Finance Director Michelle Petrick presented the city of Roseville’s preliminary 2026 operating and capital budget on Dec. 1, proposing a combined city and EDA budget of $81.2 million that includes capital projects, personnel cost increases and several new positions.

Petrick told the council the preliminary levy calculation adopted in September would have amounted to a 12% increase but that grants and other changes affect the final figure. She said federal grants awarded in October — a COPS grant covering four police patrol positions and a SAFER grant for firefighter-paramedic positions — will offset some of the personnel cost increases. The presentation listed requests for seven new police positions and 15 firefighter-paramedics among staffing changes under consideration.

The presentation outlined three scenarios for voters and council consideration. Petrick said Scenario 1 (no franchise fees) would produce an estimated monthly tax levy for a median-value home of $205.84, about $18.10 more per month than 2025. Scenarios 2 and 3 include proposed utility franchise fees and vary in how much additional capital funding they provide; Scenario 2 showed a $19.01 monthly increase compared with 2025, Scenario 3 a $17.24 increase. Petrick described the combined tax increase figure in the materials as 11.53% and noted the preliminary levy previously set at $33,000,009.94 and an EDA levy of $264,826.

Petrick also recommended modest utility-rate changes for 2026: a 2% increase for sanitary sewer, 5.5% for water, 0% for storm drainage and a 3% recycling increase. She estimated those utility changes would amount to roughly $7.21 per quarter for a typical single-family home (about $2.40 per month), using the city’s consumption assumptions.

Mayor Roe and council members asked clarifying questions about valuation impacts, the distribution of tax burden across jurisdictions and how a utility franchise fee would appear on customer bills. Staff explained a proposed residential franchise fee would be roughly $3 per month for gas and $3 per month for electric on Xcel bills; because franchise fees are assessed differently than property taxes, Petrick said they can raise somewhat more revenue than the equivalent property-tax increase and can be directed to specific capital needs such as roads, sidewalks and right-of-way work.

A resident who provided public comment, Dwenda Jurdigan, said her recent tax statement showed an estimated $962 increase and described that as a surprising and significant burden. The council closed the public comment portion for the night and continued the budget and levy hearing to the council’s next meeting on Dec. 8. No final action on the budget or levy was taken on Dec. 1.

The council will reconvene Dec. 8 to conclude the hearing and is expected to consider final adoption of the 2026 budget, levy and fee schedule then.