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St. Paul mayor and city council meeting to reach budget compromise

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The middle ground: a 7.2% increase.

In an interview Wednesday afternoon, Deputy Mayor Jamie Tincher said Carter, too, would like the levy to be lower. But proposing a 5% increase would mean an additional cut of $6 million from 2025 city services — a reduction that could increase fire response times, slow the processing of license applications and reduce parks and rec and library services.

“He doesn’t have a path to do that without reducing services that will be felt by the people who are currently getting them,” Tincher said.

If the two sides cannot agree on a tax levy for 2025, state law would require the city to institute this year’s levy. That, Tincher said, would lead to drastic cuts in city personnel and services, as costs go up every year because of things like health care, insurance and previously negotiated salary increases.

The gap between revenue and costs then, she said, would be $16 million.

Tincher was asked if this year’s negotiations felt “different.”



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Bloomington city manager tapped as next CEO of Catholic Charities Twin Cities

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Bloomington City Manager Jamie Verbrugge has been hired as Catholic Charities Twin Cities’ next president and CEO.

Verbrugge has spent more than 20 years in public administration in the Twin Cities, having held positions in Brooklyn Park and Rosemount before arriving in Bloomington in 2015. City officials there credit him for helping make advances in affordable housing and sustainability, and diversifying the city’s workforce.

“His deep personal connection to Catholic Charities paired with his proven professional track record, commitment to public service, and strong leadership skills made him an ideal candidate,” Desirae Butler, chair of nonprofit’s board of directors, said in a statement.

Verbrugge will succeed Michael Goar, who was appointed president and CEO of Sisters of Charity Health System earlier this year.

Catholic Charities Twin Cities operates six adult emergency shelters for the homeless, nine affordable housing facilities and various services for children, families and disabled persons, according to its website. It assists more than 33,000 people.

“I am honored to join Catholic Charities as its new president and CEO,” Verbrugge said in a statement. “It is an incredibly meaningful opportunity to lead an organization with such a strong foundation.”



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Minneapolis Mayor Frey lowers proposed tax hike as council digs into budget

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Mayor Jacob Frey proposed to cut his recommended 2025 budget’s property tax levy increase on Friday as the city council dug into his plan and days after a Council Member Emily Koski announced a run for mayor and proposed a nearly identical change.

The Minneapolis City Council on Friday began debating revisions to Frey’s budget in what promises to be a series of marathon “markup” meetings before the council votes on a final budget Tuesday night. Council members proposed a whopping 73 amendments to Frey’s budget, and began going through them on Friday. The meeting was contentious from the start, with Council Member Linea Palmisano accusing her colleagues of locking her out of talks.

“We are equal members of this body and we need to start acting like it,” she said.

Frey said the council amendments add “wants” while cutting needs; divert city funds to private organizations; and irresponsibly deplete the city’s cash reserves. He said the council’s amendments cut core services in order to increase spending to nonprofits, “pet projects” in wards and “unvetted, one-time programs.”

Frey said if the council disposed of amendments like that, he’d support reducing his proposed hike by using over $780,000 in unspent federal pandemic funds; cutting $2.3 million from 20 departments; and cutting $5.7 million from a technology improvement plan. The council declined, however, to go along with Koski’s proposed levy decrease, but approved other cuts that bring the levy increase down to 6.9%.

Some council members were offended by Frey’s characterization of ward projects as “pet projects.” Council Member Katie Cashman suggested the mayor was trying to “one-up” the council’s budget cuts.

Much was made of the fact that Frey put out a news release and letter Friday laying out his proposal to reduce the levy increase. Council Member Jason Chavez accused the mayor of “legislating through press releases” instead of talking to council members.



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I’m optimistic about Minnesota working together in 2025

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We have “forever chemicals” in our drinking water and chloride in our lakes and rivers, and we’re breathing plastic. Nationwide, at least 45% of tap water contains per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, or PFAS, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. One of these is called perchlorate, a chemical that boosts explosive power in things like airbags, fireworks and grenades, but when ingested, prevents us from absorbing iodide. That’s not a big deal for adults, but it can cause deafness or severe intellectual disability in fetuses and babies. The federal government has been dragging its feet on whether to regulate perchlorate for more than 20 years.

When politicians talk angrily about “regulations,” often they’re talking about health and environmental regulations, which can be costly, and which someone has to pay for.

Meanwhile, there’s a looming shortage of nursing home beds in Minnesota. In 2024, the oldest baby boomers turned 75, which means the demand for long-term care will skyrocket over the next 20 to 30 years, according to the Mankato-based Center for Rural Policy and Development. Nursing homes have already been closing across the state given staff shortages and as retirees prefer assisted living and other options. The need will be felt first in rural Minnesota, where the population is older, but it will hit the metro also.

Our charter schools need an overhaul, no matter if they’re in rural or urban areas. Nine of the state’s 181 schools operating at the start of 2024 have closed, and Star Tribune reporting has uncovered troubling financial and academic failures. The secrecy surrounding many of these publicly-funded schools is anti-democratic, and the Minnesota Department of Education needs to insist on full disclosure of records.

We don’t have enough workers, only 51 for every 100 open jobs, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. If the new Trump administration carries out mass deportations as intended, that will likely stretch our workforce even more. Whether or not you agree with this policy, we need to be ready for it if it happens. Young people often take their first job because they are noticeable; they see a help wanted sign or they follow a friend or family member into a field. Maybe we need to make jobs in critical industries more noticeable and training more readily available.

Internet safety for children is a huge area that rural and urban, DFL and GOP can agree on. It can’t be emphasized enough that criminals are constantly looking for victims online, and children simply lack the judgment and awareness to know when they are being targeted. Even adults fall prey to online scams, so we can hardly expect children to emerge unscathed.



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