The City constable (testimony identified her repeatedly as Constable Williams) told the Metropolitan Council that her office performs court enforcement, evictions, warrant service, courthouse security and other law‑enforcement functions and that all deputies are post‑certified peace officers.

She detailed staffing and funding strains: the annual budget document lists 48 authorized positions but she currently has about 28 employees on the roster and at least 11 vacancies; of those vacancies five were already frozen and finance said additional freezes could reach the target without layoffs, but the constable told the council her meeting with finance earlier indicated she would still need to lay off three to four employees to meet a workforce‑reduction goal. She warned that layoffs would further reduce court services and city hall security the constable’s office now provides.

The constable objected to any classification that equates her officers with public‑works roles. “That’s an insult,” she said after describing the office’s duties and training. Councilmembers asked the mayor to clarify; a speaker identified as Mayor Edwards said he considers the constable’s office law enforcement and is willing to work with council members on restoring funds where possible, while noting that any restoration must come from cuts elsewhere because the overall budget is constrained.

Finance staff and the constable debated whether freezing current vacancies could avert layoffs; finance representatives said if the office freezes the 11 specified vacancies the constable would not need to lay off current employees, but discussion revealed differences in prior guidance and calculations. The council asked administration and finance to continue reconciling the numbers.

Next steps: councilmembers signaled willingness to consider amendments and to coordinate with the mayor’s office and finance to determine whether the constable’s personnel can be protected without offsetting cuts to other departments.