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Minneapolis council members may delay police contract
Some Minneapolis City Council members want to push final vote to July 18.
MINNEAPOLIS — A final vote on the new Minneapolis Police contract had been set for June 27, but some city council members are pressing to push that out to July 18 so that more community groups will have a chance to weigh in on it.
Ward 2 Council Member Robin Wonsley told reporters Tuesday she had originally pledged to hold two public hearings on the new contract with the Minneapolis Police Federation, and she wanted to stick with that.
“My intention in this process is for there to be clear communication to the residents about what is and what is not included in this contract, the implications of any proposed changes or the lack thereof,” Wonsley explained.
The Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee that Wonsley chairs was already set to hold a public hearing Tuesday night. She proposed holding a second public meeting on the contract July 8 leading up to a final council vote July 18.
“This gives the public about three weeks to sit with the contract, sit with the information that’s presented, and to provide public comment.”
Council President Elliott Payne, appearing with Wonsley, noted that the Minneapolis City Council can’t negotiate different contract language.
“We don’t get to negotiate the details of the contract. It’s an up or down vote,” Payne told reporters.
“If we vote it up that means it gets enacted and we put it in play. If we vote it down, it goes back to negotiation.”
Mayor Jacob Frey told reporters there’s no need to postpone action, noting that the process has been the very transparent and the terms of the deal were published June 7.
“A delay is not the right move, especially right now. There has been time. Council members have been able to weigh in,” Frey remarked.
“We have 136 officers who could retire at any moment. The police officers have already waited, now a year for this new contract.”
The mayor was flanked by Ward 3 Council Member Michael Rainwater and Ward 13 Council Member Linnea Palmisano, who said there’s no need slow things down this far into the process.
“I’m eager to get started. I’m eager to get those management rights back. I’m eager to have the opportunity to have competitive wages for our law enforcement, for their recruitment efforts,” Palmisano said.
The contract calls for a 21 percent increase in base pay across three years, which would be retroactive to January of 2023 when last contract expired.
By July of 2025, starting pay would range from $41 per hour for new recruits — $85,000 per year — all the way to $72 per hour for veterans at the very top of the pay scale.
The contract would also give Chief Brian O’Hara new management powers previous chiefs have lacked, specifically more control over staffing decisions.
“The chief has the ability to place officers where he needs them, and when he needs them there,” Frey said.
“Most people would’ve thought that’s an authority the chief already had. It wasn’t.”
The mayor was flanked by Ward 3 Council Member Michael Rainwater and Ward 13 Council Member Linnea Palmisano, who said there’s no need slow things down this far into the process.
“I’m eager to get started. I’m eager to get those management rights back. I’m eager to have the opportunity to have competitive wages for our law enforcement, for their recruitment efforts,” Palmisano said.
The city is down more than 300 officers from where it was before the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd.
Ward 5 Council Member Jeremiah Ellison said there are many unanswered questions about how the city budget will absorb the new costs, and what the impact will be in the long run on the city’s property taxpayers.
“It’s not a matter of do these officers deserve increased pay. It’s more a matter of, is it fair to every worker in the city, is it on pace with that, and how do we pay for that? How do we afford it.”
The city is down more than 300 officers from where it was before the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd.
Some council members want more specific language around policing reforms inside the contract, but Frey those are part of processes in place outside of the agreement with the police union.
According to the release, deputies arrived at the scene and rescued all four of the hunters, who were treated for hypothermia exposure.
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Minn. — The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is reminding all watercraft users about the importance of life jackets after a boat carrying two adults and two children capsized.
The group of four was rescued after the county’s water patrol boat and dive team airboat were sent to the scene near Bird Lake in Osaki Township on Saturday, according to a release from the office.
It was reported to responding units that the parties were having a “difficult time” staying afloat because their waders had filled with water.
According to the release, deputies arrived at the scene and rescued all four of the hunters, who were treated for hypothermia exposure.
None of the adults or children were wearing lifejackets and there were not enough life jackets for all of the craft’s occupants, according to the statement.
