North St. Paul residents press council over 2026 property tax levy, park funding at truth-in-taxation hearing

North St. Paul City Council staff presented the city’s proposed 2026 levy at a truth-in-taxation hearing and told residents the draft budget would raise the city’s levy 8%, a $638,771 increase from 2025, while not seeking utility rate increases.

The presenter said, "we are not recommending nor are we, seeking any approval on any rate changes for any of our utilities," and walked through how property taxes are calculated, the distribution of a tax dollar and the factors that can drive changes, including market-value shifts, debt and changes in state aid. The presenter also said Ramsey County prepared the parcel-level estimate showing most properties would see 0–10% increases but that several hundred parcels could see larger jumps.

Why it matters: property taxes account for a majority of North St. Paul’s revenue and changes in assessed values can produce sharp differences among neighboring properties. The city’s presentation said roughly 35% of a typical property-tax dollar goes to Ramsey County, 32% to North St. Paul City, about 30% to local schools and the remainder to other taxing districts; the city told residents it will finalize property taxes on Dec. 16.

Residents and commission members used the hearing to press for clarity and for continued park funding. "It is very important to have parks," a public commenter said, warning they had heard rumors that park money might be taken away. Ingrid Koehler, a member of the Parks Commission, urged the council to invest in McKnight Park, calling it a "multi phase project" and an important, visible asset that draws users from other communities.

Several residents described large, opaque increases on individual tax bills. Pete Drake said his assessed value and tax burden had risen sharply since 2019, reporting that his valuation increased about 73% over seven years and that his payable taxes had risen dramatically; the presenter replied that valuations are set by the Ramsey County assessor and suggested residents use county tools or meet one-on-one with staff to review their notices.

Other public comments raised budget-transparency questions. John Schmoll recounted finding a previously unpaid park dedication fee and questioned how contingency or reserve funds appear in the budget. Michael Walt urged the city, when offering small storefront grants, to require durable materials rather than porous stone that deteriorates.

Votes and procedural actions: the council adopted the meeting agenda and approved the consent agenda — which included approval of the 11/18/2025 minutes, general claims of $263,886.15, a temporary liquor license and charitable-gambling permit for the Church and School of Saint Peter’s gala (Feb. 7, 2026), a resolution to stagger arts-and-culture commission terms, reappointment resolutions for commissioners, and a fiber maintenance locate services agreement with Zayo Group LLC — all by voice vote. The council closed the public portion of the hearing at 07:21 and scheduled the final property-tax adoption for Dec. 16.

What’s next: staff encouraged residents who had questions about their assessments to meet individually with city staff or Ramsey County assessor staff; council members reiterated there would be follow-up opportunities and one-on-one reviews for those with large or confusing changes.

(Reporting based on the city’s truth-in-taxation presentation and public comment at the North St. Paul City Council meeting.)