Minneapolis City Council reopens 2026 budget, approves three amendments after 9–3 reconsideration

Minneapolis — The Minneapolis City Council moved on Dec. 16 to reopen its recently adopted 2026 general appropriation resolution, voting 9–3 to reconsider the package and then approving three targeted amendments to the budget.

Council President Elliot Payne opened the adjourned session and the City Clerk explained that the council had adopted the budget on Dec. 9 and that the mayor had returned some items signed and others unsigned, which by charter makes them deemed approved. Vice President Chuck Tye moved to reconsider the general appropriation resolution "to make 3 amendments," and the motion was seconded and placed on the floor.

Why it matters: The amendments include a technical language change for the nonfatal shooting task force, a reallocation that changes how $1,400,000 for emergency housing vouchers will be funded, and clarifying language for civilian investigator positions. The funding change shifts $1,000,000 from the Health Department and reappropriates existing resources (including a clerk's office overage and an existing city attorney source) to reach $1,400,000 for voucher implementation; Vice President Tye said the mayor provided a written, three‑year commitment to implement the vouchers.

Council debate focused on whether the negotiated, publicly debated budget should be reopened and whether the funding shift from ongoing dollars to a mix of one‑time and committed funds risks future layoffs and a "fiscal cliff." Council Member Palmisano argued for honoring the prior negotiated deal, saying, "The mayor signed this budget in good faith." Council Member Chavez said she would support reconsideration but warned that a letter commitment by the mayor was an incomplete substitute for sustained, ongoing funding: "I will be supporting the reconsideration, but I will be loud and clear that I am not happy that this is happening." Council Member Wansley said converting ongoing funding to one‑time resources could put "up to 150 families" at risk in later years and said she would not support reconsideration unless she saw durable funding.

The procedural votes: After a brief recess, the council reconvened and the clerk called the roll. The motion to reconsider passed, 9 ayes to 3 nays (with Council Members Osman, Koski and Wansley recorded as nays). With reconsideration adopted, the council took up the three amendments together and approved them on a roll call recorded as 11 ayes (Wansley was marked absent for that vote). The City Clerk then said the budget packet adopted on Dec. 9 was complete with the three changes, and the council adjourned for the holiday break.

What the amendments do: According to the materials distributed at the meeting and Vice President Tye's summary, one amendment replaces wording in the nonfatal shooting task force line to reflect support for the administration's implementation plan rather than specific staffing language; another changes the approach to funding emergency housing vouchers by substituting $1,000,000 from the Health Department and reappropriated balances to reach a $1,400,000 implementation figure while attaching a three‑year mayoral commitment; and the third makes editorial clarifications to civilian investigator language as approved by the city attorney's office.

Next steps: The council has adopted the budget as amended; the amendments include a written mayoral commitment to support emergency housing voucher implementation for three years, but several council members said they will closely monitor implementation and future budgets for evidence the administration follows through. The meeting concluded with the clerk stating that all business was complete and the council adjourned.

Quotes used in this article come from remarks recorded in the council's Dec. 16 adjourned meeting transcript.