Overview
- The Minneapolis City Council, in a split vote, sent the proposed purchase of a 4.7-acre Windom site back to staff after questions over cost and procedure, and the meeting recessed after protesters chanted against the project.
- The purchase price discussed was about $6.1 million plus closing costs, while an earlier proposal sought roughly $5.6 million from existing city funds for the land, and the full project is estimated at about $38 million with the city planning to seek state money for a large share.
- City staff argue current training spaces are too small, hard to upgrade, and scattered across the city, and they say a single site would host police, fire, and wellness training to improve coordination.
- Supporters, including Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette, cite a federal consent decree that requires regular cross-training among 911, behavioral crisis response, police, fire, and EMS, which they say current facilities cannot handle.
- Opponents, including Council Member Robin Wonsley, question the need and object to shifting funds from other priorities such as animal control, traffic safety, ADA access, and traffic calming, while staff note the current Hamilton Special Operations Center has limited space and has cost the city more than $20 million since 2006.