SAINT PAUL, Minn. — At their last opportunity for public comment before a final vote, residents jammed the St. Paul City Council Chambers on Monday to offer their thoughts on the 2025 budget and the mayor's proposed 7.9% property tax levy increase.
The annual hearing, known as "Truth in Taxation," drew speakers from across the city.
Many of them, like Jimmy Sande, came to talk about Mayor Melvin Carter's plan for property tax hikes, which would cost the median homeowner more than $100 per year.
"Just like everybody else, I got the bill and just about fell over," Sande said. "It was a tough pill to swallow."
The proposed tax increase in St. Paul is similar to the one under discussion in Minneapolis, and it comes at a time when municipal governments across the state are facing pressure from inflation and other economic factors. However, speakers at Monday night's hearing said they were "flabbergasted" by the increase, with one lifelong resident saying "you guys are trying to run me out."
The Truth in Taxation hearing did not provide a venue for council members to respond individually. However, some council members have already tried to alleviate concerns about property taxes by proposing roughly $6 million in cuts to the 2025 budget, in order to bring the property tax increase closer to 5%.
In response, Mayor Carter has argued that these cuts could put essential city services at risk. According to a city analysis shared by Carter's office, the proposed reductions could result in the loss of 16 officers from the authorized strength of the Saint Paul Police Department.
Additionally, the analysis found that libraries could face shortened hours and that recreation centers would also "face drastic cuts, with full closures or program suspensions becoming inevitable. Impacts could include eliminating weekend access, shutting down on specific weekdays, or reducing daily hours by 2–3 at every center."
In a letter to the council, Carter said "we can and must find middle ground" to "respond to property tax concerns while maintaining continuity of services."
At the end of Monday's public hearing, Council President Mitra Jalali promised that she and her colleagues are listening to residents' concerns.
"I want to acknowledge what we hear very clearly at this table as the stress — the stress in all these different directions," she said. "The stress in the cost of living going up, the stress of property taxes increasing, the stress and anxiety of not having city services that actually help you through hard times."
Although the council originally planned to take a final vote on the budget document this week, that vote has now been pushed back to Wednesday, Dec. 11.