Minneapolis City Council scrutinizes police overtime spending as it tries to balance budget
As the City of Minneapolis tries to balance the books with an estimated budget gap in the tens of millions, police department spending is under a microscope.
During an hour-long Minneapolis City Council meeting on Monday, members questioned Interim Police Chief Bill Peterson and his team.
"The residents of this city, the council, have my commitment that we will do everything possible to not go over budget," said Peterson. "However, I would like community members to know that there are things that are out of our control. We are putting in place checks and balances to ensure, to the best of our ability, that we do not go over the mayor's proposed 2027 budget."
In 2025, the department racked up $33 million in overtime. So far in 2026, the cost for overtime is about $17 million, surpassing the earmarked $2.3 million.
The understaffed department has often leaned on overtime. A spokesperson for MPD said Monday the department has 643 sworn officers. The minimum number demanded by the city charter is 731.
"We've got to be responsible and that is not something we can escape; there has to be some consequences," said Council Member Jamal Osman.
Mark Klukow, assistant chief of operations with the law enforcement agency, acknowledged the issues and conceded there was mismanagement in the past.
"If overtime were a paint bucket, we gave out too many brushes," Klukow said. "There were too many people that had independent ability to paint overtime."
He detailed the ways the department is now exercising internal controls, by slimming down who can approve overtime and tracking the numbers weekly.
Some city leaders say the department's overspending widens the overall budget gap the city is trying to bridge, which falls on taxpayers.
"You're facing heightened scrutiny because residents are facing more than an 11% tax increase," said Council Member Soren Stevenson during the meeting.
Mayor Jacob Frey revealed his proposed city budget last month, which would cut some employees and raise property taxes by 11.3%, or roughly $400 for the median homeowner. The proposal would also increase the police department's budget by $20 million.
During the presentation, MPD said about $13 million goes toward overtime and over $4 million would support recruitment through cadets and community service officers. The mayor called this "rightsizing" the overtime budget.
The City Council says it wants to meet with law enforcement at least once more, though no meeting has been scheduled.
