After a lengthy and sometimes heated discussion, the Minneapolis City Council voted Thursday to indefinitely postpone a proposal to have Hennepin County temporarily oversee two of the city’s violence intervention programs.

The author of the proposal — council member Robin Wonsley — said that even though she took the proposal off the table, she will continue to hold the Neighborhood Safety Department accountable for how it administers the group violence and youth group violence intervention programs. 

Council members had pointed to a lack of outcome data from the past two years, and issues including reports of vendors not being paid. The department is currently going through a leadership change and is in the process of staffing up. 

Wonsley added that a lot of the heated debate surrounding the issue hasn’t focused on the problem.

“It is simply distracting from the current issue at hand, which is a continued failure of the Neighborhood Safety Department to correctly administer programs that keep our residents safe,” she said.

The proposal was opposed by several council members and the head of the city’s Public Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette who said the plan to move the city’s violence intervention programs would be too disruptive. Barnette said the department has also been working to implement accountability measures. 

Council member Jeremiah Ellison had supported the move. He said though it was off the table for now, the proposal was the right course of action.

“Council member Wonsley rightfully recognized problems in this department and utilized her leadership to seek a resolution to that problem,” said Ellison. “I think that that should be commended. It shouldn't be disparaged. If it’s not the fix — fair enough. But the answer cannot be the status quo either.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Collected from Minnesota Public Radio News. View original source here.