It’s that time of year again, when local governments decide what their budgets will be for the ensuing year. Approved Dec. 2 at St. Paul Park is a 2025 total levy totaling $3,021,332, consisting of $2,783,931 for the general levy and $237,401 for the debt levy. A median home is expected to see an annual increase of $76 in city taxes under the new levy, the total approved 2025 general fund budget for St. Paul Park set at $4,161,615.
With one resident speaking briefly in public comment on specific tax questions and being directed to city staff, the budget presentation was preceded by consent agenda approval.
There were five consent agenda items, read by Mayor Franke:
A. Adopt Ordinance No. 774, an ordinance updating the city’s fee schedule.
B. Approve payment of bills for the period Nov. 20 through Dec. 3, 2024.
C. Approve Interagency Agreement with Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
D. Approve 2025 wages:
Administrative Assistant
Accounting Technician
Public Works Supervisor
E. Change Council Meetings in 2025 due to legal holidays
Change Jan. 20 to Jan. 21 (Tuesday)—MLK Day
Change Feb. 17 to Feb. 18 (Tuesday)—Presidents Day
Change Sept. 1 to Sept. 2 (Tuesday)—Labor Day
F. Approve License Applications for:
Alarm User
Garbage Collectors, and
Home Occupation
“Thank you Mayor Franke,” Council member Jeff Swenson said following item review. “Tonight’s consent agenda pretty much looks like end of year housekeeping items and as such I will move to approve the consent agenda.”
A second being given in turn, the consent agenda passed unanimously on voice vote.
From there it was into a quick budget summary.
“As you recall we’ve done a couple workshops,” City Finance Director Melody Santana-Marty said. All said and done, the city of St. Paul Park had gotten its gross levy rate to 5.974 percent, the net levy rate being 5.978 percent.
The final net levy number represents a drop of 1.46 percent from the initial proposed levy percentage for 2025, set at 7.438.
Council member Swenson had a clarification he wanted to make on the levy.
“This was not due to large increases, but due to lost revenue that we had been receiving,” he said of the slight increase from 2024 in the net levy. Santana-Marty concurred, saying the city had received $240,000 in one-time public safety aid for 2024, which now goes away.
“We are not going to receive that again,” she said.
The city had remedied the situation with a small increase and tightening of other budget areas. With motion and second to approve Resolution No. 1733, the 2025 tax levy and budget was unanimously approved by the council.