The Minneapolis City Council will finalize the city's 2018 budget on Dec. 6, and residents have two chances to weigh in.
The council will hold public hearings on the proposed $1.4 billion budget on Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, both starting at 6:05 p.m. at City Hall. The budget will raise the property tax levy — the total amount of taxes collected in the city — by 5.5 percent.
Residents who can't attend one of the hearings may leave a comment online.
This year, the city launched a website dedicated specifically to the budget, including the full, 472-page document, Mayor Betsy Hodges' budget address, past budgets, frequently asked questions and a calendar of upcoming budget meetings.
The City Council held budget meetings in recent weeks with each of the city's departments. Those hearings will be rebroadcast back-to-back on Minneapolis government access television channels starting this weekend and continuing until a few days before the budget is approved Dec. 6. A schedule of the weekend budget hearings "marathon" is available at minneapolismn.gov/tv/minneapolis14schedule.
Video of the meetings is also available on the city's YouTube channel and at minneapolismn.gov/tv/minneapolis14.
According to calculations prepared by the Board of Estimate and Taxation, a home in Minneapolis whose value doesn't change will see a slight tax break with a 5.5 percent levy increase, since the city has issued more than $1 billion in construction permits each of the past five years, and all that new tax base means the levy can go up without causing dramatic increases in property tax bills.
Owners of a home worth $200,000 that rose in value to $210,000 in 2017 would pay about $20 more in city taxes, a 1.7 percent increase.
Adam Belz • 612-673-4405
Twitter: @adambelz
