Minneapolis Mayor Berates City Council Over Police Funding Cuts

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized the City Council after a committee removed $7.9 million from his proposed 2021 police budget. Council president Lisa Bender wants that money to go toward alternative public safety measures.

"Pre-emptively reducing the sworn capacity by 138 officers prior to having alternative responses in place or completing the mutually-agreed upon staffing study is irresponsible," Frey said in a statement.

"We’ve given the Council every opportunity to join us in a both-and approach that gives Chief Arradondo the flexibility he needs to move forward and ability to scale up new safety solutions. Last week, we joined private, faith, and community leaders to launch a new, $5 million initiative that would better integrate mental health and social services into our emergency response system. We continue to stand ready to collaborate and support the safety beyond policing initiatives, but I am actively considering a veto due to the massive, permanent cut to officer capacity."

Frey’s proposed $1.5 billion budget calls for a 5.75 percent maximum levy increase. According to city officials, because of an increase in the overall tax base growth, most Minneapolis home owners would see a decrease in their property tax bills.

The average home owner would see a $59 yearly decrease in their property bill.

The "Safety for All" budget plan — which was authored by council members Phillipe Cunningham, Steve Fletcher, and Lisa Bender — would divert funds away from the police and use them for violence prevention programs, police accountability efforts, and mental health crisis services:

• Mental Health Crisis Response and 911 Dispatch Training ($2.44 million)
• Invest in Alternative Responses ($1.49 million)
• Expanded Violence Prevention program1 ($2.03 million)
• Neighborhood Safety Organizing ($1.94 million)
• Police Accountability ($335,000)

Activist and advocacy groups, including the ACLU of Minnesota, praised the council's vote:

Calls to defund or dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department grew following the death of George Floyd.

The movement stalled in early August, however, when the city's Charter Commission voted to hit pause on an amendment that would dismantle and replace the city's police force. By a vote of 10-5, the group moved to take 90 more days to review it, meaning it wouldn't be November ballot as many activists had hoped.