[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6458626,"mediaKeyId","5811886-f3e0b4797f7672d52f082538978b0e3a","parentId",5811886,"title","Council debates Duluth Transit Authority funding, declines immediate cuts and approves DTA levy request after follow-up talks","audioSeconds",1634,"startMs",3569000,"endMs",5203000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5811886-f3e0b4797f7672d52f082538978b0e3a&start=3569&end=5203","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5811886-f3e0b4797f7672d52f082538978b0e3a/thumbnail_3569000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6458626/Duluth/St-Louis-County/Minnesota/Council-debates-Duluth-Transit-Authority-funding-declines-immediate-cuts-and-approves-DTA-levy-request-after-follow-up-talks","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6458626-66ef637ee13b2201ed593c81f9ccbbb9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770662926&Signature=AKTBLVIGwNgwuIHKfN6UgvDayoOOd~Y2BSIKjMfSR6su6cbcy7zVDlM5RoK6V8UuyLEJVqPU0GqdUS9Pl-goproHQ5JT8hHxZaQuAkBZaDOOJ6Big2RPipFyQR~cHLZKPmx36HlDHT8hVoBHq6DoAh4z3l46PWrcSWgccLSHRrtK8jsrd2G007Ykw0od8rCFOKkxbs9GTGhLdiM6S5hILxJJJgMiVI~Y2jXqewk8g9RPfRdJIimbgDLTj2RpFpz0Ytrp1oqgh0rfIqVaF6bETUM0d5B9LZjSnFKsQ~YVq6zKJAincARNMKk5PQWlbwD3n~9mxpom6exA~jKpVv1xdw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Duluth","date","2025-09-22T00:00:00Z","article","Councilors pressed Duluth Transit Authority leadership for details about a proposed large increase in the DTA's 2026 levy during a lengthy discussion that followed public testimony urging maintenance of transit service. A proposed council amendment to sharply reduce the DTA levy was introduced, debated and then withdrawn after DTA management and several councilors agreed to continue working on budget alignment before the December final vote. The council later approved the DTA's levy resolution on a 9-0 vote.

Councilor Randolph introduced an amendment that would have reduced the DTA's requested increase to roughly half the proposed amount (the motion language described a reduction to about a 21.5% levy increase compared with the DTA's requested figure). Randolph said the change was intended to keep buses running while asking the DTA to find operating savings; he cited staffing and capital-schedule adjustments as possible areas to trim costs. Councilor Forsman, who co-authored follow-up work with Randolph, emphasized concerns about the long-term trajectory of the DTA levy and the city's ability to sustain rapidly rising transit costs.

DTA General Manager Chris Belden answered councilors' questions about reserves, capital funding and potential service cuts. Belden told the council that the warming-shelter shuttle is about $50,000 annually and the Canal Park trolley costs about $250,000 a year; he warned that those items were near the top of a list of operating items that could be cut if the DTA faced large reductions. Belden also said certain federal and state grant rules prevent the agency from shifting capital-match or federally restricted performance funds into operating budgets, and that the DTA has about $17 million programmed in the Transportation Improvement Plan for capital projects in future years.

Multiple residents and service providers urged the council not to cut DTA funding. Several speakers said the system is a lifeline for people traveling to medical appointments, work, the warming center and other essential services. Oncology nurse Carolyn Olsen said patients rely on the bus to get to life-saving cancer treatments, and public commenters repeated that transit access to shelters and libraries is critical to public health and safety.

After extensive questioning, the councilors who had sponsored the amendment withdrew it and asked the DTA to return with more detailed plans and fiscal scenarios before the December budget vote. Councilors said they wanted to see the DTA's plan to grow ridership and reduce levy dependence as part of the follow-up work. The final resolution to levy the DTA's 2026 funding passed on a unanimous roll call.

