] see for 2026 because we're moving the [76:36] comm's [76:38] uh, staff to the city communications [76:41] department and the one-time funding in [76:44] 2025 [76:45] uh, will drop off, which included MPD [76:48] background check funding and nighttime [76:51] safety plans. [76:56] This slide shows that uh we'll have in [76:59] 2026 eight field positions uh that will [77:03] remain with us even though five of those [77:06] positions will transfer to the city [77:09] comm's uh department. [77:13] our budget reductions or changes uh in [77:17] order to meet our target budget uh for [77:20] OCS. [77:22] We've reduced the $50,000 that we've had [77:26] uh for more discretionary funding. Um [77:30] we've uh been able to meet our budget [77:34] and also to meet the goal of the mayor [77:37] for not uh laying anyone off in our [77:41] office. we moved uh one of the vacant [77:44] positions out of MPD which is a [77:46] intelligent analyst [77:48] uh and so we eliminated that position to [77:51] meet our target budget but MPD still has [77:54] 13 analysts there [77:58] in any budget time like these uh this [78:01] will limit of course our flexibility uh [78:04] but does not stop us from meeting our [78:07] mission and goals as we move forward in [78:10] 2026. 6. [78:12] That's the end of my presentation. [78:18] I stand for questions. [78:19] >> Thank you very much for that [78:20] presentation, Commissioner. Um, [78:23] colleagues, are there any questions or [78:26] comments related to this presentation? I [78:28] will first recognize Council President [78:30] Payne, followed by Council Member [78:31] Wanssley. [78:32] >> Thank you, Vice President JTA. Thank [78:34] you, Commissioner. I was curious if you [78:36] could uh distinguish the role of the [78:40] chief of staff in uh the community [78:42] safety office versus under MPD. And I [78:45] know that our the same gentleman is here [78:47] that was in that role, but I don't know [78:49] now that it's been elevated to the OCS [78:52] role. How is that going to be distinct [78:54] from the role of a chief of staff under [78:56] the chief? [78:57] So, um, through the chair, uh, Council [79:01] President Payne, MPD still has a chief [79:04] of staff position. Um, that chief of [79:07] staff position, I believe, is vacant [79:10] right now. Um, that role in that [79:13] position hasn't changed. What has [79:16] occurred uh a couple of months ago is [79:19] that um [79:21] since Jared Jeff, the deputy uh Jared [79:25] Jeff moved into the deputy uh [79:27] commissioner role uh from the chief of [79:30] staff, Andy Scootman came over to fill [79:32] in as chief of staff. So those two [79:35] positions still remain there. Uh just [79:38] because it's uh Andy Scootman doesn't [79:41] change the roles for for each of our [79:43] departments. if that's helpful. [79:46] >> Yes. I'm just curious about um how I'm [79:51] trying to identify if there's [79:54] duplication of roles. [79:55] >> No, there's not duplication of I'm [79:57] sorry, chair through the chair uh [79:59] council president. There's no [80:01] duplication of roles. Um there is um you [80:06] know [80:08] MPD [80:10] as you know is 24/7. I mean the chief of [80:14] staff uh for MPD is plenty busy with [80:19] that department in particular. Um the [80:22] role for chief of staff here uh for OCS [80:26] it's totally different. Um although the [80:29] chief of staff is in contact with all of [80:32] our departments in other departments uh [80:35] within the enterprise itself uh that [80:38] role is just completely separate. [80:41] >> Thank you. Yep. [80:44] >> Thank you. Um, next I'll recognize [80:46] council member Wanley followed by Vice [80:48] Chair Kosski. [80:49] >> Thank you, Cherai. Uh, Commissioner [80:52] Barnett, uh, you mentioned in the slides [80:54] that part of OCS role is to also execute [80:57] not only the settlement agreement, but [80:58] also the consent decree, which you're [81:00] aware of, is now dismissed. Um we have [81:03] not been presented a plan either by a [81:05] frier or the city attorneys of how to [81:07] operationalize [81:09] um those 300 some provisions. One of [81:12] which was you mentioned this of bringing [81:14] Ala on in the oversight of those consent [81:18] decree terms as originally planned. [81:20] There was $750,000 [81:22] put in the budget originally for that [81:24] under the assumption that we would have [81:27] a active consent decree and not [81:29] anticipating a overturn of that. where [81:31] is that reflected in the budget right [81:33] now and kind of the update of working [81:35] with the city attorneys on how you [81:37] actually oper operationalize that so you [81:40] can execute the where we're doing it [81:42] anyways. So I didn't see that in this [81:45] presentation or the budget book. So [81:46] wanted to know what's going on with that [81:49] through the chair uh council member [81:51] Wansley. [81:53] Um the $750,000 [81:56] is not in my budget in particular, but [81:58] when you look um [82:02] I'll go back several months. Um