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Maplewood sets preliminary 2026 property-tax levy at $34,522,856; hearing set for Dec. 8
Summary
The City Council adopted a preliminary 2026 levy of $34,522,856, citing an approximately $2.7 million increase driven mainly by payroll and personnel costs; the council also adopted a $636,000 preliminary EDA levy and set a public hearing for Dec. 8, 2025 at 7 p.m.
The Maplewood City Council adopted a preliminary property-tax levy for taxes payable in 2026 of $34,522,856 and set a public hearing on the city budget and levy for Dec. 8, 2025, at 7 p.m. The council also adopted a separate preliminary levy for the city’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) of $636,000 at the same meeting.
Finance staff told the council the preliminary levy reflects an increase of roughly $2.7 million from the prior year, with about 70% of that increase attributed to payroll obligations tied to seven union contracts and several recommended public-safety positions, plus funding for IT and vehicle internal charges, new election equipment ($210,000), public-safety radio costs ($179,000) and building upgrades. The presentation noted that some firefighter positions would be partially funded if the city receives a SAFER grant; staff said the levy can be lowered later in the budget process but cannot be increased once this preliminary levy is filed.
Staff estimated the impact on a median-value home would be approximately $139 per year (about $2.67 per week). For the EDA levy, staff said the median-home impact is about $36 per year (about $0.69 per week). City Manager Sable and department staff emphasized the complexity of property-tax calculations, saying the county mass appraisal and the number of overlapping taxing jurisdictions influence individual bills and that Maplewood’s share of the total tax bill is roughly 33.5% in their example.
Councilmember Lee moved to adopt the preliminary levy and set the hearing; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote with no opposition recorded. Staff noted department budget presentations will be made at future meetings and that all budget presentation material will be available on the city budget webpage for public review.
Next steps: public notice and formal public hearing on Dec. 8, 2025; staff will return with final budget recommendations after the public hearing and further departmental presentations.
