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.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS first reported a week ago that Minneapolis City Council member Jeremiah Ellison accepted a Harvard Fellowship in Cambridge, Mass. but was still collecting his six-figure salary while attending the paid fellowship.

Questions arise over Minneapolis City Council member’s absence for Harvard fellowship 

At a Tuesday City Council Committee of the Whole meeting, Council President Elliott Payne suggested Ellison keep his seats on two key committees while he continues his fellowship, because Ellison is still doing his city job while away.

Minneapolis City Council expected to discuss Jeremiah Ellison’s fellowship

“Including continuing to work on policy and continuing to work with his staff on addressing constituents’ concerns,” said Ellison.

City Council member LaTrisha Vetaw opposed that move. She wants to fill those two committee seats to make sure north side residents are represented fairly.

“We need a northsider to explain what just happened in these committees they just sat through. The folks who are watching from home that have multiple questions,” said Vetaw. “And, despite what Council member Cashman believes, she’s not that person. She’s not a northsider.”

Ellison has missed 12 committee and/or full city council meetings over the past month.

The full City Council is expected to take up the matter this Thursday, and Ellison is expected to attend.

RELATED COVERAGE:

The Minneapolis Fire Department said it had finished fire suppression operations and all crews and equipment had cleared from the scene of the large fire in northeast Minneapolis around 4:30 p.m. on Monday.

The fire broke out around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday on the 1500 block of Central Avenue, near the railroad track.

Large fire burns 4 commercial buildings in Minneapolis

Firefighters faced a number of obstacles in trying to put out the fire, including obstacles in the way, such as power lines and locked gates and being far from fire hydrants.

By 5:38 a.m., four buildings had caught fire.

MFD said on Monday that all the structures on fire had collapsed.

Traffic on Central Avenue reopened after MFD cleared the scene, and BNSF railroad operations had returned to normal.

No one was hurt in the fire, and the burned properties were turned over to the owner and property manager, part of Hempel Real Estate. MFD said the property owner is responsible for the security and for tearing down the remnants of the buildings.

MPD is still working to determine the cause of the fire.