After slightly more than 100 days on the job I’ve found that City Council meetings are like Forest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.
By Elizabeth Shaffer, Council Member, Ward 7
Yesterday we knew we were getting votes on the legalization of drug paraphernalia and temporarily extending the pre-eviction notice period to 45-days. Both passed, 7-6 and 8-5 respectively, and now go to the mayor for his signature or veto. I opposed both, the reasons for which have been well documented in my comments from the dais and in this newsletter.
What I didn’t expect was a testy debate over council norms and the “escalation of polarization” – as stated by one of my colleagues – triggered when I moved to return an item that would create a blanket moratorium on data centers in Minneapolis to its authors. Here’s my concern: I discovered that on May 21st the council could pass the “introduction of the subject matter of an ordinance” with the words “data center moratorium” in the title, and that alone would put a yearlong moratorium into effect with no recourse for the public, the mayor, or anyone else. Unfortunately, the author of the moratorium did not consult any downtown elected councilmembers about this idea before it was introduced. For an action that could directly affect potential real estate transactions or business leaders, this is not good process.
I’m all for the city council studying data center regulation – existing Conditional Use Permit requirements already give the city meaningful oversight – but a blanket moratorium is a blunt instrument we can’t afford in this critical economic moment. We have a lot of vacant downtown properties that need repurposing, and we are working hard at housing conversions like the Grain Exchange, but small, targeted data centers are another viable reuse. Having the option of smaller data centers could also drive additional tech investment downtown. I’ve heard from the Downtown Council that even the discussion of a moratorium has already created uncertainty for investors exploring the commercial market.
We are denying potential economic opportunities if we blindly enact an overall moratorium. The stakes are real. For example, the Sleep Number building recently sold for $235 million as a future data center in January of this year, when just one year ago its valuation was $30 million. That increase in valuation increases our commercial tax revenue and reduces the burden on residential property tax payers. We are trying to explore solutions to reverse the trend we have seen in commercial devaluations in recent years like the Ameriprise building being sold for $6.25 million after fetching $200 million a decade ago.
Instead of a blanket moratorium, we need a legislative directive to study both the pros and cons of small data centers in already-built urban locations. Some benefits already mentioned are to connect servers to Minneapolis district energy systems like Cordia, benefitting climate initiatives.
My motion failed 8-5 with Chavez, Chowdhury, Chughtai, Osman, Payne, Stevenson, Whiting, Wonsley voting to move forward a moratorium, so now on May 21st the council will take another vote on this matter. If it passes on the 21st, a data center moratorium will immediately take effect. I am uncertain as to the impact on those facilities already in process.
I also didn’t anticipate a lengthy back-and-forth about the propriety of the Council President purporting to speak for the whole council without having been asked to do so, and while only consulting with six other members of the body. He did this by entering a memorandum into the public record entitled “City Council’s Vision for Community Safety and Toddrick Barnete’s Failure to Meet that Vision” (emphasis added). As a member of said City Council who supports Barnette and finds the contents of this memo biased and incomplete, it doesn’t speak for me or my five colleagues who were on the other side of the reappointment vote.
Finally, this week brought another chance to shine the spotlight on Uptown and celebrate the real successes we’ve seen as well as acknowledge the work that remains to be done. On Tuesday, the mayor hosted a press conference right outside the Walker Library and I was invited to speak, along with Kevin Norman from Uptown United, Commissioner Barnette, and Chief Brian O’Hara. The mayor shared that Uptown is a priority for his administration and credited me with a “laser like focus” on the area. While I appreciate the kind words, the real success has come from people across multiple agencies, jurisdictions, and community coming together. As I said in my remarks: “what we are seeing…is government working the way it should: listening to constituents, developing a local plan of action, and using every tool available to bring resources to bear to get people the help they need and make sure that our public spaces are safe and belong to everyone.”
Via Ward 7 constituent newsletter
Too bad Minneapolis, you get who you voted for. There is only 2 sane city council members.
I’ll say at least 4: Rainville Vetaw, Palmisano, Shaffer exhibit common sense for the benefit of our City.
Pearll Warren in Ward 5 is also part of the reliable moderate faction. These 5 are key, since it takes 5 votes to uphold a mayoral veto, which they’ve already done.
Thank You Elizabeth!
It seems that some Council Members would rather complain at length about decorum and propriety rather than DEBATING THE MOTION. Shaffer seems to delight in yammering on and on to please the deep pockets that got her onto the Council than in getting on with business on the agenda. On the question: a moratorium means delay to study and not prohibition.
If I understand CM Shaffer’s comments, this moratorium action would in fact PROHIBIT establishment of any new data centers in the city for one year. What is the distinction you’re trying to draw?
Those “deep pockets” you so derisively dismiss have paid a lot of taxes into the city’s coffers, and when those taxes are dramatically reduced along with commercial property values, residential property owners pay more. I very much appreciate her desire to at least discuss a different approach that wouldn’t create such drastic limitations.
You are wrong. The introduction of the subject matter sets the moratorium in place, as the date of reference for legislative action. Legally, it serves as notice that all applications after that date would be subject to the law if passed – thus freezing application action by the city. Extensive case law on this.
Exactly. A moratorium places a prohibition on an activity so a matter may be studied. And obviously, if the study reveals that additional regulation is needed (as it most certainly is in the matter of data centers), then the public is better protected.
All I can say about this City Council, these 7, as directed and influenced by CMs Payne and Wonsley, is simply this…they all have a LOT OF NERVE.
Important viewing from this Council meeting on Thurs, 4/23, begins a little after 3:18 on the clock/ the counter, or 3 hours and 18 minutes into the mtg, below.
https://www.youtube.com/live/bMFqyVi0FC0?si=boVqmlohCNYRLsup
I too was dismayed with all the back and forth about decorum and the pouty face (you know who you are). Minneapolis residents should be filling the visitor area with constituents to voice their concerns. If your only plan is to raise taxes and protect people who already know they are late with the rent, you are desperately ignoring the people who pay taxes for these dwellings. Your plan should be to reimburse them for your failed policies. Homeless, food scarcity is because of you and will continue until you get a plan together that is community centered with departments contributing. Your unfunded mandates are what people voted against. You don’t like the strong mayor, weak council ideology but you are proving that the system voted on by Citizens is what they wanted. Get on board and stop wasting time with your fist waving. Your meetings are an exercise in futility
This is so outrageous, but it is also textbook DSA aligned behavior on the Council, and seems to come right from the playbook of CM Wonsley, who is likely the writer for the group, as she mentors and steps in/on, in front of Payne, Et al.
With that type of CONDUCT, by this voting block, in aggressively ignoring all the rules, ( and that would be for ANY city council) they may be thinking/ feeling that they can just strong arm AND steam roll their way over much of Mpls. Not sure what respectable entity would EVER hire any of them after their time wraps up on the City Council, but their ability to think ahead may be severely limited.
Mpls will survive all of them, and dust itself off, but people in the Metro, in the State, and beyond, will not forget what they did, said, and how they behaved, while holding this important job.
The excerpt…
“I also didn’t anticipate a lengthy back-and-forth about the propriety of the Council President purporting to speak for the whole council without having been asked to do so, and while only consulting with six other members of the body. He did this by entering a memorandum into the public record entitled “City Council’s Vision for Community Safety and Toddrick Barnete’s Failure to Meet that Vision” (emphasis added). As a member of said City Council who supports Barnette and finds the contents of this memo biased and incomplete, it doesn’t speak for me or my five colleagues who were on the other side of the reappointment vote.”