Land purchase for community safety training center debated by Minneapolis City Council

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minneapolis City Council is continuing its debate over the purchase of a site that would be used as a community safety training center.

A split vote resulted in the motion to purchase the property being sent back to staff after questions arose over funding and acquisition procedure. Council member also hope to gather more support for the project. 

The cost to purchase the site would be about $6.1 million, plus closing costs. In total, the council would be asking the state to cover half of the estimated $38 million cost of the entire project. 

READ MORE: Minneapolis council continue to debate $38M police training center

Minneapolis City Council sends purchase of community safety training center back to staff 

Mpls City Council discusses land purchase for safety training center

The Minneapolis City Council voted to send a land purchase for a property that would be used as a public safety training center back to staff after questions were raised over funding and acquisition procedures. Protesters also spoke out against the proposed purchase, chanting "No cop city," which led to the council to take a recess. 

Local perspective:

On Thursday, the Minneapolis City Council discussed a motion to purchase the land located on a 4.7-acre site near a school bus lot on West 60th Street in the Windom neighborhood. The new facility would provide all law enforcement and emergency training operations, aiming to improve coordination across departments.

Minneapolis City Council Member Robin Wonsley raised concerns over the cost of the investment and questioned if the funds would be better spent on other programs. 

"Right now, the most recent funding proposal tied to it was removing funding from ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), so supporting our residents with mobility issues. And also traffic-calming, so projects that make our streets safer and foster safety in that sense," Council Member Wonsley said. "So we're talking about defunding a number of priorities that actually uplift the wellbeing of our residents."

There were seven council members who voted to send the motion back to city staff, while six council members voted against. Those members are against the current plan to acquire the training center.  

At the end of the discussion, protesters in the chamber chanted "No cop city" to speak out against the city forming the new training facility. The council then went into recess. 

What they're saying:

Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette shared the following statement after the council meeting:

"Our community safety teams deserve the tools and support necessary to do their jobs, and there’s no question that our current training and wellness facilities do not measure up. That need is not going to change. We will take this time to continue to forge a path for this crucial project that has been in the works for more than five years."

Commissioner Barnette also points to the DOJ consent decree, which mandates regular cross-training with 911, behavioral crisis response, Minneapolis police, the fire department, and EMS, which he says current facilities do not support. 

The backstory:

City officials say training is currently spread out across the city in aging facilities.

In a brief submitted to the council, staffers argue the city is spending a lot of money on the primary training facility for the police department, the Hamilton Special Operations Center, for a building that doesn't quite meet the needs of the department.

Since 2006, the city's total expenditure for the building has exceeded $20 million. That total includes $4.15 million in pure leasing costs, alongside utilities, maintenance, custodial services, and associated parking leases.

However, staffers say the Hamilton center has constrained outdoor training space, vehicle-based training can sometimes be restricted due to shared parking areas, and limited space results in scheduling conflicts for training.