St. Paul mayor, council debate tax levy increase in new budget

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Saint Paul mayor and city council are at odds with the tax levy increase as the city works to pass a new budget.

Mayor Melvin Carter held a press conference before the city council meeting to sway council members to vote for his budget proposal, but most council members held their ground.

Carter proposed to raise the tax levy to 6.9 percent, which would fund more police staff and other city services. But the Saint Paul City Council struck it down 4 to 2.

"If we can’t get that passed [Wednesday], our hope is to get that passed next week so we can continue to move forward," said Carter.

That reality set in for Carter on Wednesday, after he had already made a compromise on the tax levy. Originally, he wanted the tax levy to be 7.9 percent, which is an additional $4 million in taxpayer funding, compared to the 5.9 percent the Saint Paul City Council voted for and passed 5 to 1. Carter even compromised to 6.9 percent in an attempt to get the council votes.

"We spent the weekend on the phone. We’ve been engaging our council members, took probably an hour-long walk with our council members earlier [Wednesday]," said Carter.

Part of the council passing the 5.9 percent levy means the Saint Paul Police Department would get $1 million less, compared to Carter’s proposal. Saint Paul Police Chief Axel Henry says that’s about 35,000 labor hours. Also, some services and departments could get less funding. Council members who voted no to the mayor’s proposal cited the cost to homeowners and other ways to do things cost effective without raising the property tax.

"We’re living in a time when every dollar matters. When a lot of our residents are increasingly on constrained budgets. And the cost of everything else is rising faster than their paychecks," said Council Member Rebecca Noecker.

But those for Carter’s plan wanted the council to pass that budget.

"We worked really hard to bring the levy down together and collectively. The proposal before you funds the city next year of a 6.9 percent increase. It brought the levy down by $2 million. That is through targeted reductions in new spending," said Mitra Jalai, Saint Paul City Council President.

We reached out to Mayor Carter’s Office after Wednesday’s vote. His press secretary says Carter’s Office is reviewing the budget the City Council passed, and will determine its next steps in the coming days.

Mayor's Statement

Mayor Carter said in a statement: "Tonight’s council action saves median homeowners $19 per year by cutting millions in police staffing and other city services without a plan, reducing funding for streets and sidewalks, and eliminating two total positions — director of Human Rights and police property room clerk — while adding two new titles to the City Council’s staff. We are reviewing this document, which the city’s Office of Financial Services received late last night and have yet to perform our standard due diligence on, and will determine next steps in the coming days."