Maplewood council vets Prop M communications plan as city prepares bond election for city hall, police upgrades

The Maplewood City Council used its Nov. 11, 2025 work session to review the communications plan for Proposition M, a proposed bond measure that would fund renovations to city hall and improvements to the police department.

Staff said the city is using a communications consultant to shape messaging and materials and acknowledged some minor schedule delays. “We did ask specifically for messaging to respond to what we expect will be sort of negative or contrary viewpoints that we might receive,” the Clerk said, describing a draft FAQ provided by the consultant.

Council members pressed staff to include measurable benchmarks, particularly related to the police department. Chief Nyberg described operational advantages from consolidating space and returning evidence storage on-site, and flagged an example benchmark: reducing the time officers are off the street when they must travel to Richmond Heights for processing. “If you're all aware, we have to go to Richmond Heights…so there's two officers for an extended period of time, whereas we can process in our own city and facility,” Chief Nyberg said.

Nyberg also offered an estimate for training and outfitting a new officer: “With the uniforms and everything, I mean, you're in a time allotted, you know, close to $10,000, I think,” he said. Council members cited such figures when discussing recruitment and retention benefits tied to improved facilities.

Council members and staff discussed outreach tactics. Staff proposed presenting council with a list of key community stakeholders for one-on-one conversations to answer questions in advance of the mailer distribution, which the Clerk said will be residents’ first broad introduction to the project. Several council members recommended starting those one-on-ones sooner rather than later to avoid misinformation spreading on social media.

Several speakers emphasized legal limits on the use of city resources. A council member asked for assurance that the city’s official messaging would remain educational and nonadvocative; one council member clarified that individual council members, as private citizens, may advocate as they choose but must not use city resources to do so. “If you as an individual during those conversations want to express your support or opposition to the measure, you can do that. But that's as you as an individual and not the city staking out,” the council member said.

Staff outlined next steps: finalize messaging with the consultant, prepare the website and mailer materials, pass an ordinance to call the bond election that evening’s regular meeting, and hold an open house early next year to gather public feedback. No formal vote on Prop M occurred during the work session.

The work session ended with a motion to adjourn; the mayor announced the council would reconvene at 7:00 p.m. for the regular meeting.