City briefs - Sep 2025

City Budget for 2026
On Aug. 13, Mayor Jacob Frey presented his recommended budget for next year. Frey recommends spending $2.03 billion in 2026, excluding the independent park and estimate and taxation boards. This represents a 7.4% increase from the 2025 budget of $1.88 billion. Frey has proposed a 7.8% property tax increase that raises the total dollar amount levied by $39 million. The city council will now begin reviewing, holding hearings and likely proposing amendments to the budget before it is approved in December. The first public hearing on the budget will concern approval of the maximum property tax levy for 2026 by the Board of Estimate and Taxation and will be held at their meeting on Sept. 10 starting at 5:05 p.m. in Room 350 of Public Service Center at 250 Fourth St.

Election update
The candidate filing period has ended for the city election on Nov. 2. Fifteen mayoral candidates will be on the ballot this year. In the Longfellow Nokomis southside area for city council in Ward 2, Shelley Madore, Robin Wonsley, Max Theroux and Michael Baskins will be on the ballot. Ward 6 will have Jamal Osman and Mohamoud Hassan; Ward 8 Soren Stevenson, Josh Bassais, Bob Sullentrop, and Philip Galberth; Ward 9, Jason Chavez and Daniel Orban; Ward 11, Jim Meyer, Jamison Whiting and Mariam DeMello; and Ward 12, Edward Bear Stops, Becka Thompson and Aurin Chowdhury.

Early voting
Minneapolis voters can vote starting on Sept. 19 at the city’s Elections & Voter Services center at 980 E Hennepin Ave. It is accessible using the 4, 25, and 61 bus routes and there is free parking onsite. People can drop off absentee ballots there, register to vote, and vote Monday - Friday, Sept 19 – Oct 17, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Hours and location will be added later.

MPD Off DUty Fees
A city council committee approved adding police off-duty fees to the city’s list of fees they will collect next year. These will be charged for the use of city property and equipment by police when they work as a police officer for private entities. The 2026 Fee Schedule, as it is called, will be presented at the Sept. 2 Business, Housing, and Zoning Committee where council members Robin Wonsley and Eliot Payne are expected to bring forward an amendment to add police off-duty fees for consideration at full council on Sept. 11.

Worker's Comp Claims
The city currently uses outside legal counsel to handle all their workers’ compensation litigation and is poised to approve spending up to $2.4 million through August 2028 in contracts with three law firms for legal services. Through a request for proposal issued in May, Aafedt, Forde, Gray, Monson & Hager, P.A, Gries Lenhardt Allen, P.L.L.P., and Heacox Hartman, P.A. were selected firms.

Hi Lake Station Renovations
Hennepin County is pursuing plans to renovate the Lake St. LRT station. They are in the design and engineering stages this year with construction expected to start in 2026. They aim to remove the escalators and add a pedestrian ramp from the street level to the station on the south side of Lake St. (along with new, larger elevators that will be closer to Lake St. bus stops), and wider stairways. They also plan to provide staff better workspaces and replace existing glass platform shelters with a larger overhead canopy.

Twin Cities MaRkeTFest 2025
A street fair on 26th from Franklin Ave to 24th St will be held on Sat Sept 13 from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. It will include free activities, large demos, food trucks, and 150 local artists and craftspeople.