Charter Commission defers technical and government-structure charter changes after packed public hearing

The Minneapolis Charter Commission on May 6 closed a long, often tense public hearing on proposed 2026 amendments and voted to send disputed technical changes to the Civil Service provisions and the broader government-structure package back to work groups for further study.

The hearing, held at Minneapolis City Hall and broadcast with real-time captioning, drew a steady stream of residents, union representatives and city employees. Chair Peter Ginder opened the meeting, reviewed the commission’s decade-long work on the charter and explained the two-step decision the commission faces: whether to place combined or separated amendments on the 2026 ballot or to send them to the city council. "These hearings are being recorded and broadcast," Ginder said as he opened public testimony.

Many speakers urged the commission not to treat sweeping civil-service changes as "technical." Lydia Boulder, a Ward 5 resident, told commissioners that the ballot language must be explicit. "The ballot language cannot hide behind vague phrasing," Boulder said, urging the commission to plainly state whether the amendment would "remove the city council's authority to confirm the mayor's department appointments." Lindsey Silas, president of the Minneapolis Professional Employees Association, told the commission the proposed…