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MPD could lose some overtime in proposed budget
The city could adjust some overtime rules for police to balance the overall budget. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has the full report.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis police seem likely to lose some earning power as the mayor and city council set about trimming the city budget.
Earning power punch
Squeezing OT:
A couple of ideas would limit what officers make when they’re outside their usual shifts.
Mayor Frey is proposing a $2 billion budget and about 22% of it will go to the police department.
But he says he can control costs a little bit by taking overtime pay for officers down from double their usual pay to time-and-a-half.
Part of his reasoning is that the department has had some recruiting success and Mayor Frey thinks they can fill all their shifts now.
He says using all that OT is potentially risky and dangerous.
"When anybody is tired, or they're hungry, or they are sick, and then they're forced to make a split-second decision, they're more likely to make the wrong decision," Frey said. "And so for every hour of additional overtime that is conducted, it is more likely that something bad is going to happen. Not because officers are bad, but because they are human."
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Mayor Frey's budget proposal could impact Minneapolis police
A proposed 2026 budget for the City of Minneapolis would end "double-time" overtime pay for the city's police in an effort to trim expenses, and keep property taxes lowered, going forward.
The savings
Changed circumstances:
The city has been paying double time since 2022 and setting records. This year alone, they’re on track to pay more than $30 million dollars in OT.
Cutting double time should save the city about $3.6 million, according to Frey.
Extra job benefits
Off-duty dollars:
Several city council members want to save another $1.4 million by charging officers fees when they use city equipment while they’re working extra jobs.
Right now, they can use their squad cars and other gear when they work private security jobs.
Council Member Robin Wonsley and Council Member Elliott Payne called it taxpayer-funded gig work where the city is still on the hook for any liability.
Another member supported fees, but had warmer feelings about police working extra jobs in uniform and squad cars.
"It takes cost burden off of taxpayers for large events," said Council Member Linea Palmisano. "Those costs of extra security are born by the large event holder or the nightclub or the professional sports team or whatever it is that we're hosting in our city on any given night."
Impact on officers
Recruiting crunch?:
Mayor Frey didn’t seem concerned that reducing overtime pay might negatively impact recruiting efforts.
The department is up to 614 officers, which is well below what the city funds, but up from its low two years ago.
FOX 9 also tried to reach the police union, but they didn’t return a message.
They’ve previously opposed changes to off-duty work.