“Hopefully, this call will serve as a reminder for all watercraft users to wear life jackets (or have them immediately accessible), have all children wear life jackets, and to have a life jacket for each occupant. Please do not sacrifice safety when participating in outdoor activities such as waterfowl hunting. Drowning is the leading cause of death for waterfowl hunters,” said the statement.
For decades the area sat idle, polluted by heavy metals from the U.S. Steel Plant. Now, it has a new life and the process took a lot of effort and collaboration.
DULUTH, Minn. — From polluted to pristine. This is a story of a new waterfront recreation area in Duluth that opened, or rather reopened, this summer.
It took millions of dollars, coordinated efforts, and lots of hard work to help it come back to life.
“I think we’re all proud of what this has become,” said Cliff Knettel with Duluth Parks and Recreation.
Cliff is talking about Spirit Lake in the St. Louis River area of Duluth. It’s likely you haven’t visited before, because there wasn’t much to see. Long ago it was a stopping point for the Anishinaabe people. It became a central part of trading and led to the industrialization of the city of Duluth.
Along with that came U.S. Steel. The company operated a plant there until 1981. However, decades of production contaminated the water and land with heavy metals, putting the St. Louis River on the EPA’s area of concern list.
In 2010, through the Great Lakes Legacy Act, a plan was hatched to clean it up.
“All in, it was $185 million to get through all those phases of design, investigation, feasibility, actually implementing, so it’s a very large investment from EPA and US steel, those are the two entities that were contributing financially,” said Mark Loomis, with the U.S. EPA – Great Lakes National Program Office.
Remediation started in 2020. Dredging, capping and restoring habitat all while maintaining water depth for the fisheries. Loomis said the work was nearly 24/7 for 38 months.
“We built over two miles of trails, ADA accessible, dedicated fishing areas, pause points, there’s a landing area for kayaks,” he said. “There was a large area, actually a mud flat, that we actually excavated, removed material to create open water. It’s a very unique part of this project.”
The city of Duluth owns much of the shoreline and this project has opened up access for many people who didn’t have it before. If you’re not familiar with the area, this is on the west side of town, not near the lakefront.
“We’re actually working with the St. Louis River alliance and our own parks and rec staff to offer programs that we couldn’t offer before like fishing, like paddling, like nature hikes, like educational opportunities, so those are happening right now and we’re super excited about that,” said Knettel.
The cleanup will eventually lead to the St. Louis River being delisted as an area of concern, but the biggest win for those involved is seeing the space go back to what it should be.
“Watching the people come back to the site, kind of breathing life into it and the river is there and wildlife is responding. Those are the things that really kind of drive me professionally and personally,” said Loomis.
The E.P.A. said it worked closely with tribal communities to preserve the cultural significance during the project. Signage that explains the history and process of the project will go up next summer.
A package delivered to the St. Paul office prompted an evacuation on Friday afternoon.
ST PAUL, Minn. — A day after a “suspicious mailing” forced the office of the Minnesota secretary of state to evacuate, officials released information about what was inside the box.
According to information from the office of Steve Simon, a nonhazardous white powdered substance was inside the package. The substance was tested by both the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). It was ruled nonhazardous.
MDH is running additional tests.
Multiple agencies, including the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Minnesota State Patrol, are investigating.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon issued the following statement on Saturday:
“We are thankful for the quick response by our law enforcement partners to ensure the staff members working in our office were safe. We are also grateful to the Minnesota Department of Health, which completed the initial analysis late into the evening on September 27.
Fear and intimidation of election workers will not be tolerated. New laws enacted in 2023 make it very clear that it is a crime to intimidate election workers and interfere with the administration of an election. Our focus remains on delivering a free, fair, accurate, and secure election for Minnesotans.”
On Friday, around two dozen people were evacuated from the building around noon. According to a news release, the package was addressed to the office with a return address to the “United States Traitor Elimination Army.”
The Minnesota Secretary of State is responsible for overseeing the state’s elections. State officials said several other Secretaries of State and state election officials received similar suspicious packages earlier this month.
