YOU GAVE IT AWAY >> Cathy: THE MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR JACOB FREY HAD A HISTORIC STANDOFF LAST WEEK OVER THE CITY'S BUDGET.

THE INK HAD BARELY DRIED ON THE COUNCIL'S APPROVED BUDGET WHEN FREY ISSUED THE FIRST KNOWN MAYORAL VETO OF A BUDGET IN THE CITY'S HISTORY, ONLY FOR THE COUNCIL TO IMMEDIATELY OVERRIDE THAT VETO IN TURN.

THIS IS JUST THE LATEST IN A ROCKY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE COUNCIL AND MAYOR.

LAST WEEK WE HEARD FROM MAYOR FREY, THIS WEEK WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO THE COUNCIL'S PRESIDENT ELLIOTT PAYNE.

THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME.

HOW DO YOU SEE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE MAYOR?

>> I HAVE A PERSONALLY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MAYOR.

AND I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY CHALLENGING IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A 13-MEMBER BODY AND AN INDIVIDUAL.

I SPEAK FOR MYSELF BUT WE MOVE AS A BODY.

ALL OF OUR POWER EXISTS AS A BODY.

SO WRANGLING ALL 13 MEMBERS TO BE BE IN ALIGNMENT CAN BE A CHALLENGE SOMETIMES BUT I THINK THAT THE OVERRIDE OF A VETO IS A REFLECTION OF HOW DEEPLY IN ALIGNMENT WE ARE.

>> Eric: TALK ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, I THINK IF I HAVE MY NUMBERS RIGHT, THE INCREASE IN POLICE BUDGET WAS ABOUT 6%, AND THERE WAS COMMENT ABOUT REDUCING THE RATE OF INCREASE, IS THAT WHAT THE DEBATE AS ABOUT?

>> YEAH, SO THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF WHAT I WOULD CHARACTERIZE AS DISINFORMATION ABOUT POLICE FUNDING IN MINNEAPOLIS.

WE ARE UP MAYBE 60, 60-PLUS MILLION DOLLARS OF FUNDING SINCE THE YEAR I WAS ELECTED.

THIS CURRENT BUDGET WE PASSED HAS A $12 MILLION INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT SO THERE'S BEEN SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ESSENTIAL ESPECIALLY AS WE ARE RESPONDING TO THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RIGHTS SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AND THE IMPENDING DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CONSENT DECREE.

>> Cathy: I'M WONDERING HERE, BEING AT ODDS WITH THE MAYOR IN TERMS OF VISION WHERE THE CITY IS GOING, WHERE ARE THE BIGGEST RIFTS IF THAT MAKE SENSE?

>> I THINK WE ARE STILL DEFINING THE ROLE OF COUNCIL VERSUS THE -- >> Cathy: UNDER THE STRONG MAYOR SYSTEM.

>> UNDER THE STRONG MAYOR SYSTEM.

THE POWER OF THE PURSE IS SQUARELY IN THE COURT OF THE CITY COUNCIL, BUT OVER THE LAST PREVIOUSLY TWO YEARS IN THE FIRST TERM OF THE, A STRONG MAYOR YSTEM, THE MAYOR HAD A COUNCIL MAJORITY WAS A LOT MORE ALIGNMENT WITH THEM.

HE DIDN'T HAVE TO WRANGLE WITH THIS DIVISION OF POWER IN THE WAY HE HAS TO NOW.

HE NEEDS TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE ROLE OF CITY COUNCIL AS WE NEED TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE ROLE OF THE MAYOR.

>> Eric: HOW DO YOU EXPECT THE CITY COUNCIL AND MAYOR TO HANDLE IF THEY'RE ASKED TO DO SOMETHING WITH THE IMMIGRANT DEPORTATION?

>> THAT WAS ACTUALLY A NUMBER OF OUR INVESTMENTS WERE AROUND SETTING US UP FOR THAT TYPE OF RESPONSE.

>> Eric: WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?

>> HAVING MONEY SET ASIDE FOR LEGAL SERVICE FEES, HAVING A WELCOMING CENTER FOR NEW ARRIVALS, EVEN RECOGNIZING THAT WE HAVE FOLKS ON THE STREETS SELLING FOOD WHO ARE NEW TO THE CITY, THEY DON'T HAVE PERHAPS THE RIGHT PERMITS TO WORK, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE DOING IT IN A SAFE WAY.

AND SO WE'RE CREATING SOME PROGRAMMING AROUND THAT SO THAT WE CAN HAVE SOME SAFETY AND REGULATION AROUND SOME OF THOSE ACTIVITIES.

AND SO THERE'S AN ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF INVESTMENTS THAT WE'RE MAKING ON CITY COUNCIL TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THIS MOMENT.

>> Cathy: AND THE MAYOR MENTIONED THAT BUT HE ALSO MENTIONED HE WAS NOT PLEASED WHAT HE WAS HERE LAST WEEK ABOUT HE CALLED THEM PET PROJECTS, I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN BACK AND FORTH IN THE MEDIA.

BUT SOME OF THE ROGRAMS PASSED BY THE COUNCIL, HE DIDN'T FEEL THEY WERE VETTED, THAT THEY WERE WORTHY NON-PROFITS, BUT THERE JUST SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN IN EACH COUNCIL MEMBER'S, YOU KNOW, WARD IN A SENSE.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT?

>> I THINK THAT IT'S ENTIRELY DISMISSIVE FRAMING OF THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE'RE MAKING IN OUR COMMUNITY.

WE'RE DEEPLY CONNECTED TO OUR WARDS, WE'RE DEEPLY CONNECTED TO OUR COMMUNITIES.

WE KNOW THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE DOING GOOD WORK.

WE KNOW THE ONES THAT ARE STRUGGLING.

AND SO AS WE ARE IN TOUCH WITH OUR COMMUNITY, WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE TYPES OF COMMUNITY-FIRST PRIORITIES IN OUR CITY'S BUDGET AND I THINK THAT IT'S ENTIRELY DISMISSIVE TO SAY SAY OTHERWISE.

>> Cathy: I'M SORRY, WERE THEY PROPERLY VETTED?

>> I BELIEVE SO AND I'LL SAY TWO THINGS TO THAT.

I HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN MY COLLEAGUES IN THEIR CONNECTION TO THEIR COMMUNITY AND DOING THEIR DUE DILIGENCE AS THEY PREPARE THEIR AMENDMENTS AND ALSO AS THE CHAIR OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE WE HAVE A VERY ROBUST SYSTEM, WE DON'T TAKE FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE LIGHTLY.

WE INVESTIGATE EVERY SINGLE ALLEGATION OF THAT TYPE OF ACTIVITY, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF CONTROLS IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT TAXPAYER DOLLARS ARE NOT GOING TO WASTE.

>> Eric: IMPACT ON PROPERTY TAXES.

>> YEAH, SO A BIG THING THAT WE DID IN OUR BUDGET AMENDMENTS WAS LOWER THE PROPERTY TAX FROM THE MAYOR'S RECOMMENDED 8.1 DOWN TO 6.8 THROUGH WHAT I THINK WAS A DEGREE OF DISCIPLINE THAT IS NECESSARY AS WE'RE LOOKING INTO THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE.

>> Eric: AND YOU'RE ALL OR ELECTION OR REELECTION IN 2025.

>> THAT'S CORRECT.

>> Eric: ALL RIGHTED, WE'LL