MINNEAPOLIS — Years after a movement to defund the Minneapolis Police Department and a severe officer shortage in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, the city approved a contract Thursday that would make Minneapolis officers among the highest-paid in the region.

The Minneapolis City Council approved the contract — which includes 22% pay increases over three years — with the department’s union even as some council members expressed frustration that some of their most ambitious proposals to radically overhaul the police department following a nationwide reckoning in 2020 over racism in policing have fizzled.

A majority on the council and other city leaders praised what they said was a groundbreaking compromise in a city still reeling from Floyd’s death and the ensuing tumult. The move to increase the officers’ pay highlights how some police departments nationwide are raising officers’ compensation to combat retirements and resignations.

“We are turning a corner,” Mayor Jacob Frey said after the 8-to-4 vote. “Recognizing that we need good, community-oriented policing in our city. Recognizing that the concepts of both safety and change are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they have to go hand in hand. That’s ultimately what this contract does.”

Minneapolis became ground zero for the “defund the police” movement following Floyd’s murder at the hands of an officer. The protests and riots culminated with the burning of a police station and left the city on edge. Many officers retired or went on disability after Floyd’s death, claiming post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from the unrest.

While activists didn’t succeed in replacing the police department with a department of public safety, the force remains well below full strength. Minneapolis’ police department has just over 560 officers, according to data provided Thursday by the department. That is down from more than 800 before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The department launched a $1 million recruiting campaign in March. The pay increases are critical for retaining officers and attracting new talent, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said. Starting salaries for rookies will now top $90,000 a year.