DTA staff committed to provide additional financial details to the council, including scenarios for reserves, capital-match availability and the agency's ridership-growth strategy. Councilors set continued negotiation and information exchange as the path forward before the council adopts a final 2026 levy in December.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Duluth - City Council on 2025-09-22 6:00 PM","oneSentenceSummary","Councilors pressed the DTA for details on a proposed large levy increase and sought efficiencies; an amendment to reduce the DTA levy was introduced but withdrawn after council and DTA staff agreed to further discussions. The council ultimately approved the DTA levy measure 9-0.","taxTitle","Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota","taxId",3769,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6458632,"Duluth council sets maximum 2026 property tax levy after 1% amendment",2715,3032000,5747000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5811886-f3e0b4797f7672d52f082538978b0e3a&start=3032&end=5747","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5811886-f3e0b4797f7672d52f082538978b0e3a/thumbnail_3032000.jpg","/articles/6458632/Duluth/St-Louis-County/Minnesota/Duluth-council-sets-maximum-2026-property-tax-levy-after-1-amendment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6458632-c4addda83624305acd8ef6500f5f8a59/orig.mp4?Expires=1770662926&Signature=gg5pcnD8g29AiPRSTvApy0QFZSzZNxqv5ykDbGp815zLTPqo8GcYZKhWuUEd2wneIy046hQ-WUgyhwhMnAIVjuC08gn5840EXKAfjaNZKzEWb~YgLIUby8tfWZmaK29HltdPyqcjQmz45aowTv-p~X1GKND~fiPdHJ0C1jne1rhvfdxGrzIR1FHViTElHhTMyzLi-I0pATjqCVzlGpFOvjuNpljwlR4TdcnfQnPpIecAfGjKvosb40cUDlkh8AClgeIVCZMOssrff-jSslqvSCcJztD-DhHT8bLMTZAXCNjsfirGjWKrboGTrieAYq6lhfc1V6A3hH36oKpH1Jh4NA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Duluth City Council voted to set a higher maximum property tax levy for 2026 after adopting a 1 percentage-point amendment to the mayor's proposed levy cap and then passing the resolution as amended. Councilors voted 5-4 to add 1 percentage point to the administration's proposed maximum, and later approved the amended resolution by a 9-0 roll call.

The amendment moved by Councilor Howell and seconded by Councilor Dirwachter increased the maximum levy cap above the mayor's proposed 4.13% figure; the council approved a motion to set the maximum levy at 5.13% for 2026 before adopting the full resolution a short time later. City attorney numbers read into the record after the amendment put the revised maximum levy at $45,624,919 for general operations, with $28,106,119 levied for the general fund and a taxable levy increase figure of $2,226,347.

Members said the extra percentage was intended to give the council flexibility while the detailed 2026 budget remained incomplete. Councilor Howell, who offered the amendment, said it would give \"a little bit more of that buffer\" while finance and department allocations are reviewed at the council's October retreat. Councilors who opposed the amendment argued the city should avoid locking in higher levies before the full budget is available and voiced concern about the impact on seniors and households on fixed incomes.

Public comments before the vote focused heavily on city services that could be affected by budget decisions. Several residents urged the council to preserve funding for the Duluth Transit Authority (DTA) and the public library. Social worker and District 4 resident Eleanor Dolan told the council, \"The bus to the warming shelter, that literally saves lives,\" while Erin Krieger of the Duluth Library Foundation said staffing losses \"could mean a reduction in hours and services.\"

Councilors and the mayor emphasized the broader budget context: interim finance staff and the administration said the city faces multi-year structural pressures, and the mayor stressed a goal of presenting a final budget aligned with an inflation-only 2.7% target while acknowledging longer-term gaps in 2027 and beyond. Councilors requested more detail from finance staff and scheduled an October 31 budget retreat to examine department-level proposals before final decisions in December.

The council's votes: the 1 percentage-point amendment passed 5-4; the amended resolution setting the maximum levy was adopted 9-0.

The council will return in October to review the detailed budget and consider whether to adopt a lower final levy in December. For now the council has legally capped the maximum levy for 2026 at the amended level while retaining the ability to set a lower final levy later.","After several hours of public comment and debate about services including transit and libraries, the Duluth City Council approved a resolution setting the maximum 2026 property tax levy higher than the mayor's proposal after a 5-4 amendment vote; the final resolution passed unanimously.","actionData","errors"]

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Council debates Duluth Transit Authority funding, declines immediate cuts and approves DTA levy request after follow-up talks

Duluth council sets maximum 2026 property tax levy after 1% amendment