even [82:05] though the um federal consent decree uh [82:10] was dismissed in federal court, [82:14] we have continued to work as though [82:16] those positions will eventually [82:19] uh be um [82:23] part of the overall plan for our [82:26] implementation unit and the other [82:28] departments within the city. So, [82:31] some of the background or update um if [82:34] you um haven't been briefed on this is [82:37] that our implementation unit, our city [82:40] attorney's office, all those departments [82:42] connected um with this work have um [82:47] looked at where the um federal consent [82:51] decree procisions overlap with the [82:54] settlement agreement. They're looking at [82:57] um where there are differences with that [83:00] um where where there are uh situations [83:03] where we can continue the work and not [83:06] make major changes. We continue [83:09] um with um looking at the federal [83:13] consent degree as implement implementing [83:16] it. Even though I believe the city [83:19] attorney's office and um the Minnesota [83:23] Department of Hum human rights [83:24] department continues to work out um ways [83:28] in which hopefully uh we can meet some [83:31] agreement um that would um in the long [83:36] run uh have us with one um independent [83:41] monitor for all of the provisions of the [83:44] settlement agreement and the consent [83:46] decree. [83:48] So, just to take a a step back with the [83:51] $750,000, [83:53] is that then located in finance? Cuz I [83:55] know there's an overall $3 million [83:57] budget for the settlement agreement or [84:00] consent decree. I'm assuming the [84:01] $750,000 was a part of it. If it's not [84:04] OCS, where is that being housed? [84:07] >> Through the chair. Um, council member [84:09] Wley, I would have to ask someone else [84:11] because I'm not sure where the $750,000. [84:15] Let's have Director Denza come up and [84:18] and help address that. [84:21] >> Good morning through the chair, Council [84:23] Member Wanley. [84:24] >> We might need to confer offline because [84:27] I'm not totally certain where the [84:28] $750,000 is coming from, but I have [84:31] heard you mention the settlement reserve [84:32] a few times. So, I wanted to talk about [84:34] that a little bit. [84:35] >> So, the settlement reserve is distinct [84:37] from any funding that's been added for, [84:39] excuse me, for ongoing staffing needs [84:42] related to settlement agreement or [84:43] consent decree. It's essentially the [84:45] general fund balance and so that's meant [84:48] for one time. [84:49] >> One time and then we don't have to [84:51] confer about the 750,000. It's actually [84:53] in the consent decree of the Department [84:54] of Justice. So it mandated if we were [84:56] going to have a consent decree, we would [84:59] pay a LEIFA or independent monitor [85:01] $750,000 to oversee that. What I'm [85:04] asking is that is no longer on the [85:06] table. I know before the federal consent [85:09] decree was put in action, we always said [85:12] we're going to make sure we, you know, [85:13] monitor progress of both, support and [85:16] finance both. But right now, there is no [85:18] legally binding agreement. And from my [85:20] understanding, if we were proceeding [85:21] with that, we would then need to revisit [85:24] the MDHR settlements um to be able to [85:27] unlock bringing in Alifa to do more [85:31] oversight over the federal consent [85:32] decree provision. So that's why I asked [85:35] about the 750K. It sounds like you said [85:37] that's just part of a general budget [85:39] appropriation or one time. You said one [85:41] time. [85:44] What is the settlement agreement [85:45] appropriation? If you can clarify again. [85:47] >> Sure. So through the chair, council [85:49] member Wansley [85:51] right now Alifa is contracted with the [85:53] city for to implement the settlement [85:55] agreement as as we know. Um the cap for [85:57] that in the settlement agreement is is [85:59] 1.5 million to my understanding. [86:02] Because the ALIFA contract is something [86:03] that will only be with the city [86:05] throughout the terms of the settlement [86:06] agreement, the city made a decision to [86:08] not put that on the property tax levy, [86:10] but instead because it's a legally [86:12] required payment to pay for it with the [86:15] settlement reserve, which is just the [86:16] general fund balance, a portion of which [86:18] is designated [86:20] to support the settlement agreement [86:22] implementation. And so um there are some [86:25] other expenses as we've talked about [86:27] throughout the years that are also being [86:29] covered by that reserve and those are [86:31] things that are like required trainings, [86:33] one-time [86:34] trainings or um external support for [86:37] investigation backlogs. Those are the [86:39] kinds of items that are being covered [86:40] through the settlement reserves. So I [86:41] just want to emphasize that that is [86:42] distinct from the ongoing commitments [86:45] that the city