Minneapolis City Council overrides Mayor Frey's veto of city budget he called "problematic"
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday vetoed a new budget that he said will fund "pet projects" and will cost the city more money in the long run. A day later, the City Council overrode Frey's veto.
Just after midnight Wednesday, the City Council approved a roughly $1.9 billion budget, with more than 70 changes to the mayor's original proposal. The council then voted 9-4 on Thursday to overturn Frey's nixing.
"Mayor Frey is the first in this City's modern history, if ever, to veto a city budget," Council member Emily Koski, who has announced herself as a challenger to Frey in the next mayoral election, said in a statement. "This is not an accomplishment, an act of leadership, or something he should be proud of—it's a complete and total failure, and an act of reckless self-promotion at the cost of responsible governance."
"Today's override is disappointing, yet entirely predictable," Frey said in a statement. "This budget is completely irresponsible. It adds millions in unnecessary spending and slashes critical needs, including encampment response, police recruitment, and basic city services—all while putting our City on an unsustainable financial path. Taxpayers will inevitably bear the cost, but our City and incredible staff will find a way through."
Frey called the budget "the most irresponsible" in city history when he announced his veto.
"This budget is incredibly problematic. It is reckless, it is irresponsible," said Frey.
The city budget cuts needs and adds wants, Frey said in a press conference late Wednesday afternoon.
"The council's budget that they just passed adds $6.5 million of spending when we don't have money to add," said Frey.
According to city officials, the budget would delay public works projects, like street repairs, and affect the ability to respond to and prevent homeless encampments. It would also gut the Minneapolis Police Department's campaign to recruit officers, Frey said, while increasing property taxes for years to come.
"It's not a pet project to say, 'We need to continue senior transportation and ensure that 800-plus rides, that some of our most vulnerable residents rely on, continue.' It's not a pet project to say, 'We're going to support local businesses that have fallen on hard times,'" said Council Member Aurin Chowdhury.
City Council members said the budget goes toward an investment in public health in all ways: targeting homelessness through vouchers to get families into permanent homes, providing forgivable loans to revitalize Uptown, and funding crime prevention specialists, among other items.
Council President Elliott Payne called Frey's veto "absurd."
"The fact that the Mayor is willing to risk the jobs of over 4,000 City employees and the reduction of basic City services in order to try and score political points is absolutely disheartening," Payne said in a statement.
Another highly debated change is property taxes. The council approved a nearly 7% increase, which is lower than what the mayor initially proposed, but is still the biggest increase since 2010.
