MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis City Council members say they need more time and information before they can move forward on a Third Precinct location.
During a Committee of the Whole meeting, they voted 9-3 in favor of having Mayor Jacob Frey's Office gather more information on potential locations over the next two weeks.
Council members Lisa Goodman, Michael Rainville and LaTrisha Vetaw voted against the postponement.
"My position is clear in that the community deserves a decision and my administration will do whatever it takes to get to seven votes for that decision," Mayor Frey said during the meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
Instead of calling it the Third Precinct, Mayor Frey wants to name it a community safety center.
He is proposing 2600 Minnehaha Avenue South as the location with an estimated project cost of $28 million to $32 million.
In a memo dated Oct. 13 to council members, two other options were proposed: 2520 26th Ave. S. and 3716 Cheatham Ave.
The Third Precinct burned down during the riots after George Floyd's murder more than three years ago. Since then, there has been disagreement over how to proceed. Most recently in September, just days after the council voted to approve plans to move the police department's First and Third Precincts into a vacant plaza downtown, the body then walked back those plans and instead, voted to move the issue back to committee for further review.
"I want the precinct back in the Third Precinct boundaries," Council member Jamal Osman said. "We want community members to have access where officers can respond quickly. A ace where people can do reports and so on. But we cannot make a decision one morning and the mayor send out an email and say, 'This is the place I pick. Like it or not and I want seven votes.' That is not an approach we should be going with."
Council member Linea Palmisano defended the mayor and said she does not believe this has been a rushed decision.
"I think we've let this go on far too long and we need to honor our fiduciary responsibility to the residents of this city to make a decision," Palmisano said.
The council voted in favor of requesting more information and data from the mayor that will be presented at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Oct. 31.
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