Committee approves consent agenda including grants, contracts and settlements

The Minneapolis Administration and Enterprise Oversight Committee approved a consent agenda with multiple items on Sept. 29, including grant applications, contract awards and legal settlements.

Items on the consent agenda included: a gift acceptance from the Milan Urban Food Pact Global Forum providing airfare and lodging for a five-day trip for Lisonbee Babb; a grant application to the Minnesota secretary of state for accessibility improvements at polling places; a Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety grant for a traffic safety resource prosecutor to support drug evaluation and classification work; updates to partnership engagement fund contracts (including East Phillips Improvement Coalition as fiscal agent for a bike-based sculpture art project); a contract with GovWorks for real-time quality-assurance software for 911; USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry grants contracts for tree outreach; and several contract amendments and bids including for Hennepin Avenue South Street reconstruction, public art conservation, City Hall restack phase 3C, hazardous tree removal, merchant card services and storm-main televising.

The agenda also included several legal settlements: a charge-of-discrimination case before the Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights, Liberty Mutual Insurance v. City of Minneapolis, and multiple workers’ compensation settlements. Item 18 on the agenda set a public hearing for a professional services contracts ordinance for Oct. 14.

Vice Chair Lene Palmisano moved the consent agenda for approval and noted in committee remarks that the Department of Public Safety grant would support prosecution expertise in driving-while-impaired cases. Palmisano also objected in general terms to how some partnership engagement funds are distributed but said this particular item to add a fiscal agent was appropriate and she would vote to approve.

The motion carried unanimously. Committee members present included Council Member Payne, Council Member Vita, Council Member Cashman, Council Member Chagtay and Vice Chair Palmisano.