MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey approved the property tax levy for the city but vetoed the city council's budget appropriations, calling some of what the council approved "ward-specific pet projects."
Frey approved a property tax levy of 6.8%, down 1% from what the council approved Tuesday night and also down from the 8.3% he initially proposed, the highest increase in property taxes since 2010.
The city council took the mayor's proposed budget and reduced raises for the 160 highest-paid city staff members, deferred the implementation of technology projects and delayed the purchase of an internal computer software package.
Council members had to vote on a record 74 amendments during a meeting that stretched on late into the night, passing 71 of them. Many of those amendments focused on public safety efforts in the city. Members voted to expand the city's Behavioral Crisis Response and to fund five civilian investigators to be added to the police force to look into non-violent cases.
But on Wednesday, Mayor Frey said in a press release he was concerned with what he described as "fiscal irresponsibility," saying the council’s proposed budget would add $6.53 million in new cash spending, "undermining the City’s financial health."
“The Council’s budget increases property taxes for years to come,” said Mayor Frey in a press release. “It cuts essentials like unsheltered homelessness response and recruitment of police, then turns around and uses the money to fund pet projects. Fiscally, times are tight—federal funding will likely be withheld and state dollars are in short supply. We need to be responsible with our tax dollars.”
The mayor's veto will go before the full council on Thursday, his office said in the press release. If the council sustains the veto, officials said negotiations on the budget will continue and steps will need to be taken to keep the city operating during that process.
Council President Elliott Payne responded to the mayor's veto announcement:
“The fact that the Mayor is willing to veto the entire 2025 City budget because his co-equal branch of government made amendments that accounted for less than 2% of the total $1.88 billion City budget is absurd. Council Members learned of Mayor Frey’s intention to veto through a press release, before he even received the formal budget packet from the Clerk’s office at the time of his announcement. This is unfortunately part of a larger pattern of an unwillingness to work with the Legislative branch of the City. The fact that the Mayor is willing to risk the jobs of over 4,000 City employees and the reduction of basic City services in order to try and score political points is absolutely disheartening. The final budget was passed with 10 votes last night and 62 amendments passed with at least supermajority support. I will do everything in my power to work with my colleagues to overturn this reckless veto.”
