West St. Paul City Council chambers

West St. Paul City Council Preview: Oct. 13, 2026

Thanks to the Optimist Club of West St. Paul for their support. They’re hosting a candidate forum on Oct. 14 at Jameson’s Tavern with candidates running for West St. Paul, Dakota County, and ISD 197.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the West St. Paul City Council will honor this year’s Good Neighbor Award winners, discuss a reduced property tax levy, and begin work on the 2050 Comprehensive Plan.

Good Neighbor Awards

The city will award the second annual Good Neighbor Awards, which recognizes residents who go above
and beyond to make their neighborhood and the community a better place to live. A total of 16 residents were nominated and three will receive the award:

Pace Automotive: Local, family owned auto repair. Personal, honest service.
  • John Armour
  • Gary Trowbridge
  • Tara Wright

2027 Budget & Property Tax Levy

During the Open Council Work Session (OCWS), Council will discuss the 2027 budget and property tax levy. In September, Council approved a 7.28% maximum levy.

  • Changes: Insurance costs came in under projections, so staff expects to save $150,000. Staff also want to add $50,000 to the general fund to cover volatile fuel prices. This results in a net reduction of $100,000.
  • Reduced tax levy: That lowers the property tax increase from 7.28% to 6.66%

Other Items on the Agenda

  • South Metro Fire: During the OCWS, South Metro Fire will give an update on recent hiring and staff changes as well as fire safety suggestions.
  • Comp plan: Also during the OCWS, Council will discuss the 2050 Comprehensive Plan, a high-level, long-term planning document required by the Met Council.

Engage

These West St. Paul City Council previews happen with the support of our members. Local news is a group effort, and we couldn’t do it without them.

TAGS

RELATED

Highway 52 pedestrian bridge
Infrastructure

Another Highway 52 Closure This Weekend

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) will close Highway 52 again this weekend for more work on a pedestrian bridge just north of Butler Avenue. This will be the third weekend closure in three months.

Candidates for Minnesota State House District 53B Rick Hansen and Patti Mikulski.
Election

2026 Election: Minnesota House District 53B

The two candidates running for Minnesota House District 53B are Rick Hansen and Patti Mikulski. While neither candidate answered our candidate questionnaire, we did collect all other campaign resources and candidate forums.

Dakota County Commissioner District 3 candidate Laurie Halverson
Election

2026 Election: Dakota County Commissioner District 3

Laurie Halverson is the only candidate running for Dakota County Commissioner District 3. While she did not answer our candidate questionnaire, we did collect all other campaign resources and candidate forums.

Leave a Reply

Discover more from West St. Paul Reader

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Member Drive

20 New Members

We need 20 new members by August 10 to support coverage of ISD 197 School Board.