City Manager outlines 2025 budget outlook, bond projects and capital priorities at Maplewood town hall

MAPLEWOOD — The City Manager delivered the 2025 State of the City address at a Jan. 28 work session, summarizing last fiscal year’s results, the status of voter-approved Prop S bond projects, and near-term budget planning steps while answering questions from councilmembers and residents.

In a fiscal recap, the City Manager said the city closed the year with $23,200,000 in revenue, a general fund unassigned balance of $9,500,000 and strong sales-tax performance that now makes up about 55% of total revenue. The City Manager noted the city maintained a AA credit rating and received a GFOA certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting. “We don’t actually have that money to use on an unrestricted basis. It is restricted cash,” the City Manager said when describing funds that must transfer into the state police and fire pension system after a prior trust dissolution.

Why it matters: the presentation framed the city’s near-term capacity to invest in infrastructure and operations while signaling areas of fiscal pressure—particularly the sewer-lateral and solid-waste programs—that could require policy choices or voter approval next year.

Big-ticket items and bond projects: the City Manager said the traffic study’s recommended projects are being implemented under Prop S, the $6 million bond measure approved by voters last April with roughly 75%…