Committee approves consent agenda including settlements and contract amendments

The Enterprise and Labor Relations Committee of the City of Minneapolis approved its consent agenda during a July 20 meeting, adopting multiple contract amendments, bid awards and legal settlements and forwarding items for further action.

Chair Linnea Palmisano moved the consent agenda, which listed a staff direction for the city clerk's office on legislative process reform; the low bid for a fire-department training apparatus expansion; a contract amendment with Sean Lundquist Associates for a city-hall restock project; a contract amendment with Saba Software (doing business as Saba Software Canada Inc.) for enterprise performance management support; and several legal settlements, including claims by Cameron Cicchini and a workers'comp matter involving Terrence Floyd. The consent list also included a claim related to the Convention Center against Northern States Power Company (doing business as Xcel Energy) and a resolution related to refund bond issuance for outstanding capital improvement bonds.

Palmisano, who opened the meeting, said the package reflects routine administrative and fiscal items. "Better processes lead to better policy," she said, explaining the committee's approach to the items on consent.

The committee approved the consent agenda by voice vote; the transcript records the chair moving the items and members responding "Aye," after which the chair stated the motion carries. Several items on the consent list will move forward to city council or to the responsible departments for implementation or further review.

The committee also asked staff to provide research and recommendations on legislative process reform as part of the consent-direction item; that separate effort was described by the chair as a multi-step review that will return to committee for further consideration.