Mayor Jacob Frey says Minneapolis is "strong" but needs to get "serious" in State of the City address
Mayor Jacob Frey delivered his State of the City address on Tuesday morning, repeatedly saying Minneapolis needs to get "serious" to recover from a trying year while preparing for the future.
"This past year has tested Minneapolis," Frey said. "We saw moments from Operation Metro Surge to the tragedy at Annunciation that pushed us to our limit. Families torn apart ... Guys, we got through it, but getting through it and getting back on track is something different."
Frey said the state of Minneapolis is "strong, but if we don't get serious, our trajectory will not be."
"Serious about the work, serious about our priorities and serious about working together to imagine and achieve the city that we all envision," he said.
The mayor said his administration and the City Council need to work together to focus on the basics of governance: public safety, housing and business.
"When that foundation is strong, everything else that we care about has a chance to succeed," Frey said.
On the public safety front, Frey touted improved police department staffing and increased enforcement in Uptown. There are now 642 officers, and he's hoping to reach 733 officers by next year, which is the minimum number required by the city charter. He said there's been a 200% increase in applications to become a Minneapolis officer, but the cost of an officer is higher than it was just a few years ago.
Council President Elliott Payne said it's a remarkable admission of a lack of diligence in budgeting, and says the mayor made a major miss in overtime spending. When it comes to budgeting for police, Council Member Robin Wonsley says department spending needs to be examined.
"What is not working, what needs to be let go, and where do we need to be devoting their nearly $260 million budget towards that's actually going to help our communities be safe," she said.
Frey boasted about a dramatic increase in affordable housing being built, and a decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness in Hennepin County. He says close to 2,000 additional units will be available soon.
"I want kids from different levels of wealth to go to the same schools and play in the same parks together," he said.
Other council members say one of the biggest things making housing unaffordable is the skyrocketing cost of property taxes that falls on the backs of working people.
Wonsley said the council is looking at advancing additional revenue options like income taxes or empty home fees.
Frey also highlighted the city's efforts to help businesses recover from the hit taken during Operation Metro Surge. He said additional support from the city will be available going forward.
To aid both residents and business owners, the city will fast-track both permits for smaller projects and office-to-housing conversions, Frey said.
Still, he admitted the purse strings may need to be tightened.
"We're going to need to make some tough decisions, and some things we're going to have to stop doing," Frey said.
All of these efforts, Frey said, are about creating "a city that gets results."
"Serious about safety, serious about housing and growth. Serious about getting the basics right," he said. "And if we do that consistently, relentlessly, we won't just get through the tough moments. We'll build a city that works. We'll be a great city rising, a city of heroes, an example for the rest of the country to follow."
"This past year has tested Minneapolis"
In August, two children were killed and 21 others were injured in a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church.
Two Minneapolis residents were fatally shot by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement effort that, according to a court filing, also drained $440 million from the city. Workers lost $190 million in wages as many people said they were afraid of leaving their homes, regardless of immigration status.
In the months since federal officials declared an end to the operation, Frey has spent time in the national spotlight. He spoke at a counterprogramming event to President Trump's State of the Union and was named one of Time's 100 most influential people of 2026.
But at home, Frey has sparred with other city leaders about how to recover from the surge. The city has secured $3.8 million in rental assistance but Frey has twice vetoed an effort by the City Council to temporarily extend an eviction notice filing period.
Frey is also at odds with the council over his reappointment of Toddrick Barnette, the commissioner of community safety. The majority of the council voted against Barnette's reappointment, saying he was far too absent and mishandled cases involving victims of domestic violence. Frey vetoed the measure, and the council did not have the numbers needed to override him.
