Minneapolis BET approves 2026 maximum levy after narrow increase for parks

Steve Brandt, president of the Board of Estimate and Taxation, presided over a contentious vote on the board’s setting of maximum property tax levies for taxes payable in 2026, approving an amended levy that raises the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board levy while leaving most city levy levels at the mayor’s recommendation.

Why it matters: The BET’s certified maximums set the top-end of what the City Council can adopt; changes affect how much revenue the city and the park board may raise from property taxes and frame budget negotiations that follow at the council and park-board levels.

The board voted 4–2 to adopt the mayor’s recommended levy as amended to increase the park and recreation fund levy to $94,000,956 and the total property tax levy to $544,545,056. Vice President Pre Stinson and Commissioner Abene introduced the successful amendment to raise the park levy; the mayor opposed the increase and President Brandt voted no.

Discussion before the vote touched on the balance between keeping property taxes down and funding new park facilities. Tom Olsen, an at-large commissioner on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, urged the BET to “please meet the park board’s full request,” saying expanded riverfront parks are needed to deliver promised services to underserved neighborhoods. Commissioner Becca Thompson and Commissioner Meg Forney, both of the park board, echoed that plea during the public-comment period.

Steve Brandt offered a competing amendment that would have reduced the city general fund levy and modestly increased the park levy while lowering the overall levy, arguing the change would reduce the median homeowner’s tax increase. Brandt said the question before the board was “a matter of balancing the needs of the city against the ability of taxpayers to pay.” That motion failed on a 5–1 vote.

Mayor Frey opposed both Brandt’s reduction and the successful park increase. The mayor warned that some of the city-level savings the board’s critics mentioned — such as shifting more from the downtown assets fund — are constrained by statutory limits, and he said savings from a reduced sworn police complement would likely be offset by overtime costs. “There’s not a zeroing out of the protected bike lanes,” the mayor added in response to a claim about cuts to the protected bikeway program, saying some allocations increase in later years and that unspent prior-year funds affect 2026 spending needs.

Board members debated alternatives to property-tax increases, including raising park fees and using enterprise or parking funds. The mayor and several commissioners encouraged the park board to complete a fee study and consider increasing parking or program fees where appropriate; others warned that many park operations, such as groundskeeping at large new sites, depend on property-tax support rather than fee revenue.

Formal actions recorded: - Motion to adopt the mayor’s recommended budget (original motion): moved by Mayor Frey and seconded by Commissioner Payne; the motion, as amended, was approved (final tally on the amended resolution: 4 ayes, 2 noes). - Brandt amendment to lower the general fund levy and reduce the overall levy: moved by Steve Brandt; second not specified in the record; failed 1–5 (1 aye, 5 nays). - Amendment by Vice President Pre Stinson and Commissioner Abene to raise the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board levy from $93,895,309 to $94,000,956 and to raise the total levy from $543,483,643 to $544,545,056: moved by Vice President Pre Stinson (mover noted on the record); passed 4–2 and incorporated into the approved resolution.

The board separated discussion from action throughout: members offered policy preferences and asked staff questions, the public commenters advocated for park funding, and the board recorded two formal amendment motions and a final roll-call vote. Finance staff were present to answer questions but did not propose new figures on the record during the BET meeting.

Looking ahead, the adopted maximums establish the ceiling the City Council and park board will use while finalizing actual budgets and spending plans. Several commissioners said they intend to pursue additional scrutiny of fees and department vacancies during the city council budget process.

Sources: Public comment and board debate at the Sept. 17, 2025 Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation meeting; statements on the record from Steve Brandt, Mayor Frey, Vice President Pre Stinson, Commissioner Abene, Commissioner Payne, and public commenters Tom Olsen, Becca Thompson and Meg Forney.