has made which are [86:46] substantial for staffing um and ongoing [86:49] needs to reform. So those are all [86:52] highlighted in past budget books. [86:53] >> So you're saying the settlement budget [86:55] is just or the appropriation that you're [86:57] talking about is just for the MDHR [86:59] settlement agreement. [87:02] >> Um through the chair, Council Member [87:04] Wanley, I I think we're kind of talking [87:06] past each other. There are number of [87:07] funding streams that are supporting [87:10] broadly police reform in the city. Um, [87:13] so there are ongoing funding strategies [87:16] and then there is a pool of funds within [87:18] the general fund balance that we've set [87:20] aside for emerging one-time needs. And [87:23] so the ALFA contract right now is my [87:25] understanding is contracted just to [87:27] implement the settlement agreement. So I [87:29] I don't think we're talking the the [87:30] clarification. In 2025, this council [87:34] received a budget presentation that [87:36] overlooked or overview line by line the [87:39] provisions needed for the settlement [87:42] agreement. I'm not relitigating that. [87:44] What I'm asking is we were also told [87:47] that appropriation or reserve would also [87:50] cover anticipated costs coming from the [87:53] Department of Justice consent decree. [87:55] One of which is fixed 750,000. [87:59] So get the general. I'm saying where [88:02] does that fit in to this reserve? So [88:05] through the chair, council member [88:07] Wanley, because we are not under the [88:08] terms of the settlement agreement, that [88:11] reserve fund balance is not an available [88:13] source for uh consent decree. It's an [88:16] available source for legally required [88:18] items only. [88:20] >> Oh, that's good to know. Okay. We were [88:22] told that again this was going to be [88:24] implemented and supported regardless. [88:26] That's why I was looking for it as a [88:28] line item budget. I thought it would [88:29] have been reflected in OCS, but you just [88:31] provided lots of clarification on that. [88:34] Um, Commissioner Barnett, going to slide [88:38] six, [88:42] risk and lessons learned. One thing I [88:44] did want to get an update on cuz uh here [88:47] it talks about lessons learned regarding [88:49] coordination of sworn or nonsworn uh [88:53] responses and also just how we're being [88:56] better at using existing resources, [88:58] which includes personnel um to meet [89:02] public safety needs. I want to get an [89:04] update on the staffing study. I think [89:06] you're well aware my office has been [89:08] working with Deputy uh Commissioner [89:11] Jared Jeff and you and conversations [89:12] around okay, how do we and also Chief [89:14] O'Hara around how do we revisit the [89:17] staffing study that MPD or Chief O'Hara [89:19] said was outdated? It needed to be um [89:23] re-evaluated uh with the you know [89:26] thinking post2020 kind of dynamics for [89:30] the Minneapolis Police Department. We [89:32] had originally meant to bring that as a [89:33] budget item for the staffing study to be [89:36] completed by MPD last year, but we're [89:38] told that was not necessary. The [89:39] department was going to do it itself. [89:42] It's already third quarter almost of [89:45] 2025. [89:46] When should we anticipate that coming [89:48] forward? Um because again, seeing this [89:51] is not part of your budget. if this is [89:53] something that you all can already do [89:54] internally, which I think we left our [89:56] previous conversation thinking that that [89:58] was the plan [90:01] >> through the chair. Uh, council member [90:02] Wley, um, haven't had a recent update on [90:06] that. I'll have to get back to you, [90:08] okay, [90:08] >> with with the response. I just don't [90:10] know off the top of my head right now. [90:12] >> Okay. So for clerks, if you can mark [90:15] update on the MPD staffing study and [90:19] progress related to that. [90:23] And then moving on to slide eight, um [90:27] outcomes Minneapolis regarding the safe [90:29] and thriving communities report. Um this [90:33] is great to have a dashboard. Um really [90:35] again kudos to former uh director of the [90:39] implementation design division uh Amanda [90:42] Harrington for getting this underway. Um [90:45] while it's great to see non started, I [90:47] do want to know if you have any estimate [90:50] or anticipation of for 2026 the amount [90:53] of projects that you're carrying forward [90:56] knowing that we also put money in the [90:57] budget for pilots that we did receive a [90:59] update on from M well PMI. to one to get [91:03] a sense of, you know, of the in [91:06] progress. What are you anticipating to [91:08] execute for 2026 [91:10] >> through the chair? Uh, council member uh [91:13] Wley, are you talking specifically about [91:15] the safe and thriving community report? [91:17] >> I think most of um you know that um [91:21] Amanda Harrington uh has moved to uh [91:25] neighborhood safety. Um well, director [91:27] of