Downtown Minneapolis is short on public restrooms, and City Council Member Katie Cashman is hoping to leverage a languishing streetcar fund to boost the toilet tally.

The council votes on the 2026 city budget Tuesday night, and money is tight; Cashman’s proposal carries a $700,000 price tag.

Cashman, who represents Ward 7, joined Cathy Wurzer on Morning Edition Tuesday to talk about the pros, cons and concerns of her bathroom proposal for the Nicollet Avenue transit corridor.

Back in 2019, there was an effort to provide more restrooms downtown, but the city used Port-A-Potties and experienced some safety, security and maintenance concerns, Cashman said. Pre-COVID-19 pandemic, permanent public facilities were more widely available, too.

“For example, the ABC parking ramps — those large ramps over by Target Field — had public restrooms, and since COVID, they just have not reopened,” she continued. “So we're dealing with a big lack of bathrooms all throughout downtown, throughout the city, and my proposal is to go with a private vendor who is providing more high-tech, standalone bathrooms.”

Listen to the conversation by clicking the player button above.