Saint Louis Park’s City Council on Tuesday approved the first reading of an ordinance to adopt the city’s 2026 fee schedule and set the second reading for Sept. 15, 2025. The council opened a public hearing, received one in-person comment and then voted to move the ordinance forward.

The vote follows a presentation by Amelia Kruger, the city’s finance director, who told the council that departments review fees annually to match the cost of providing services and to inform the city’s 2026 budget assumptions. Kruger said most fees will be adjusted for inflation, some fees were consolidated or removed, and several new fees were added. She said the new fee schedule and utility rates would take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, if the ordinance is adopted after the second reading.

Kruger said staff eliminated a separate rental-licensing fee that had applied only to properties owned by the housing authority so that all rental properties now pay the same fee; THC-related licensing fees will be handled by the state beginning in 2026 and were removed from the city schedule; wood-chip delivery service used by the city will no longer be offered; and a fee tied to a previously required crime-free multi-housing training was removed after the underlying ordinance was repealed. New fees include an application fee for a tree protection permit, a fee to produce variance/zoning verification letters, and fees tied to outdoor seating and patio rentals. Kruger also noted that appendix A of the ordinance contains the full fee schedule and is available online.

The presentation also covered utility rates. Kruger said the city completed a multi‑year risk assessment for water main infrastructure and built a capital improvement plan that increases planned water‑main replacement spending. To fund the capital and operating work across water, sanitary sewer and stormwater funds, Kruger said staff proposes a roughly 4.5% increase in those utility rates for 2026 (solid waste follows a separate multi‑year contract schedule and is treated differently). She said the increases are intended to keep utility systems funded at the level in the capital plan.

During public comment, Jeff Markham, 4100 Raleigh Avenue, who said he owns and manages five apartment buildings in the city, urged the council to “get creative to ease the financial burden on residents.” Markham said his own property has seen an average property‑tax increase of 6.3% since February 2001 and called the proposed levy “close to 8” (his phrasing). He urged the council and staff to pursue expense reductions in addition to revenue measures.

Council members asked questions and commented after the hearing. Several council members said they appreciated staff’s analysis and the effort to link fees to cost of service and to protect the city’s capital program. Council members noted specific line items: solid waste rates are driven by multiyear contracts and had been smoothed to avoid a single large jump in one year, and new letter‑of‑zoning fees reflect lender/insurer requests for confirmation of zoning status. Council member remarks also flagged the value of tracking how fee and levy changes will affect multifamily households and small businesses.

Mayor Pro Tem Bodwin moved and a colleague seconded the motion to approve the first reading and set the second reading for Sept. 15, 2025; the motion passed. With the first reading approved, the council may still amend the ordinance at second reading within the scope of the noticed hearing.

Why this matters: the fee ordinance is the city’s annual tool to set charges for permits, licenses and utility services, and the utility rate changes fund planned capital work that staff said is needed to reduce water‑main failure risk and maintain system reliability. The second reading on Sept. 15 is the next formal opportunity for the council to change or confirm the schedule before the effective date of Jan. 1, 2026.

Key details and next steps
- Effective date if adopted: Jan. 1, 2026.
- Major fee deletions: separate housing‑authority rental license, THC licensing (shifted to state), wood‑chip delivery, and fee tied to a repealed crime‑free multi‑housing ordinance.
- New fees: tree protection permit application, variance/zoning verification letter fee, outdoor seating/patio rental fees.
- Utility rates: staff proposed ~4.5% increases for water, sanitary, and stormwater funds in 2026 to fund operating and capital needs; solid waste follows a separate contract schedule.
- Public comment: one speaker (Jeff Markham) urged expense reductions and noted household and rental impacts.

Speakers (from the meeting record)
- Amelia Kruger, finance director (city staff)
- Jeff Markham, resident and property manager, 4100 Raleigh Avenue (public commenter)
- Mayor Pro Tem Bodwin (presiding council member)
- City Attorney (unnamed in record; provided legal guidance during discussion)
- Kim Keller, city manager (operations context)
- Multiple council members (identified in the record as council members; individual votes/comments summarized above)

Authorities referenced in the meeting record
- Fee ordinance adopting fees for 2026 (city ordinance; staff presentation referenced appendix A—fee schedule)
- State statutes (general reference in staff review of fee authorities)

Actions (from the meeting record)
- Motion: Approve first reading of the ordinance adopting fees for 2026 and set second reading for 09/15/2025. Mover: not specified in the record. Second: not specified in the record. Outcome: approved (first reading passed). Notes: second reading scheduled Sept. 15, 2025; effective date if adopted Jan. 1, 2026.

Discussion vs. formal action
- Discussion: staff presentation of fee changes, new/eliminated fees, and utility rate rationale; council members’ policy questions; public comment by a resident urging expense reductions.
- Direction: council set the second reading date and moved the ordinance to the next hearing; staff to continue to provide details if council requests further analysis.
- Formal action: first reading approved (procedural vote to take ordinance to second reading).

Clarifying details extracted from the record
- Effective date of fees if adopted: 01/01/2026.
- Utility increases proposed: roughly 4.5% for water, sanitary and stormwater funds (solid waste contract handled separately).
- Parking of fee schedule: detailed appendix A available online (fee amounts and line‑item changes in appendix A).

Community relevance
- Geographies affected: entire city of Saint Louis Park (utility rate payers, permit applicants).
- Impact groups: homeowners, renters and multifamily residents, businesses (including small businesses subject to triple‑net leases), utility customers.

Provenance (selected meeting record evidence)
- topicintro: {"block_id":"t=992.30505","local_start":0,"local_end":58,"evidence_excerpt":"The first reading of the fee ordinance." ,"tc_start":"00:16:32"}
- topicfinish: {"block_id":"t=2951.81","local_start":0,"local_end":45,"evidence_excerpt":"All in favor. Aye. All opposed. Looks like we made it. That passes.","tc_end":"00:49:11"}

Searchable tags:["fees","utility_rates","budget","public_hearing","taxes","housing","Saint Louis Park"]