St. Louis Park council unanimously adopts MOU to join regional coalition addressing Operation Metro Surge impacts

St. Louis Park City Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution approving a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to join the Cities for Safe and Stable Communities Minnesota coalition, the mayor announced at the start of the meeting.

The measure, introduced as agenda item 7a, formalizes cooperation among metro-area cities that council members said have been informally coordinating on advocacy related to the effects of what they referred to as "Operation Metro Surge." "One city can be ignored, but not all of us," Mayor Mohammed said, describing the coalition's cross-party membership and its goal of amplifying shared concerns to state and federal officials.

Council members said the coalition brings together roughly 30 cities. During discussion a council member asked about the cost of shared Momentum Advocacy representation; the question prompted differing figures in the record. One council member said, "I think it was $42,000 or so." City staff responded, "it's a flat fee of $10,000 a month for Momentum Advocacy services," to be split among member cities, and another council member summarized the packet as showing about $45,000 total, which he calculated as roughly a $1,500 per-city investment. The council did not adopt an allocation formula during the meeting; staff said the city's share should be small when split among the member cities.

A council member moved to adopt the resolution; Council member Bayshore seconded. Speakers at the meeting said the coalition's work will include coordinated advocacy in Washington, D.C., and that members intend to press for federal and state assistance tied to economic and community impacts. One council member said the coalition hopes its work will include seeking an apology for harms from Operation Metro Surge.

The council voted without recorded opposition; roll call earlier in the meeting recorded five members present and the resolution "passes unanimously," the mayor said. The council did not specify an effective date for any pledged actions beyond joining the coalition.

After the vote, members discussed upcoming travel to Washington, D.C., noting five council members will attend a congressional conference to meet with federal representatives about city projects. The meeting closed with a pair of announcements: the mayor invited residents to an Iftar dinner organized by St. Louis Park High School's SOAR program and the Muslim Student Association, scheduled to begin at about 6 p.m., and a resident asked a question that the mayor said could be pursued offline. The mayor then adjourned the meeting.

Next steps identified on the record: the city is now a party to the coalition MOU as approved; staff will participate in Momentum Advocacy coordination and the council will participate in planned delegation activity in Washington, D.C. No allocation formula for the coalition fee was finalized during the meeting.