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St. Paul City Council approves $844 million budget for 2024

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The St. Paul City Council on Wednesday passed an $844 million budget for 2024, a taxing-and-spending plan with a focus on infrastructure, public safety and operational improvements.

St. Paul’s property tax levy will be $208 million, roughly a quarter of the city’s overall revenue and a 3.7% increase from this year.

The budget passed by a 6-1 vote, with Council Member Jane Prince dissenting. The adopted plan was largely the same as what Mayor Melvin Carter proposed in August, with a few minor tweaks and additions.

“From public safety to medical debt, this budget makes bold investments in our future while maintaining the discipline behind our city’s perfect credit rating,” Carter said in a statement Wednesday. “I appreciate the council passing it today.”

The owner of a $267,400 median-value home will see a city property tax bill of $1,230 in 2024, down $50 from this year. With additional charges for water, waste, recycling and sewer services, that same homeowner will pay an estimated $2,257 in total city taxes and fees, a rise of $7 from this year.

The relatively modest changes could come as a relief to homeowners who saw their city property taxes skyrocket last year, when St. Paul increased its levy by 15% and home values shot up.

The outlook may be bleaker for commercial and industrial property owners, some of whom will face steeper tax increases in 2024. The assessed values for those properties grew at a faster pace than the residential sector this year, meaning they will take on a larger slice of St. Paul’s tax pie.

“With a small levy increase, it appears that the public thinks that we have been cautious and careful,” Prince said Wednesday, alluding to the fact that just three people spoke at the city’s truth-in-taxation meeting held the prior evening. “But I feel like there were many other things we should have addressed.”

Debate over medical debt forgiveness

Much of the council’s debate centered around the mayor’s proposal to use $1.1 million of the city’s federal pandemic aid to partner with RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit that would use the money to acquire and cancel up to $110 million in medical debt for tens of thousands of St. Paul residents.

Council Member Nelsie Yang proposed the council eliminate the appropriation and carry forward the aid into next year, when more discussions about potential uses of the funds could take place. Her motion, which drew support from Prince and Council Member Rebecca Noecker, failed by a 4-3 vote.

“There are other needs that could be prioritized just as much as medical debt,” Yang said, such as pay for frontline workers or assistance to Catholic Charities’ Higher Ground Shelter.

Other appropriations added by the council include:

“I think people in this room heard us argue about a few of the small things in a very large budget,” Council Member Chris Tolbert said. “Overall, this budget is a wonderful budget.”

Streets and public safety

City budget officials said while final projections won’t be finalized until later this month, their estimated revenue for 2024 increased since the summer — partly due to the 1% sales tax passed by voters last month for street and park maintenance.

The 2024 budget allocates $3.4 million for mill and overlay and skim paving work, and hires 5.5 full-time equivalent workers to help with snow plowing and street upkeep. In a letter last week, St. Paul Area Chamber President and CEO B Kyle urged the council to dedicate even more general fund sources to streets in the future, noting “there are still hundreds of miles of streets in need of repair and upgrade” that won’t be covered by the sales tax.

The budget also includes millions of dollars in public safety aid from the state, which St. Paul has said it plans to use on a suite of initiatives aimed at reducing gun violence, as well as long-awaited $8.8 million bump in local government aid from the state.

Many other taxing jurisdictions affecting St. Paul property owners have yet to vote on their final budgets for next year. Ramsey County is slated to approve a levy Tuesday, and St. Paul Public Schools will take up its budget on Dec. 19.



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Klobuchar criticizes White for saying ‘bad guys won in World War II’

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The only debate between DFL U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and GOP challenger Royce White started Sunday on the street outside WCCO Radio.

As White approached the building, he loudly called some two dozen flag-waving and cheering Klobuchar supporters a “whole lot of commies.” The 33-year-old provocateur and podcaster also told them to thank Republican former Vice President Dick Cheney — who endorsed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris — because there was “no chance in hell” that Harris would defeat Republican former President Donald Trump on Nov. 5.