design implementation Will [91:29] Christensen [91:31] uh has been here maybe a month. Uh so we [91:35] have started to uh really sit down and [91:38] look at um the work that's been done uh [91:42] look at what is feasible uh as we move [91:45] into 2026. Um, I can't give you [91:49] specifics right now, but I would think [91:51] by our December 3rd uh update, quarterly [91:55] update, we'll probably have a better [91:57] sense of that. Okay. Um, right now we [92:00] just, you know, [92:03] uh, I I think our director of design [92:06] implementation has been doing a good job [92:08] at trying to, um, make sure he [92:11] understands, uh, the work, but also [92:14] understands some of the, uh, concerns [92:17] and, um, things with council. I know [92:20] he's set out to meet with council [92:21] members and things like that to get [92:23] feedback and really want to use that [92:26] information to uh kind of direct where [92:28] we go in 2026. [92:30] >> Okay. I look forward to getting more [92:32] clarification December 3rd. I'm just [92:34] assuming director Harrington is pretty [92:37] thorough in her work. So, uh I thought [92:40] there would be a better sense of I see [92:42] the in progress or planning how many of [92:44] those if it was 15 20 that was already [92:47] set in motion prior to her um making her [92:50] exit to NSD for 2026. It sounds like [92:53] we'll have more clarity on that December [92:55] 3rd. So, thank you. [92:56] >> Yep. Thank you. [92:58] >> Wonderful. Thank you. And then next I'll [93:01] recognize Vice Chair Koski. Thank you, [93:03] Madam Chair. Thank you, Commissioner, [93:05] for the presentation. Just a couple [93:07] questions on the [93:10] uh the FTE transfers. Um so the first [93:14] one, the budget eliminates a vacant [93:16] intelligent analyst to position that was [93:19] transferred from MPD to the Office of [93:22] Community Safety. Can you clarify when [93:24] that transfer occurred and whether the [93:27] position was ever filled and if not why [93:29] it remained vacant [93:32] >> through the chair um vice chair Ksky? [93:35] There are I think 14 [93:38] of these positions. Um in MPD [93:44] I know that this position was vacant [93:46] with 14 positions. Um [93:50] things move around and this is a [93:52] promotional sort of position from one to [93:54] two. Um the exact date uh that it became [93:58] vacant I don't know um on that. What was [94:03] the other part of your question? I'm [94:04] sorry. Well, so my understanding and [94:06] maybe help me if I'm not reading this [94:08] correctly, but I think it was [94:09] transferred from that intelligence [94:12] analyst who because it was vacant, I'm [94:14] assuming, moved over to Office of [94:17] Community Safety [94:18] >> for so I guess for what purpose was the [94:21] original transfer for? [94:22] >> The purpose was uh twofold. Um one was [94:27] to meet our target budget. Uh and then [94:30] the second one was just a overall um [94:34] directive that we have from the mayor um [94:36] not to lay anyone off. You know, 91% of [94:40] our budget is staff. Uh we don't really [94:44] have a lot of wiggle room. We've had $50 [94:48] uh,000 which I would say is more [94:50] discretionary where we use for supplies [94:53] um try to do um staff development [94:57] translation [94:59] uh for flyers and things like that. [95:01] Community engagement is what we used the [95:03] $50,000 for. So that was really [95:08] the discretionary spending we had. And [95:10] the other funds that we had within our [95:13] department were one-time funding. Uh [95:15] that funding included the um MPD [95:18] background checks, also included the um [95:22] late night safety planning. So there [95:24] there wasn't really any funding that we [95:27] could um [95:30] uh use in order to meet the uh targeted [95:33] budget. [95:34] >> Okay. So when that role was moved over [95:37] from MPD to your office this year, you [95:40] did not fill it. [95:42] >> That's correct. [95:42] >> Okay. And why was that that you decided [95:44] not to fill it? And I guess what was the [95:47] original intent of moving that over and [95:51] then you decided not to fill it? I see [95:53] >> the the intelligence position. [95:55] >> Correct. Yeah. [95:56] >> Through the chair. Um, council member uh [95:59] Kausski, [96:01] that transfer was made in order for us [96:05] to meet our t target. [96:07] >> Okay. For all the other spending. Okay. [96:09] Got it. All right. That's helpful. And [96:11] but now you're looking [96:11] >> It wasn't It wasn't um that position was [96:14] moved over that we were going to fill it [96:16] and use it for anything other than for [96:18] the budget. [96:19] >> Got it. That Okay. Sorry that clarify. [96:21] >> Maybe I wasn't clear. Sorry about that. [96:23] >> That's helpful. Um other question. So I [96:26] I understand that many departments are [96:28] moving um communications into we're you [96:32] know centralizing communications and in [96:34] that you have two senior project [96:38] managers. Can you that