Minneapolis City Council considering cutting off-duty police from city-owned parking ramps

There is a push in the Minneapolis City Council to remove police from contracts regarding city-owned parking ramps.

The contract includes millions of dollars for off-duty police, but has now been put on hold by the city council.

Some city council members think that cutting off-duty police from the parking ramp contract is a necessary cost-saving measure in the budget.

Others say it puts the public at risk because city ramps need extra protection on busy downtown weekends.

Parking ramps aren’t cheap to operate, with an expected five-year contract at $182 million.

The city pays a private company to operate approximately 18,000 parking spaces in 15 city-owned parking ramps, most of which are located downtown.

Off-duty police are hired to keep those ramps safe, especially on weekends. But, Minneapolis City Council member Katie Cashman wants to change that.

“I believe that we’re not managing these contracts as effectively and efficiently as we could to be supporting our city budget,” Cashman said. “Nearly a million dollars annually in off-duty police time that our parking contract is paying for, which I think better traffic control or the private security firm that we already work with should be doing this work.”

Council member Robin Wonsley says the city faces a tight budget year, and cutting police patrols in the ramps can be offset by using a private security firm, which also works the ramps.

“This just seems very much like a financial oversight, somewhat poor financial planning on the city’s part,” Wonsley said.

Council member Linea Palmisano says that not completing the contract right away could cost parking ramp employees their jobs.

“And, putting people’s livelihoods in a risky position is not really worth it,” Palmisano added.

Others on the city council think cutting police in those ramps is a mistake.

Council member LaTrisha Vetaw said, “That makes people feel safer. That makes a person feel like their car won’t be stolen if they see a police officer near a parking ramp. Or, it’s dark outside and you come out at two o’clock in the morning and you see a police officer.”

City administrators say the money that pays for off-duty police does not come from taxpayers in the general fund, but from the parking ramp fees.

The contract was not approved and is likely to be taken up sometime within the next two weeks.