City Council Wrapped - July 16

July 16, 2026
City Council

On July 16, 2026, the City Council approved $2.5 million in funding to assist nearly 700 residents at Heritage Park with urgent needs including up to relocation costs, denied MPD’s contract request for a drones-as-first responders 75-day pilot program, and paved the way for an affordable housing office building conversion project in Downtown Minneapolis.

View the July 16 meeting agenda

Heritage Park emergency funding

City Council passed multiple legislative items aimed at addressing immediate health and safety issues at Heritage Park, a privately owned 440-unit mixed income rental community in North Minneapolis, after building assessments found the presence of mold in many of the units. View the City's press release.

  • City Council voted 12-0 to approve the reallocation of $2.5 million from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) program to assist 686 residents across 212 units with emergency relocation costs and other immediate health and safety needs. The measure also authorizes the Community, Planning & Economic Development Director to distribute funding and execute the emergency plan (LIMS File No. 2026-00870).
    • Next steps: Mayoral review.
  • City Council voted 12-0 to approve a legislative directive requiring updates from the Mayor and City staff on the relocation process and spending (LIMS File No. 2026-00879).
    • Next steps: Information is requested to the City Council by September 15, 2026.
  • City Council voted 7-5 to approve an attorney-client privileged legal analysis on how the City might recover funds from the building’s owner or other appropriate entities (LIMS File No. 2026-00880).
    • Next steps: Mayoral review.

Drones as first responders contract

City Council voted 6-6 to deny a contract with drone company Skydio, the largest drone manufacturer in the nation, for a 75-day pilot program for the Minneapolis Police Department to test drones as first responders in North Minneapolis (LIMS File No. 2026-00880). Next steps: Mayoral review.

Downtown Minneapolis affordable housing conversion

City Council voted 12-0 to approve project financing for local developer Sherman Associates for the conversion of the Grain Exchange into 232 units of mixed-income rental housing. The total development costs for the project are estimated at approximately $122 million. Background: The Grain Exchange located on 4th Street South in Downtown Minneapolis – was developed in the 1900s as the Chamber of Commerce building. It has two connected structures, both of which will be redeveloped primarily as rental housing, but also office space for current tenants including the U.S. Postal Service and the Minneapolis Police Department (LIMS File No. 2026-00693).

  • Next steps: Mayoral review.

Lyndale Avenue Reconstruction

City Council voted 8-4 in support of Hennepin County’s proposal for the Lyndale Avenue Reconstruction project. City Council also approved resolution amendments that encourage the County to take steps to minimize the disruption to residents and businesses along the corridor during construction. Hennepin County is the driver of this project, but they must receive approval from the City’s governing body (i.e., the City Council and Mayor) of their proposal to advance the project. This was the City Council’s last opportunity to provide formal input on the project layout unless substantial changes are made to the proposed layout. Background: Lyndale Ave is a nearly 100-year-old street and has been identified by both the City and the County as a high injury corridor. The County will need 18 months to complete their final design and acquire the necessary permits before construction is scheduled to begin in 2028 (LIMS File No. 2026-00625).

  • Next steps: Mayoral review.

Mayoral appointments

City Council approved two of Mayor Frey’s nominations to charter department head positions for four-year terms ending in January 2030:

Legislative tracker

Mayoral appointments

  • Reginald Freeman, Fire Chief (LIMS File No. 2026-00775).
    • Next steps: The public hearing is scheduled for July 22 at the Public Health, Safety and Equity Committee meeting.
  • Enrique Velazquez, Regulatory Services Department Director (LIMS File No. 2026-00791).
    • Next steps: A public hearing is scheduled for July 21 at the Business, Housing & Zoning Committee.

Bounty Hunter ordinance

City Council voted 11-0 to introduce an ordinance which would require licensing requirements relating to bail fugitive recovery, commonly referred to as bounty hunters.

  • Next steps: It will be referred to the Business, Housing & Zoning Committee and come back to the full City Council for final approval.

Other business

Licenses

City Council approved 6 new liquor licenses and 24 liquor license renewals.

Notice of Ordinance Introductions

City Council provided four Notice of Ordinance Introductions (NOIs), all of which will come back to the next City Council meeting – scheduled for July 30 – for formal introduction. If approved, each item will then be referred to the respective subject matter committee.

  • Dress code posting requirement ordinance: Amending the Liquor and Beer Code, requiring any licensed premises that requires a dress code to visibly post said dress code (LIMS File No. 2026-00806).
  • Noise regulations ordinances: Five ordinances amending provisions in five separate titles of the Code related to noise regulations to remove irrelevant content, organize the structure in a more logical format, clarify language, add a clause regulating the sounding of motion-sensor devices on private property, such as home security cameras, and correcting associated reference numbers (LIMS File No. 2026-00809).
  • Event center license ordinance: Amending the Licenses and Business Regulations Code, amending, repealing and adding provisions related to rental halls and places of entertainment to create an event center license allowing for the hosting of both public and private events (LIMS File No. 2026-00864).
  • Restrictions on pet ownership ordinance: Amending the Animal Care and Control Code, removing conditions and restrictions on pet ownership solely due to a prior conviction for certain felonies (LIMS File No. 2026-00871).

Honorary resolutions

City Council adopted two honorary resolutions recognizing the 250-Year Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and 2026 Disability Pride Month.

2026 Disability Pride Month

City Council adopted an honorary resolution to recognize and celebrate July as Disability Pride Month. The 11th anniversary of Disability Pride Month honors the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which was signed into law on July 26, 1990. The month promotes the talents and experiences of people with disabilities, acknowledges their strength against hate and harm, and honors solidarity across disabilities (LIMS File No. 2026-00861).

USA 250-Year Anniversary

City Council members joined by Mayor Jacob Frey and community members read the honorary resolution commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence at an event before the City Council meeting (LIMS File No. 2026-00862). View the event on the City’s YouTube channel.

Coming up

The next two-week City Council cycle starts on Monday, July 20, with its regular standing committees.

Week one schedule:

  • Monday, July 20 at 1:30 pm – Enterprise & Labor Relations
  • Tuesday, July 21 at 1:30 pm – Business, Housing & Zoning
  • Wednesday, July 22 at 1:30 pm – Public Health, Safety & Equity
  • Thursday, July 23 at 1:30 pm – Climate & Infrastructure

Week two schedule:

  • Monday, July 27 at 1:30 pm – Budget
  • Tuesday, July 28 at 1:30 pm – Committee of the Whole
  • Thursday, July 30 at 9:30 am – City Council Meeting

Contact us

For questions, comments, or additional information, contact us at councilnews@minneapolismn.gov.

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