Minneapolis City Council asks public to weigh in on police union contract

CATHY WURZER: In a city struggling to maintain police officer staffing levels, the Minneapolis City Council is holding public hearings on a tentative union contract that would make Minneapolis officers some of the highest paid in the state. Despite pressure from the mayor and his allies to quickly approve the contract, council members want the public to have time to consider whether the city is getting enough reforms to make up for the additional $20 million it will cost over the next two years. Jon Collins reports on the nearly four hour meeting last night.

JON COLLINS: The new contract between the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis and the city was negotiated over the last 10 months. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he's optimistic the contract will pass, but that he wants to be certain he has the votes on the council.

JACOB FREY: It is a good contract. It is filled with some really important changes that give the chief the managerial oversight to actually make the change that we all have talked about.

JON COLLINS: The tentative contract approved by officers would grant them a 21.7% increase in wages over the three years of the contract. That means a recruit enrolled in the department's academy will earn starting pay of at least $41.62 an hour, or about $85,000 a year. Frey says that high pay is justified because of the tireless work of officers in the department, which has struggled to keep up staffing since George Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. Council President Elliott Payne says it's an open question whether the raises for Minneapolis officers are justified by the reforms in the contract.

ELLIOTT PAYNE: What has this department done from a performance perspective to earn that high salary? One thing that I'm prioritizing is reform, and there's a price for that.

JON COLLINS: The contract would give Chief Brian O'Hara more authority to assign work, fill vacant positions, and discipline officers after allegations of serious misconduct. He'd also be able to hire civilian employees into investigatory roles. O'Hara said during last night's meeting that it would free up sworn officers to respond to emergency calls. Budget Committee Chair Aisha Chughtai said the city's estimated additional costs for the new contract are projected to be $9.2 million next year and $10.6 million in 2026, which does not include the costs for retroactive pay for officers who have left the department.

Some council members have opposed the mayor's plan to pay for the contract. He wants to reallocate state public safety funding from areas like truth and reconciliation programs, cultural ambassadors, and the city's gun violence collaboration. Chughtai called the mayor's proposed use of one time money for the contract irresponsible. She's putting together a proposal to redirect funds from departments that have unspent money in their budgets.

AISHA CHUGHTAI: Mayor Frey and his administration brought forward a proposal that defunds comprehensive public safety in order to pay for this federation contract.

JON COLLINS: The contract was originally expected to be considered by the full council this week, but it was delayed to allow two public hearings to take place before a final vote on July 18th. Council member Jeremiah Ellison says he's encouraged by lots of provisions in the contract, but he says it's important that the public has the opportunity to evaluate it.

JEREMIAH ELLISON: We want to make sure that we're not ceding any ground and that we're not failing the public by not having the strongest possible contract that we can have.

JON COLLINS: Last night's public hearing included a presentation by Stacey Gurian-Sherman of Minneapolis For A Better Police Contract. She says they're tired of hearing that the city's hands are tied by the police contract.

STACEY GURIAN-SHERMAN: The contract is a viable tool. It has not been used. We got 22% wage increases. We do not have proportional benefits. The fact that it is so uneven shocks the conscience.

JON COLLINS: The next public hearing on the Minneapolis police contract is scheduled for July 8th. Jon Collins, MPR news, Minneapolis.