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Edina council discusses preliminary levy, firefighting hires amid public concern over tax burden
Summary
Council members and city staff defended the preliminary 2026 levy and explained that proposed firefighter hires are the main driver of a higher preliminary rate; a resident urged more transparency and warned of continued double‑digit increases.
A resident criticized the city’s budget process and warned of future double‑digit property tax levies, prompting council members and staff to explain the city’s preliminary levy and staffing plans.
At the start of public comment, resident Ralph Sickert said the city’s levy trajectory was alarming and blamed a lack of transparency from city management and the council. He referenced prior comments and media interviews in which he said as much as a 15% property tax increase could be necessary in coming years.
The council and city staff responded during the meeting’s staff‑response segment. City Manager Scott Veil (referred to in the meeting as Manager Veil) and Finance Director Pa Thao explained Minnesota law requires cities to set a preliminary levy in September and adopt a final levy in December. Veil said the council set a preliminary levy “a little over 11%” for 2026 to preserve flexibility while the city evaluates staffing, particularly proposed firefighter hires. He said, if not for the firefighter staffing proposal, the preliminary levy would have been about 6.5%.
Councilmembers defended the city’s fiscal management. The mayor and other councilmembers noted Edina maintains high credit ratings — a double‑AAA from Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s — and has received recurring fiscal awards. Council members said staff works to balance costs, levy pressure and service needs and pointed to the city’s ongoing evaluation of staffing, service levels and deferred maintenance.
Councilmembers and staff reiterated the schedule: the preliminary levy is an estimate submitted to Hennepin County for truth‑in‑taxation notices; the council will adopt a final levy in December after further review and public hearings.
The exchange left the central policy trade visible: whether to raise the levy to accelerate hiring (notably firefighters and EMS staff) and address deferred maintenance or to spread costs more slowly over future budgets. Council members said they expected further public input and analysis between now and the December final levy vote.
Ending
Council members and staff said they will continue outreach and share more detailed schedules for staffing decisions and levy options ahead of the December final levy adoption.
