🏙️ Both Twin Cities face big budget gaps

It's Budget Season, Twin Cities

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her presented their 2027 city budget plans as both cities face massive budget gaps. Property tax increases, program cuts, and layoffs are all on the table.

• In St. Paul: Mayor Her is tasked with finding $26 million to balance the St. Paul city budget, and she has to get creative as residents already bear a heavy property tax burden. She proposed an array of cuts, including trimming the police budget by $4.7 million and the fire department budget by $2.4 million, shuttering the Dayton's Bluff Library on the East Side, reducing rec center hours, and lowering her own salary by $20,000. Her also proposed raising the property tax levy by 6.8%, increasing taxes for the median homeowner by $58 per year. [Pioneer Press]
• In Minneapolis: Mayor Frey is proposing an increase of 11.3% to the property tax levy ($409 per year increase for a home valued at $351,400), laying off about 100 city employees, making cuts to city services like the violence interrupter program, and merging of existing departments in order to close the city's $33 million budget gap. Minneapolis actually had even more ground to make up as Frey is widening the police budget to more accurately forecast overtime spending – MPD has overshot their budgeted overtime spending every year since 2018. [Star Tribune / MPR News]
• Just the beginning: The mayors' budget addresses kicked off a months-long "budget season" where the fine details will be hammered out by city officials before the end of the year. On today's episode of the podcast, Eric Harris Bernstein of the Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation went over Frey's proposal and talked about ways Minneapolis could close its budget gap while still providing essential services to residents. [🎧 City Cast Twin Cities]

Efficient and affordable: The first multifamily passive homes in Minnesota are being built in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. The townhomes will be extremely efficient to meet passive home requirements, and are expected to have an average energy cost of $8 per month. The units will be sold as affordable housing thanks to a partnership with the City of Lakes Community Land Trust. [Sahan Journal]

• If you want to hear more about how community land trusts create permanently affordable housing, check out our interview with Mikeya Griffin of the Rondo Community Land Trust on how they're working on turning the long-vacant St. Paul Sears into a vibrant mixed use space (interview starts at 12:18).

If you build it they will come: While the Twins are hot off their game against the Phillies at the actual Field of Dreams in Iowa, the city of Blaine is embarking on their own baseball venture. Part of the suburb's $750 million investment in its downtown includes building a baseball stadium to house a new team competing in the American Association of Professional Baseball. The St. Paul Saints played in the AAPB from 2006 to 2020 before becoming the official Class AAA minor league team for the Twins. [Star Tribune]

Lotta money, little profit: A report from the National Independent Venue Association found that indie music venues in Minneapolis drive $2.2 billion of economic impact, but only 20% of our venues turn a profit. That $2.2 billion number reflects all of the extra spending that foot traffic from local venues drives to nearby bars, restaurants, and other businesses. Jack Kolb-Williams, executive director of the Minnesota Independent Venue Alliance, said the report is "is a critical step toward ensuring these independent businesses have a stronger voice in shaping Minneapolis's economic future." [MSP Magazine]

Come hungry: I guess it's a Blaine-heavy newsletter today, but I have to include City Cast contributor Kirstie Kimball's fantastic Racket writeup on how to spend a day at Blaine's new Asia Village. The Boba at OneZo and the creme brulee cake at 85C Bakery and Cafe look so tasty! [Racket]

Friday, Aug. 14

• 🎤 Mat Kearney with Jake Scott | State Theatre
• 🎸 Megasound with Agnes Uncaged | Turf Club
• 🎹 Davina and the Vagabonds | Dakota
• 😂 Josh Johnson’s Comedy Band Camp | Orpheum
• 🎤 An Evening with Fink | Cedar Cultural Center
• 🎹 Early Evening Jazz: Mary Louise Knutson/Steve Pikal | Berlin
• 🫀 Joe Pulice’s Big Band feat. Ricky Peterson on Organ | Crooner’s
• 🎨 Queer, Trans and Talented | 825 Arts

Saturday, Aug. 15

• 🎸 Big Thief | Surly Brewing Festival Field
• 🐇 DEBÍ TIRAR MÁS FIESTAS: The Bad Bunny Party | First Ave.
• 🎷 Rabeca with Full Catholic and Third Date | Cedar Cultural Center
• 🎤 The Bruce Henry Experience | Crooners
• 🎛️ Urgent Emergent Performance Art Series: It All Started with the DJ | Icehouse
• 🏃 Miles for Minnesota + Summer Beer Bash | Viking Lakes
• 🎻 Backyard Sessions: The OK Factor + The High 48s | South Minneapolis

Sunday, Aug. 16

• 🏈 American Football | First Ave.
• 🍑 The Brothers Allmanac | Crooners
• 🇳🇬 Obi Original and the Black Atlantics | Icehouse
• 🛟 Float Fest ‘26 | Cedar Lake
• 🤠 Country Divas Drag Brunch | Parlour St. Paul
• 🎉 Augtoberfest with Of Montreal | Tilia
• 🕯️ Candle Making Class | La Doña Cervecería

• Associate Director, Curriculum & Assessment at University of Minnesota | $79k–$90k per year
• Emergency Communications Specialist at Metropolitan Airports Commission | $39.47–$49.30 per hour
• Electrician Lead at Minnesota Direct Care and Treatment | $36.67–$42.67 per hour
• Temporary Installation Support Technician at Walker Art Center | $25 per hour
• Community Outreach & Engagement Coordinator at East Bank Neighborhoods Partnership | $20–$22 per hour (PT)