The Minneapolis City Council has gone and done it again: Wasted staff time and taxpayers’ money. Your money.
On Thursday, February 27, the Council overrode a veto by Mayor Jacob Frey regarding the redevelopment of George Floyd Square. The mayor responded to the action in his weekly newsletter. You could just about see the steam coming from his ears.
“The Council’s decision is a betrayal of the community’s wishes and a colossal waste of time and tax dollars,” the mayor wrote. “Why the Council is content to let this site sit idle, without any meaningful development and no legitimate plan, is beyond me.”
It’s been five years since George Floyd died near the corner of 38th and Chicago. Five years since anything but a raised fist has marked the site. Whether or not you knew Floyd, liked him or disliked him, sided with him or the cops, five years is a long time to spend debating how to commemorate an historic event, one that sent shockwaves not only across Minneapolis, but across the world.
With the council’s override, a lot of money has gone down the drain: $2.23 million spent on staff time to prepare and hold community listening sessions to find out what people in the area — residents and businesses — want. People were clear about their intentions and ideas, and city planners took those intentions and ideas and drew up a plan.
Public Works Director Tim Sexton was quoted in the mayor’s letter: “Our staff worked tirelessly for years to engage community members and develop a flexible-open concept that balances reverence for George Floyd Square with community needs for transit, emergency services and flexible space for gatherings.”
The plan called for green stormwater systems, upgraded street lighting, new sidewalks and bike lanes, replacement of lead drinking water pipes in the area, green spaces and planted boulevards, restored Metro Transit service on one of the city’s busiest routes and expanded areas for future memorials and art installations. Sounds pretty nice for an area that’s gotten pretty beat up over the years.
The Council wants a pedestrian mall, something nearby business owners object to. (State law requires 50% approval from area businesses for a mall to be built.) They have yet to bring forward a plan for such a mall. As of this writing there are no drawings, no cost estimates, nada.
The Council’s override would push back construction at George Floyd Square from this year to next, and add another $500,000 to the price. It’s another bill we, the taxpayers, will have to foot.
For the record, here’s how the voting went down:
Veto override: Koski, Cashman, Chavez, Wonsley, Ellison, Osman, Chowdhury, Payne, Chughtai.
Against: Rainville, Vetaw, Jenkins, Palmisano.
A lot of time and money was spent over the decision of whether to reopen the Third Precinct building at 3000 Minnehaha Ave. or purchase another building for a police station in the area. Ultimately, the City purchased a building at 2633 Minnehaha for $10 million for the cops and allocated $1.5 million to do additional cleanup and stabilization work at 3000 Minnehaha, which has sat in ruins since 2020. It’s slated to become the Democracy Center, moving Elections and Voter Services from Northeast.
These aren’t the only times the City Council has spent money foolishly. Remember last year’s Uber/Lyft debacle? It took the Minnesota Legislature to resolve the conflict.
These City Hall Neros and their “my-way-or-the-highway” politics don’t do the city any good. They’re too easily attracted by the siren calls of single-minded activists. They don’t have the city’s best interests at heart. Their constant fiddling with our tax dollars needs to stop.
The entire Minneapolis City Council and the mayor will be up for reelection this fall. If you don’t like how your tax dollars have been spent, you know what to do on Nov. 4.