are moving over [96:41] um to the comm's team can you describe [96:45] or at least I'm looking now also at [96:47] their new org chart as well. So under [96:50] the office of community safety director, [96:53] there will be a media relations [96:54] coordinator, a senior project manager, a [96:56] senior project man, and then a strategic [96:58] communications coordinator. Can you just [97:00] tell me a little bit about what what do [97:03] the senior [97:05] what do the senior project managers do [97:07] currently for you and your comm's team [97:10] that will they now do on the [97:13] communications team [97:14] >> through the chair? Uh, Council Member [97:17] Kowski, you're talking specifically the [97:20] comm's folks that were under OCS, [97:23] >> correct? [97:23] >> Okay. Y [97:24] >> um there were um five positions under [97:29] OCS and you have to forgive me because I [97:32] don't remember who was the I remember [97:34] their names. I don't remember um when [97:37] you say project manager because those [97:40] descriptions are [97:42] used through human resources. Um uh and [97:46] I can just tell you what I believe um [97:50] the two positions that you're talking [97:52] about. I can kind of go through those. I [97:54] think one of them uh the positions that [97:56] you're talking about was program manager [98:00] um was probably Sarah's position, which [98:03] was our social media person for all of [98:07] our um [98:10] web page. um keeping up to date with um [98:14] all of our uh other departments to make [98:18] sure that we're really uh uniform in the [98:22] way we send out information, whether [98:25] that's by flyers or how we uh do [98:28] community engagements as far as um [98:32] newsletters. Um, like I said, making [98:35] sure that when we're doing those [98:37] engagements that we're doing that in [98:39] different languages and things like [98:41] that. So, that's part of her [98:43] description. Uh, I think the other what [98:46] you call program manager would have [98:49] probably been David's uh, spot where he [98:52] was um, [98:55] he's more in charge of uh, a lot of our [98:59] um, graphic and um, video that uh, was [99:04] put out by our departments. Um although [99:07] um [99:10] you might see um [99:13] a position like this with [99:16] uh MPD that's specific for MPD. We also [99:20] needed to support our other um [99:23] departments as well. Uh so a lot of this [99:26] proactive work that we're trying to do [99:30] for our first responders um [99:34] I guess things we haven't done before [99:37] like live stream our uh fire cadet [99:41] graduation for those folks who normally [99:44] uh were not able to attend. Um being [99:49] able to proactively [99:52] um you might have saw the story about [99:55] the saunas in the uh fire department do [99:58] some work like that. also uh they're [100:00] important to some of the recruitment [100:03] work that we've done. Both Sarah and [100:04] David has worked on MPD recruitment. [100:08] They they've been working on other [100:10] recruitments uh for the departments in [100:12] OCS. So hopefully that gives you some uh [100:15] insight into some of the work that [100:17] they've done. [100:18] >> Yes, I think that does. I think if we [100:20] can just do a follow-up memo, I think it [100:22] would be helpful to see just the job the [100:24] original job descriptions for those four [100:28] roles. So, it would be the media [100:30] relations coordinator, the senior [100:32] project managers. Those are that's [100:33] there's two of them. And then the [100:35] strategic communications coordinator. [100:37] Sure. So, we can just do a [100:38] >> follow up on that. Thank you. Um, and [100:41] then just last question. So I think I [100:44] believe that the budget shows that there [100:46] is an FTE being transferred from the [100:48] police department into OCS. Is that [100:52] correct? [100:53] >> That I believe would be that um [100:55] intelligent analyst position [100:58] >> that's used to meet the targeted budget. [101:00] Yes. Sorry. Through the chair. [101:02] >> Okay. Um Okay, then I think that answers [101:07] I think that answers my question then. I [101:09] was just curious how it was going to be [101:11] utilized. But All right. Thank you so [101:12] much. I appreciate it. [101:13] >> Thank you. [101:15] >> Thank you. I am not seeing anyone else [101:18] in queue. Thank you so much for coming [101:19] in to present your recommended 2026 [101:21] budget. I will direct the clerk to file [101:23] that report. And with that, we have [101:26] concluded all business to come before [101:27] the committee this morning. And um [101:31] seeing no objection, we will stand [101:36] adjourned until our next meeting, which [101:38] is Monday, September 29th at 10:00 a.m. [101:41] where we will receive departmental [101:43] budget presentations prepared by the [101:45] civil rights and public works uh [101:48] departments. Those presentations will be [101:50] available in limbs later this week. [101:52] Thank you everyone.