MINNEAPOLIS _ Minneapolis City Council on Friday morning adopted a budget that trims roughly $1.5 million from the city's police department _ the first substantial cuts since George Floyd's death.
The budget now heads to Mayor Jacob Frey, who must decide in the coming days whether to approve it or veto it.
The changes to the police department represent a small portion of a much larger effort to cut $156 million from the city's $1.6 billion budget to help deal with financial losses from the coronavirus pandemic.
Last year, the city adopted a $193 million budget for the Minneapolis Police Department. The city said it had previously saved roughly $8.6 million when it passed citywide wage and hiring freezes.
Some activist groups had called on the city to trim a much larger amount _ roughly $45 million _ from the police department, while other resident or business groups urged elected officials to slow down and do more research before making big changes.
Of the money being transferred, the bulk of it is moving to the city's Office of Violence Prevention. That money will be used to implement a Cure Violence program, which works with community leaders to try to stop cycles of violence.
Smaller amounts will be transferred to fund a program helping people with AIDs or HIV, to promote "healthy living" in low-income housing, and a youth program. The council has also suggested moving employees in the police department's records unit into other city departments.
To make up for the financial losses of the pandemic, the city is relying largely on cash reserves, furloughs, and budgetary transfers.
The latest budget revision also earmarks $100,000 to begin planning a permanent memorial for Floyd at the intersection of 38th and Chicago, where he was killed by Minneapolis police.
During their meeting Friday morning, council members also approved a measure that would transfer responsibility for taking some theft reports out of the police department and over to the city's 311 staff.
The final vote for the budget changes was unanimous, with the exception of a proposal to shift the police public information officer duties from the police department to the city's communication office. That change was approved, but three council members voted no.
The council had been expected to receive an update on a plan to solicit, over the course of a year, residents' feedback on how to transform public safety. That presentation was postponed until Aug. 6.
