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Saint Paul council adopts 2026 Downtown Improvement District plan with 2.7% assessment increase
Summary
The City Council approved Resolution 25-193 adopting the 2026 operating plan and service charge for the Downtown Improvement District, a plan council heard had grown in scale and secured an $800,000 contract to fund ambassadors at light-rail stations.
The Saint Paul City Council adopted Resolution 25-193 approving the 2026 operating plan and service charge for the Comprehensive Downtown Improvement Special Service District under Minnesota Statutes chapter 428A.
Supporters told the council the district has grown to a scale that can produce noticeable improvements downtown and that the board kept budget growth modest; Joe Spencer, president of the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance, said the board set a 2.7% increase in the assessment and that the program recently secured an $800,000 contract to place ambassadors at all three light-rail stations from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. “The program has really finally reached scale where it can really make a big difference,” Spencer said.
The council heard public testimony in favor of continuing and expanding downtown services. Michelle Lichtig, a resident at Gallery Tower, told the council the assessment is “an important building block” for livability downtown and praised the ambassadors: “they do. And, we really feel when you're at meetings, the residents feel that they can approach the ambassadors, and the ambassadors really we want them to make sure that they feel that they're part of the community.”
Spencer also noted that the city and county contribute voluntarily under the district’s formula and urged continued participation from regional partners; he said the contract bringing ambassadors onto the light-rail stations was a major lever for recent improvements. The council received the testimony and then closed the public hearing.
A motion to close the public hearing and approve the resolution was made on the record (mover not specified in the transcript). The resolution passed by voice vote, 6 in favor, 0 opposed; the clerk announced, “The public hearing is closed and the resolution is adopted.”
The operating plan will take effect under the terms set by the district and Minnesota law governing special service districts; the transcript did not specify the dollar amount of the assessment per property or the effective date for the assessment change.
