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Edina council hears extended testimony on proposed 8.96% levy as staff recommend six firefighter-paramedics
Summary
At a Dec. 2 public hearing the City of Edina reviewed a manager's final proposed levy of 8.96% for 2026, which includes funding for six firefighter-paramedics; residents urged more hires to improve EMS response times. The council kept the record open through Dec. 7 and plans final action Dec. 16.
Mayor Hovland opened a statutorily required public hearing on the city's proposed 2026 property-tax levy at the Dec. 2 Edina City Council meeting. City Manager Neal and Finance Director Pa Thao presented the manager's final proposal: an 8.96% levy increase for 2026 that staff said would fund six additional firefighter-paramedics beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
"Our city manager final proposed is coming to you tonight at a 8.96% for 2026, which includes 6 firefighter paramedics for '26," Finance Director Pa Thao told the council as she outlined the budget drivers and alternatives staff had identified. Pa Thao said the city's consolidated 2026 budget is roughly $224,000,000 and that staff had identified about $2,460,000 in one-time alternative fundings to offset levy pressure.
The hearing drew repeated appeals for larger staffing increases from residents and health professionals who said current response times are too slow. Dr. Lisa Hollensteiner, a longtime emergency physician, warned the council that "you are making decisions that affect the life and death of Edina citizens," noting published targets of six to eight minutes and the city's reported average of about 12.5 minutes. Several neighborhood leaders and petition-carrying residents urged restoring the 12 paramedic hires previously considered in the preliminary levy materials.
Resident Emily Villas told the council she had collected a petition signed by 241 residents from across the city asking for fuller paramedic staffing. "People do prioritize community safety as they consider the levy," she said, and urged the council to weigh safety alongside the desire to keep levy growth below double digits.
Council members said they were balancing competing priorities. Member Agnew defended the revised proposal to fund six firefighters, citing local data on overlapping calls and the goal of reliably staffing three ambulances most of the time. "If we can get our staffing levels up to a point of being able to fully staff those three ambulances," Agnew said, council actions would address most overlapping-call scenarios, while acknowledging calls for larger staffing increases.
Pa Thao presented examples of household impact: a $500,000 home would see municipal property-tax payments of about $135 per month under the proposal, roughly a $9.41 monthly increase compared with 2025. Staff also said moving the city assessing function to Hennepin County would save an estimated $500,000 in 2026 and $1,000,000 in 2027.
After more than an hour of testimony, the council voted to keep the public comment record open for supplemental written testimony until the end of the day on Dec. 7 so those submissions could be included in the packet for a final decision at the council's Dec. 16 meeting. The motion to keep the record open passed with a second from Member Pierce; Mayor Hovland said the council will take final action on the levy on Dec. 16.
Next steps: the council will accept supplemental written testimony through Dec. 7 and is scheduled to vote on the final levy and budget at its Dec. 16 meeting.
