Burnsville adopts 2026 budget with 7.4% tax levy; council includes SAFER-funded firefighters and ratifies EDA levy

Burnsville — The Burnsville City Council adopted the city’s 2026 budget and property tax levy Tuesday evening, approving a package balanced to a 7.4% levy that Deputy City Manager and CFO Jenny Rohde said will increase the median‑value homeowner’s bill by about $9 per month.

“We’ve balanced the 2026 budget to the 7.4% tax levy,” Rohde told the council during the Truth‑in‑Taxation presentation. She said the proposed levy totals $58,411,623 across the organization and that a mix of revenue adjustments, expenditure reductions and personnel changes produced about $1.9 million in corrections used to balance the plan.

The council’s action also folded several staffing changes into the 2026 plan. Rohde announced the city received a SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant; the application sought 12 positions and the grant awarded nine full‑time firefighter positions. Rohde said the city included the remaining positions in the 2026 budget and expects roughly 75% federal reimbursement for those SAFER expenditures. She also said…