Thanks to Blue Sky Bookkeeping, Cardinal Corner, and FoodSmith for their support.
For the last meeting of the year, West St. Paul City Council approved the 2024 budget and tax levy and moved forward with a property abatement.
2024 Budget & Property Tax Levy
Council approved the 2024 budget and property tax levy with minimal discussion after reviewing the budget at multiple meetings over the past six months.
- Total 2024 budget: $41.6 million
- Property tax increase: 5.97%
- Comparable: City Manager Nate Burkett noted that the state average for preliminary levies is 8.5%, so the increase is well below the average. He credited city staff for their creative work.
- Document: A freshly designed 72-page budget document spells out all the particulars.
- Public hearing: Only one person spoked during the public hearing, but they had questions about challenging the valuation, which happens through the county.
Other Items on the Agenda
- Abatement: Council approved the abatement process on 1370 Allen due to health and safety issues. The owner passed away and the house is in tax forfeiture.
- City manager review: At the last meeting, the City Council had a closed session to review the performance of City Manager Nate Burkett. They approved a summary of the review, noting that Burkett generally exceeded expectations.
- Municipal marijuana: During the Open Council Work Session (OCWS), staff shared details from a recent informational meeting on opening a municipal marijuana retail shop. This was informational only and is not a staff recommendation. At this point there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
- Staff salary: Also during the OCWS, Burkett discussed what he thinks is a pattern of city staff salaries falling behind other communities. He’s still researching the issue and will likely propose a plan in the future, but wanted Council to be aware of it and see how they wanted to approach it. Council was generally supportive of acting sooner rather than later.
Engage
- Watch: City Council and OCWS meetings are archived online.
- Learn more: Guide to West St. Paul City Council.
We believe in government transparency and provide these West St. Paul City Council recaps with the support of our members.