Move to disband Minneapolis Police one step closer to November ballot
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Backers of a proposed charter amendment to disband the Minneapolis Police Department and replace it with a new public safety division are one step closer to getting their proposal on the ballot this November.
What's happening: The "Yes 4 Minneapolis" campaign submitted more than 20,000 voter signatures to the city Friday — at least 8,000 more than the 11,906 needed to qualify for the November ballot.
The details: In addition to creating the new department, the charter amendment would remove the city's current population-based mandatory minimum for sworn police officers.
- Power to direct the city's public safety division would shift from the mayor to the 13-member City Council.
What's next: City officials will review the petitions to ensure enough signatures are valid to hit the required threshold. The submission also triggers a number of administrative steps:
- The Charter Commission will meet this week to accept the petitions.
- The City Council will get to work with the city attorney on preparing the actual language voters will encounter on the ballot.
- Once approved by the City Council, Mayor Jacob Frey decides whether to sign or veto the language. Frey can't nix the proposal, just the language itself.
The timeline: All the above steps much be completed by late August.
The bottom line: Assuming it clears the necessary hurdles, the public safety amendment will be one of a number of consequential measures up for a vote this November.
- The Charter Commission has already approved its own proposal to give the mayor more power in city government.
- Two rent control measure are also in the works.