In a lengthy and often tense Minneapolis City Council meeting Thursday, council members approved ordinances to decriminalize drug paraphernalia and extend the city’s eviction notice timeline.
The two new ordinances are subject to mayoral approval.
The council also left the leadership of the city’s Office of Community Safety uncertain. Mayor Jacob Frey has nominated current commissioner Todd Barnette to continue leading the office, and vetoed an earlier council vote to deny his reappointment; the council today failed to override that veto.
That leaves Barnette stuck in the nomination phase, while the council lacks the votes to either confirm him or deny him.
Community safety leadership remains in limbo
The future of the Minneapolis commissioner of community safety job remains up in the air, after the city council failed to override a mayoral veto on reappointing current commissioner Todd Barnette to the job.
It’s the latest complication in a debate between Mayor Jacob Frey and the progressive majority of the city council over leadership of the city’s public safety departments.
Frey nominated Barnette for another term on the job, in which he oversees the city’s police, fire and other public safety departments. Earlier this month, the council denied his reappointment, citing overspending in the police department and what some council members called a lack of progress on non-police public safety efforts.
Frey vetoed that council vote. The city council attempted to override that veto Thursday; it would have taken nine votes, or a two-thirds majority, to do so. The vote fell short, with seven council members voting to override and six against.
That leaves the future of the position up in the air. Barnette’s nomination still stands, but he can’t officially assume the position without an approval by the city council.
According to a memo from the city attorney’s office, the options now are for the council to vote to approve Barnette’s nomination, or for Frey to nominate a new candidate who can get approval from the council.
In a statement following the vote, Frey said he’ll keep pursuing the nomination.
“Commissioner Barnette is the right leader for this job. We’re going to work with the city council to make sure he can continue strengthening public safety in Minneapolis,” Frey said.
Under city law, Barnette can stay in the position until Aug. 3, regardless of whether he’s approved for another term.
Council extends eviction notice timeline, after Frey vetoed earlier attempt
The Minneapolis City Council has voted to extend the city’s eviction notice timeline – its second attempt this year to give tenants more time to catch up on rent.
The ordinance requires landlords to give tenants 45 days’ pre-eviction notice before officially filing for eviction, instead of 30 days as currently required.
Council member Aurin Chowdhury said it’ll help residents who lost income during the federal immigration enforcement surge get back on their feet, as some start returning to work.
“They're getting in a place where they're picking themselves back up and they're trying to make ends meet for themselves and their families. And we're saying with this ordinance, just give them an additional 15 days at the end of the month so they can get another paycheck,” Chowdhury said.
The council voted in March to extend the timeline to 60 days. But Mayor Jacob Frey vetoed that ordinance, citing concerns — also raised by some affordable housing providers — that the extension would send renters further into debt.
Opponents of that extension said the extra time would not necessarily help renters unless they had access to financial help, too. Frey proposed additional rental assistance, instead of an eviction extension.
But some experts say the extension is different this time around, because more financial help is now available.
The city has allocated $3.8 million so far in rental assistance, with a promise from the Wilson Foundation to match $3 million of that. Several community non-profits are partnering with Hennepin County to take applications for those funds and get them to renters.
Hoang Murphy is the president and CEO of People Serving People, a homeless shelter in the Twin Cities. He had cautioned the city not to pass the earlier eviction timeline extension – but he said he’s supporting it this time, now that the council has passed funding.
“Now that there is more money, there must be additional time to make sure that landlords like myself also get paid, and so that families then also get enough time so that they can actually get those dollars,” Murphy said.
Residents raising funds for mutual aid to help people pay rent also told the council they need more time to get money into renters’ hands, as donations slow down.
Eviction rates went up across the state in March, according to a report from the tenant advocacy group Homeline — with a particular jump in Minneapolis. Homeline’s report noted that several factors could have contributed to that uptick. The organization has been supportive of eviction extensions, citing conversations with residents who say they’re struggling to pay rent due to the immigration enforcement surge.
The ordinance passed 8-5, with nearly the same votes as last month’s attempt to extend the timeline.
A spokesperson for Frey said he will take a few days to review the proposed extension.
“Eviction moratoriums and pauses have led to worse outcomes in the past, and [Frey] is committed to exploring all options to ensure the best possible outcome for the community,” the spokesperson said.
The city now has applications for that assistance available on its website. To qualify, renters must live in the city, make less than 30 percent of the area median income and have received a pre-eviction filing notice. So far, $2 million is available for distribution.
Council approves decriminalization of drug paraphernalia
The council passed a policy decriminalizing drug paraphernalia, with a 7-6 vote.
Under the new ordinance, people would not face criminal charges for carrying items associated with drug use, including needles.
Council member Jason Chavez, who voted for the policy, said it’s aimed at encouraging people to seek treatment for addiction, without fear that they’ll get in trouble for carrying needles and other drug paraphernalia.
“It is good policy that will have positive public health and public safety outcomes, policy that will have tangible impact on some of the most vulnerable neighbors among us,” Chavez said.
The policy came to the council on the recommendation of addiction outreach workers in the city. Jay Orne, who works with the Aliveness Project on harm reduction, said in a statement that criminalizing drug paraphernalia makes people hesitant to seek treatment, out of fear that they will get in trouble.
“This repeal will help us create real pathways into care instead of punishment,” Orne said.
Council members opposing the measure said they worry that decriminalizing paraphernalia would lead to more public drug use.
Council member LaTrisha Vetaw, who voted against the measure, said she believes it’s not a bad policy, but that she’s heard concerns from constituents who don’t understand what the policy will do.
“There's a lot of people who have had some traumatic experiences in their neighborhoods, in their businesses, at their neighborhood parks, and they're not understanding what we're doing here,” Vetaw said.
The ordinance will now go to Mayor Jacob Frey’s desk for a signature or veto. Earlier this week, Frey said he has concerns about the policy.
“We need a comprehensive approach to public safety,” Frey said. “It includes harm reduction work. But we know that a critical component of that balance is also law enforcement.”
