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Last night, the West St. Paul City Council honored this year’s Good Neighbor Award winners, reduced the 2027 property tax levy, and began work on the 2050 Comprehensive Plan—which will mean increased housing density.
Good Neighbors Awards
The city awarded the second annual Good Neighbor Awards, which recognized residents who go above
and beyond to make their neighborhood and the community a better place to live. A total of 19 residents were nominated and three received the award:
- John Armour: “The neighborhood feels friendlier because he works to foster connections with his neighbors.”
- Gary Trowbridge: “Gary is the kind of neighbor who enriches a community simply by
- being a part of it, and he is deeply deserving of this recognition.”
- Tara Wright: “At Amore, you might see students studying, adults on computers, families playing games, people interviewing for a job or people solving the world’s problems. The walls are a gallery for local artists.”
Learn more about this year’s Good Neighbor recipients.
2027 Budget & Property Tax Levy
During the Open Council Work Session (OCWS), staff gave an update on 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 added $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%
- Further tweaks: Council discussed additional potential tweaks, weighing the pros and cons. Many cuts had additional downstream costs, such as work that would need to be done eventually and would just cost more in the future or something like the embedded social worker program with the police that makes a huge difference.
- Cut litter czar: Ultimately, the Council decided to cut a proposed “litter czar” position, preferring to cut the position before it’s added as opposed to hiring now and having to fire someone next year with additional cuts. Also, with G Line construction coming, the position’s focus on cleaning up Robert Street will be hampered by construction and then might be reduced with Metro Transit cleaning the G Line stops in the future.
- More savings: Dropping that planned position further drops the property tax levy increase to 6.25%. The final budget and property tax levy will be approved in December.
- Bond philosophy: Staff also discussed a new approach to bonding that would front-load projects so the work is done sooner, before costs rise, as opposed to saving up for a project. This would create a rolling approach to bonds where new projects are added after old ones expire, allowing the city to fund the park at 150 Thompson and a future fire and police station building.
2025 Comprehensive Plan
The OCWS also included disussion of the 2050 Comprehensive Plan, a high-level, long-term planning document required by the Met Council.
- Background: This document is important because it guides future development. The Met Council sets future population goals every 10 years and the city has to offer zoning and redevelopment guidance to be able to potentially meet those goals. For West St. Paul, that means allowing more housing density (i.e., more apartments).
- Goals: Met Council expects West St. Paul’s population to grow from 20,615 in 2020 to 24,100 by 2050. That equates to roughly 2,200 units of housing. Additionally, the city needs to allow for 165 new units of affordable housing between 2031 to 2040 (99 at or below 30% area median income [AMI], 60 at 31-50% AMI, and six at 51-60% AMI). The city will also be required to meet minimum residential density for redevelopment of 25-30 units per acre. The city doesn’t actually have to build housing to meet these goals, but the planning documents have to allow for it.
- Impact: “Density in certain places is going to skyrocket in order to meet that,” said City Manager Nate Burkett. “That’s something you need to start talking about now and talking about frequently, so that people understand—no matter how anybody feels about it, the Met Council requirement is basically that we’re adding 25% more housing units.” That will mean taller buildings: “We’re going to have to go up,” Burkett said, noting the only way to meet those densities. “Even if it never comes to fruition, it has to be guided so it could.”
- Engagement: Community engagement has already started with the city open house and will continue in 2027. The Planning Commission, Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, and Environmental Committee will play a significant role in developing the Comp Plan.
- Timing: The document is due by the end of 2028, though given approval requirements much of the city’s work will happen in 2027.
South Metro Fire Update
South Metro Fire Chief Mike Nelson gave an update on recent staff changes as well as fire safety suggestions during the OCWS. October is Fire Prevention Month and Nelson emphasized safe charging practices, newer smoke detector requirements that most older homes don’t meet, and the dangers of permanently using extension cords.
Engage
- Watch: City Council and OCWS meetings are archived online.
- Learn more: Guide to West St. Paul City Council.
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