Minneapolis City Council on Thursday passed a contract agreement for the city’s police officers, which includes a pay raise of nearly 22% over three years.

The contract passed 8-4. Council members explained their votes at a news conference Thursday afternoon, which can be viewed in the video player above.

Key points in the contract include:

• A zipper clause — This eliminates any prior side agreements that aren’t attached to the contract. This gives the City, the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis and the public the full scope
• Increased staffing flexibilities — management will have more discretion over job assignments and staffing
• Employing civilian investigators — MPD will assign some clerical and investigative work to civilians to keep officers where they are needed the most
• Public data requests — Officers will no longer receive an automatic notification of the identity of the person requesting data about them
• Extending investigation leave time — If there are allegations of serous misconduct, Chief O’Hara will have discretion to place the officer on paid leave for up to 180 days instead of 30 while the investigation takes place

City Council Vice President Chughtai explained that the city will pay for the contract by using money generated by sales taxes things such as hotels, liquor and downtown food.

The City Council on Thursday touted that by doing this, the city won’t have to cut funding for other public safety programs.

This news comes about two months after the city and police union reached a tentative agreement.

The vote was supposed to happen in June, but councilors wanted to hear more on what the public thought about the contract before giving the green light.

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Since then, the community has had two chances to weigh in.

Some residents expressed concerns in those meetings about safety in the city, encouraging the council to advance the contracts to boost staffing levels.

Others, though, said the proposal doesn’t include enough reforms.

“I whole heartedly believe, maybe out of naivety, that we can do better, and we can swing bigger,”
said City Council member Jeremiah Ellison.

RELATED: Minneapolis City Council hears public comment on proposed agreement with police department

City Council member Robin Wonsley disagrees that a pay raise will solve the recruitment issues.

“That’s largely because pay raises without real and permanent reform does not actually lead to an increase healthy workforce,” she said.

Mayor Jacob Frey called the contract essential in both recruiting and keeping officers at the Minneapolis Police Department, with the city reporting it has 40% fewer officers than it should.

“This contract makes sure our officers get paid what they’re worth,” Frey said during a news conference Thursday. “Policing is an incredibly hard job — policing in Minneapolis is heroic. We need to make sure [officers] are paid for getting up in the morning and going home every night with the goal of protecting and serving our city.”

“I am pleased with the City Council’s approval of the contract. It sends a strong message to our officers that city leadership supports good policing and the veteran officers who have been loyal in their service to our residents,” said MPD Chief Brian O’Hara. “Despite their dedication, many of our officers have not felt supported in recent years, and I’m confident the historic pay increase will help us recruit and retain the best in our ranks as we continue to rebuild the Minneapolis Police Department into one of the premier law enforcement agencies in our country.”

Council members said this proposal is projected to cost around $9 million in 2025 and more than $10 million in 2026.

“No one disputes that we want good policing, the reality is we have to pay for it,” O’Hara said.

The council previously rejected a partial agreement back in November that would’ve added new recruitment and retention bonuses for officers in exchange for reforms to the shift bidding process.

RELATED: Minneapolis, police union trade officer incentives for more city management authority; bargaining continues

As reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, the police union approved the new tentative agreement in early June by more than 80% of those who voted. That came a week after the agreement was reached, and following more than eight months of negotiations.

You can watch the meeting by CLICKING HERE.