Minneapolis City Council to vote Thursday on data centers, crisis responders, new police chief

Thursday will be a busy day for the Minneapolis City Council as they plan to make decisions that could impact thousands of residents.

There are a lot of major items on the docket, from who will lead the city's police department, to the growing data center debate. 

The council is expected to vote on Mayor Jacob Frey's pick for the city's next police chief, Bill Peterson. He has served as the interim police chief since this summer when Brian O'Hara stepped down. If approved, Peterson's term will last through January 2030. 

Another big issue when it comes to public safety is the debate over crisis response. Council members are considering overriding the mayor's veto of a contract extension with Canopy Roots, an organization that responds to behavioral health emergencies and nonviolent situations. 

Frey argued the city should expand the role of crisis responders beyond the current model, while some council members believe the current model is working well. 

The future of data centers in Minneapolis will also be discussed. The city put a pause on data center development back in June. That pause expires in just over a week. 

The measure up for debate would require new data centers to disclose expected electricity demand and water use and submit a noise mitigation plan. Also, they could only go into existing downtown buildings.

Data centers have been a hot topic in Minneapolis, across Minnesota and the country. Earlier this week, a group rallied outside City Hall in opposition to centers. Ward 2 Council Member Robin Wonsley was on hand.

"They have not proven to be of benefit to the well-beings of regular residents," Wonsley said. "When we're talking about environmental impact, noise pollution, when we're talking about their consumption of energy that raises residents' utility bills, when we're talking about the contamination of their water sources."

This story will be updated.