The City of Minneapolis’ commitment to carrying out federal court-ordered police reforms despite the Justice Department’s motion to dismiss the agreement is raising questions about how much money the added oversight will cost.

RELATED: ‘We’re doing it anyway’: Minneapolis city leaders react to motion to dismiss federal consent decree

After the murder of George Floyd, Minneapolis became the first city in the nation to face both a state settlement agreement and federal consent decree intent on overhauling the policing practices in the city.

One of the hallmarks of consent decrees with the federal government is that the city pays to be monitored by an independent evaluator.

5 INVESTIGATES analyzed consent decrees currently being enforced across the country and found cities have paid millions of dollars to their respective monitors.

In 2024, Effective Law Enforcement For All, or ELEFA, was selected as the monitor to oversee the state settlement agreement. The city council approved the contract with a $1.5 million per year budget cap.

But Minneapolis City Attorney Kristyn Anderson told city council members last March that amount could increase when the city entered into a federal consent decree.

“There will have to be some cost adjustment for that,” Anderson said, highlighting that the federal consent decree included several provisions that were not part of the state settlement agreement.

On Wednesday, City Council President Elliott Payne said it was unclear how much money would be needed to cover the added oversight.

“Those details will be hashed out over the coming days and months,” he said in an interview with 5 INVESTIGATES.

But Payne defended the need for additional funding to cover oversight of issues that are not court-ordered.

“The absence of that reform has led to historical payouts and civil liability because of the conduct of our police department,” he said. “Those investments are going to not just keep us safe, but it’s going to save taxpayer money.”