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Maplewood council adopts $26 million fiscal 2025-26 budget after debate on transparency
Summary
The Maplewood City Council approved final reading of Bill 62‑82 adopting the city’s fiscal 2025‑26 budget. Council and staff pointed residents to online budget materials and said a larger, grant‑funded capital project drove most of the year‑over‑year increase.
The Maplewood City Council approved final reading of Bill 62‑82 on June 10, adopting the city budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.
Resident DJ Howard, who spoke during the public comment period, said residents needed a clearer, visual summary of how the city spends revenue and noted concerns about rising property assessments. “I want that money to stay in our community,” Howard said, adding that the budget felt opaque and that he expected “a quick, you know, pie chart.”
Council members and staff responded that budget review sessions were available and that a formal budget book will be published after council approval. A city staff member said the city recently adopted ClearGov budget software and intends to enable an online transparency portal after July 1 so residents can “click through and see the budget in real time,” and that quarterly variance reports will reconcile budget to actuals.
Council discussion acknowledged a roughly $4 million increase in the city’s overall budget compared with prior years. Staff said a significant portion of this year’s increase is driven by the Greenwood and Great Rivers Greenway project, which is “80% grant funded” and therefore added substantially to capital improvements totals.
The council took the roll call vote after discussion; Mayor Greenberg and Council Members Homa, Maddox, Page, Wiley and Faulkingham voted to approve Bill 62‑82 on final reading. A council member noted the formal budget book takes four to six weeks to produce and accepted the resident’s suggestion to provide a more concise visual summary at the time of future first and second reading presentations.
The ordinance was approved on final reading (council announced the ordinance number informally as “6070 something”). Staff said the ClearGov portal will be enabled after July 1 and that quarterly budget‑to‑actual reporting will appear in the portal once configured.
Less critical items discussed simultaneously included continued explanations of revenue sources — staff reiterated that over 50% of the city’s revenues come from sales tax — and guidance about where residents may view county assessment and tax details online.
