Minneapolis City Council members will take another two weeks to review a contract agreement that would give police officers raises and $7,000 payments, saying they want to better understand the terms of the deal and give residents a chance to share their thoughts.
"I want to make sure that there is transparency in how we're discussing this item," said Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, who chairs the Policy & Government Oversight Committee, where the agreement was scheduled for discussion on Monday. "I want to make sure that we're not rushing this process."
Council is now set to discuss the matter March 22. For the agreement to take effect, it requires approval from both the City Council and Mayor Jacob Frey, who supports the terms. Ellison said the police union had already voted to approve the deal.
City officials have not released a copy of the full agreement with the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis, only a summary of it. The new agreement includes clauses that would boost pay for officers and make some changes to discipline procedures.
Minneapolis police have been working under a contract that expired at the end of 2019. This latest agreement, if approved, would cover 2020 through 2022, and a new negotiation would be needed for 2023-2025.
According to the summary, officers would receive a 1% raise to wages and longevity pay for 2020, a 1.5% raise for 2021, and a 2.5% increase for 2022 — the bulk of which would be paid out retroactively. It also includes a 2.5% "market adjustment" effective at the beginning of this year and an additional 1% adjustment beginning Dec. 31.
City spokesman Casper Hill said they are still calculating how that would impact individual officers' salaries. The city's latest job postings have cadets starting at $21.46 per hour, while officers coming from other departments could receive between $31.45 and $40.74 per hour.
The new agreement also calls for "incentive" payments for both new and current officers. New hires would receive $3,500 after they complete field training and another $3,500 after they finish their probationary period. Current officers would receive $3,500 after the contract receives final approval and an additional $3,500 if they "remain on duty" until at least Dec. 31.
The city has not released the full costs of the deal. Hill said they were covered in the 2022 budget. City officials in December approved a roughly $191 million budget for the city's Police Department, returning its funding to nearly the level it held before George Floyd was killed in 2020.
The agreement would also require officers to undergo a mental health screening before returning to work following a "critical incident" — when they are seriously harmed or seriously harm or kill someone else. The agreement also gives the chief "increased authority" to determine where officers should be stationed after they return from a critical incident.
"This will allow for the chief to evaluate if there would be a negative impact to the community or the officer if they were returned to the same bid assignment," Hill said.
The summary also says the agreement includes "clarification of discipline language for personnel with rights to return to the bargaining unit," but didn't provide further details.
