Mayor Vetoes Two Council Measures; Ward 7 Backs Both Vetoes

Frey vetoed the two ordinances on May 1, and the council confirmed it lacked the nine votes needed to override either, the city reported on May 7. The 13-member council had passed the eviction measure 8-5 and the paraphernalia measure 7-6, neither margin enough to survive a veto.

The eviction ordinance, sponsored by Council Member Aisha Chughtai, would have temporarily required landlords to wait 45 days, rather than the standard 30, before filing for eviction. "Extending pre-eviction notice to 45 days is a simple and cost effective way the City can help keep families in their homes," Chughtai said. Supporters pointed to a roughly 60 percent jump in Minneapolis eviction filings in March 2026 compared with a year earlier, which they tied in part to Operation Metro Surge.

It was Frey's second veto of an eviction-timeline extension this year; he blocked an earlier version in March, arguing the change delays problems rather than solving them and pointing renters toward $2 million in emergency rental assistance. The companion ordinance would have decriminalized possession of pipes, syringes and other paraphernalia, which supporters framed as a harm-reduction step.

Both questions cut directly across Ward 7, which mixes the large single-family lots of Kenwood and Lowry Hill with the renter-heavy blocks of the Wedge and Stevens Square. The tenant-protection fight has returned to the council repeatedly this year in different forms, and a sustained veto ends a particular version of a measure without settling the underlying debate. Council committee meetings and the full council's Thursday sessions remain open to the public and allow comment on agenda items.