More than 70 amendments later, the Minneapolis City Council passed a 2025 budget late Tuesday night. That budget has now been vetoed by the mayor, who did sign-off on a property tax levy.
Council members ultimately adopted a plan that would include a 6.9 percent increase in the property tax levy. That number is lower than what had been originally proposed by Mayor Jacob Frey who also offered up a lower levy number last week that the council didn't approve.
Frey says the proposed budget would add $6.5 million in new cash spending and adds the fact that it has 78 amendments speaks volumes.
"The previous record I think was maybe 40 or so," said Frey. "This was twice that. Simply being twice the number of amendments doesn't mean that it's twice the problem but it does mean you need to be more methodical in the work. That was not the case here, so I take this veto very seriously. It is certainly not something that I've wanted to do."
To get to that number, the council moved around some public safety funding, modified raises for some city employees, and delayed the implementation of some programs.
Councilmember Jamal Osman growing frustrated by the dozens of amendments over several hours.
"We are repeating the same thing and over and over again," says Osman. "Some council members are repeating the same thing over and over again and almost filibustering."
The mayor's veto will go to the full city council Thursday. If the Council sustains it, he says they will continue to negotiate a 2025 budget, and will take steps so that the city can keep operating at full capacity as negotiations proceed.
“The council’s budget proposal sets the city up for paying increased property taxes for years to come,” read a statement issued from the mayor’s office. “It cuts things we need to do like unsheltered homelessness response and recruitment of police, then uses the money to fund pet projects. Financial times are tight and when federal funding is likely to be withheld and state dollars are in short supply, we need to be responsible with our tax dollars. Over the next day, we will be reviewing the unprecedented 73+ amendments that the council has proposed and making a decision."