A plan featuring incentives for police recruitment and retention efforts was voted down by the Minneapolis City Council in a special meeting Friday afternoon following more than two hours of discussion that became heated at times.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called the special meeting earlier this week after the Minneapolis City Council’s Budget Committee voted against adding the tentative deal to its agenda.

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The city reached the tentative deal with the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis last week. Under that agreement, police officers would’ve gotten an extra $18,000 over two and a half years while new officers would’ve received a $15,000 bonus over the same period. Additionally, the department’s police chief would’ve received more managerial control to fill shift vacancies, which the city said would reduce the time it takes to fill staffing holes from 28 days to 10 days.

The city has lost more than 300 officers since 2020. According to MPD, there are currently 579 sworn officers on the force, which is significantly lower than the 731 funded by the city charter and the maximum authorized force of 888.

“This is not about the cops, this is about residents,” Chief Brian O’Hara said to the council. “We have been collapsing units into each other. We’re talking about what else we’re not going to be able to do next year.”

MPD currently has a 38% vacancy rate, according to the department.

“There’s 38 members [currently] eligible to retire, and over 100 next year,” said O’Hara. “We have not stopped getting smaller.”

Council Member Emily Koski, the chair of the Budget Committee, spoke out against the police bonuses earlier in the week, saying there isn’t evidence that incentives actually help to improve staffing. Frey and MPD Chief Brian O’Hara had said the incentives would be “a step in the right direction” toward improving staffing at the department, which remains down more than 300 officers from four years ago.

As reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, Seattle’s police department has continued to struggle with staffing shortages despite its incentive program, something Koski had pointed to as part of her opposition to the bonuses in Minneapolis. In a response to Friday’s special meeting, Koski said earlier this week that police officer bonuses should be tied to performance and actual motivators, adding that Frey and his staff need to provide data to refute council members’ concerns about the plan.

Frey, O’Hara and the city’s new community safety commissioner, Todd Barnette, say that police bonuses — something many departments have turned to — “are key to recruitment and retention” and are necessary to keep with other departments.

“One of the big reasons we were pushing for these incentive bonuses for recruitment and retention was quite simply to stay competitive,” Frey said on Friday.

According to a presentation to the council by the administration on Friday, nearly 650 officers received incentives in 2022 and 2023 and 87% remained as city employees.

The $15 million for incentives would be funded by a $19 million pool of one-time funding allocated by the Minnesota Legislature.

“We got $19 million from the state to spend on a menu of potential public safety investments,” said Ward 5 Council Member Jeremiah Ellison. “And we’re going to spend $15 million of it this way? I think that’s a mistake.”

Several council members suggested the funding could be used for a variety of approaches, including community violence prevention programs, community engagement, mental health crisis responses, victim services, training programs, first responder wellness, equipment related to fire, rescue and emergency services, pathway programs, professional development for all emergency responders, and gun violence prevention support.

“These are taxpayer dollars,” Koski said on Friday. “Now is the time for us to think holistically and broadly about a transformative public safety plan for this funding that actually improves public safety and supports our police officers. There are all kinds of options in front of us for this conversation.”

Ultimately, the council voted 8-5 against the deal, with most of the opponents expressing serious doubts about the effectiveness of using incentives to fix the police department’s staffing shortage. The proposal comes as the city is in the middle of its budget process.

“We didn’t get what we were looking for,” said Frey, after the vote. “At this point, I think the best route is to move forward with a contract in the immediacy.”

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS asked whether he would support a smaller incentive package.

“As to how to spend the $19 million, I’m not going to come up with a solution on my own,” said Frey. “I think we need to trust the staff standing here behind us. If that’s a recommendation that’s coming from them, I will listen.”

Law Enforcement Labor Services Executive Director Jim Mortenson says statewide police officer shortages have exceeded 1,000 because supply isn’t keeping up with the demand, adding that incentives are needed to get more people into the profession.

Friday’s special meeting offered another chance for Frey and the council to express their positions on the plan, ask questions and ultimately put a vote on the record. The city and police union now go back to negotiations on recruitment, retention, and shift bidding, which are just part of the larger police contract. The city and police union are still negotiating the rest of the contract, too.