Klobuchar, 64, had arrived moments earlier, smiling and wishing “good morning” to her supporters. Once inside, the two took questions for an hour from moderator Blois Olson. Their tone was generally polite with White often interrupting a Klobuchar response with, “rebuttal,” indicated he wanted to respond.

The senator repeatedly raised White’s claims on X, formerly Twitter, that “The bad guys won in World War II” and that there were “no good guys in that war.” She called that stance offensive to veterans.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar arrives at WCCO Radio for a debate with Royce White in Minneapolis on Sunday, Oct. 27. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii)

Klobuchar, who is seeking a fourth six-year term, portrayed herself as a pragmatist. She opened by saying that we live in “incredibly divisive times politically” but that she has listened and worked with Republicans to bring down shipping costs, drug prices for seniors and to help veterans and push for more housing and child care.

“Courage in this next few years is not going to be standing by yourself yelling at people,” she said, her opening allusion to White’s rhetoric, which she said is often vulgar.

White, a former NBA player, is a political novice, but a close ally of Steve Bannon, the jailed former chief strategist for Trump and right wing media executive. Last summer, White won the state GOP endorsement to run against Klobuchar.

“Our country’s coming undone at the seams. I think we can change that,” White said in his opening statement. He said he threatens the status quo, decried the “permanent political class” and referred to the two major parties as the “uniparty.”



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Satellite images show damage from Israeli attack at 2 secretive Iranian military bases

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Other buildings destroyed at Khojir and Parchin likely included buildings where Iran used industrial mixers to create the solid fuel needed for its extensive ballistic missile arsenal, Eveleth said.

In a statement issued immediately after the attack Saturday, the Israeli military said it targeted ”missile manufacturing facilities used to produce the missiles that Iran fired at the state of Israel over the last year.”

Destroying such sites could greatly disrupt Iran’s ability to manufacture new ballistic missiles to replenish its arsenal after the two attacks on Israel. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which oversees the country’s ballistic missile program, has been silent since Saturday’s attack.

Iran’s overall ballistic missile arsenal, which includes shorter-range missiles unable to reach Israel, was estimated to be ”over 3,000” by Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, then-commander of the U.S. military’s Central Command, in testimony to the U.S. Senate in 2022. In the time since, Iran has fired hundreds of the missiles in a series of attacks.

There have been no videos or photos posted to social media of missile parts or damage in civilian neighborhoods following the recent attack — suggesting that the Israeli strikes were far more accurate that Iran’s ballistic missile barrages targeting Israel in April and October. Israel relied on aircraft-fired missiles during its attack.

However, one factory appeared to have been hit in Shamsabad Industrial City, just south of Tehran near Imam Khomeini International Airport, the country’s main gateway to the outside world. Online videos of the damaged building corresponded to an address for a firm known as TIECO, which advertises itself as building advanced machinery used in Iran’s oil and gas industry.



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This Rochester MN school police officer used to be a narcotics cop

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Some take him up on it and fret when he’s not around.

“It is nice to be missed and be part of the school’s culture,” Arzola said. But mostly, he added, he wants kids to know that police aren’t around just for when the bad stuff happens. He’ll hand out his stickers and bracelets, even a trading card bearing his image. Then, they’ll talk about dogs and family.

School resource officer Al Arzola talks to students in his office at John Adams Middle School in Rochester on Oct. 11. (Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Two months ago, Rochester played host to a three-day training session for new SROs from across the state — an event organized by the Minnesota School Safety Center. On the final day, the 26 officers learned about surveillance challenges at the other school where Arzola works: Dakota Middle School.

It is a beautiful building with a scenic view. There is a lot of glass, too. Arzola, handling the role of instructor and tour guide, took the group outside and noted how one could look straight through the entrance to the large groups that gather inside. There were no curbs in front, either.

“There is nothing stopping any vehicle whatsoever from going through my front doors,” Arzola told the officers. “Law enforcement wasn’t talked to before this building was made. It was kind of like, ‘Here it is. You’re the SRO. Do what you do.’”

He showed them his office, too, which is separate from the main office and near those of other school support staff members. That makes sense, said Jenny Larrive, SRO coordinator for the Minnesota School Safety Center, given than SROs spend more time connecting with youth than on actual law enforcement.



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