St. Paul residents speak at a listening session Tuesday about the $855 million budget proposal

Community members in St. Paul gathered Tuesday to discuss Mayor Melvin Carter’s proposed plan for the 2025 budget with city leaders.

The proposed $855 million budget includes a property tax increase of nearly eight percent.

If the budget is approved as is, officials say the average homeowner would pay about $11 more a month. The money from the roughly eight percent tax increase would be used to invest in things like public safety, housing and homelessness intervention.

“When I moved to my neighborhood 32 years ago, it was a solid middle-class, single-earner household. Now, households are dual-professional or wealthy enough to buy a home,” St. Paul resident Wayne Johnson said at the meeting.

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“We need someone who can coordinate a program that allows communities to observe what’s happening in their communities and come up with solutions and make it happen,” said Chauntyll Allen, co-founder of Black Lives Matter in the Twin Cities.

Public safety was a big topic last week Wednesday. When the St. Paul Fire and Police Departments explained their needs to city council members.

Police Chief Axel Henry said the department is currently not at full capacity — like many departments across the country — and is short 60 officers. That, in turn, means increased costs when it comes to overtime for officers filling empty shifts, Chief Henry said.

“We have to go to calls. Police have to be there 24/7, 365. So we’re making up for the loss because we’re already stretched thin as a police department. We have to make up for it with overtime, and the more work we do on overtime shifts, the more expensive it becomes,” Herny said. “To think about it in simple terms, for every dollar of labor, we’re spending $1.50 on the gap we’re trying to fill.”

“We need to balance the different priorities that not only departments but also residents need to adhere to,” said city council member Nelsie Yang.

Tuesday’s listening session is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Center.

Minneapolis citizens had a chance to voice their city’s budget proposal Monday night. Council members there are considering a budget of about $1.9 billion for 2025, including an eight percent property tax increase. For the owner of a $300,000 home, that would mean an increase of more than $200.

The proposal also includes first-year police pay increases totaling 21 percent over three years.

Monday’s meeting was the first of three public hearings on the budget proposal.

The Minneapolis City Council is expected to take a final vote on the budget in December.