Several Minneapolis city council members have come out against a plan to spend $40 million on a training and wellness center for police and first responders.
The proposal by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is on the table now, with a vote is scheduled for March 24.
Eighth Ward Councilmember Soren Stevenson says there are more important needs to help the community.
"George Floyd Square, when are we going to invest there? This new Nicollet project where the old Kmart used to be, we need to invest there, repairing bridges," Stevenson explained. "There are so many things, filling potholes, that our city needs to be doing with $40 million and this is simply not it."
The mayor and other supporters say the proposed police training center is needed because current facilities are outdated.
“We are committed to ensuring that our community safety personnel have access to high-quality training and wellness resources to serve the public effectively and safely," Commissioner Todd Barnette, Minneapolis Office of Community Safety, said in a statement. "We have all been recent witnesses to the importance of having properly trained law enforcement officers. This is a long-term investment in the people who serve our community every day, helping with safer responses and stronger coordination. I have been very clear in my conversations with all council members that this one-stop training and wellness center addresses critical facility gaps for all of the City’s community safety departments.”
But ward 10 Councilmember Aisha Chugtai would rather see city funds spent on infrastructure issues.
"In my five years at City Hall, I have over and over again approached public works and city administration to talk about how we fix this block," she said. "And the number one piece of pushback I receive is, 'well, it's gonna cost a few million dollars, and that's not money we have right now.' As it turns out, we do."
The City Council vote on the proposal paving the way for a police training and wellness center would also need about $20 million in state bonded money before they break ground.
Additional Background (Provided by the City of Minneapolis)
- The Community Safety Training and Wellness Center helps the City meet the terms of the MDHR Settlement Agreement and the DOJ Consent Decree, as adopted by Mayor Frey’s executive order, more quickly.
- This project has been part of the City’s capital budget plan since 2021 and part of the City Council-approved 2026 legislative agenda
- It fulfills several key recommendations from the Minneapolis Safe and Thriving Communities Plan.
- It will strengthen emergency response capabilities, improve cross-department training and coordination, and support the physical and mental well-being of the community safety professionals who serve Minneapolis residents every day.
- Our current facilities have been shown by assessments to be outdated and insufficient.
COST
- We are asking the City Council to reallocate $6M in capital budget funds so that we can purchase the property in 2026.
- Capital dollars CANNOT be used for operations, so the notion that purchasing the property would somehow detract from the City’s response to Operation Metro Surge is not only misleading but also not possible
- The remaining cost of the facility is already programmed into future years of the City’s capital budget and we are hopeful for State funding for the facility, which the City Council unanimously approved as a top bonding priority in our 2026 legislative agenda.
Some on the council say the money needs to be spent elsewhere to help the community
Some on the council say the money needs to be spent elsewhere to help the community
