Minneapolis Offsets Cost Of 2019 Trump Rally

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Mayor Jacob Frey Thursday announced that Minneapolis can recover $100,000 for costs of providing municipal services during the Oct. 10 Donald Trump campaign rally held at Target Center.

Services provided by the city include traffic control and installation of temporary barriers. The operator of the Target Center has agreed to pay $100,000 to the city.

The settlement agreement will require City Council approval. According to Frey, the city is the first known locality to successfully offset the costs for a Trump campaign rally.

Some remaining expenditures for services rendered to protect First Amendment free speech and assembly rights are ineligible for reimbursement.

Frey supports congressional action to dedicate funding to Secret Service for reimbursement to local governments for the public safety services they request and amending federal campaign finance laws to mandate presidential candidates account for and address public safety invoices they receive from local governments.

"As we continue confronting extraordinary challenges at the local level, our federal leaders have the opportunity – and obligation – to stand up for taxpayers by ensuring they’re not left footing the bill for political events," said Frey in a news release. We have a duty to protect free speech regardless of the content, but we don’t have to subsidize it."

The payments, which will go into the city’s general fund, will be remitted over a period of three years. The city says it will work with Target Center operators to "avoid similar issues in the future."

"We are pleased to be able to assist the City in covering some of its costs in providing municipal services, and to provide input as to how city services for future campaign events will be handled. As operators of the Target Center, we never lose sight of our public partnership and how important the venue is to the taxpayers and the local economy," said Hugh Lombardi, Regional Vice President of ASM Global and General Manager of the Target Center.