Edina approves 11% tax increase to fund emergency services
The Edina City Council approved a preliminary property tax levy of $65.5 million on October 2, marking an 11% increase aimed primarily at hiring 12 new paramedic firefighters. The council framed the increase as a maximum ceiling that could be lowered if federal funding comes through.
The council's decision reflects a difficult balancing act between controlling tax growth and addressing what city leaders view as critical needs in emergency medical services. City Manager Scott Neil acknowledged the tough choices involved, saying "a lot of hard decisions were made including losing some co-workers that we've grown accustomed to here," underscoring how budget constraints have affected city staffing.
The 11% increase exceeds the council's stated goal of keeping the levy below 10%, but officials explained the higher figure serves as a placeholder. If Edina receives a federal SAFER grant—which stands for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response—the city would not need to fund all 12 paramedic positions from local tax dollars. In that scenario, the council has committed to reducing the levy before finalizing the budget in December.
Beyond the paramedic hiring, the council is exploring additional cost-saving measures to offset expenses. These include adjusting utility franchise fees and potentially transferring the city's property assessing services to Hennepin County, the larger government entity that encompasses Edina. The council also directed staff to identify further reductions before the final budget adoption, indicating dissatisfaction with the current levy level despite approving it.
Capital projects like improvements to Fire Station 2 also factored into the budget discussions, requiring adjusted debt management within the new spending plan. The preliminary levy now moves forward, but the council's conditional approval signals that the final number could change depending on grant awards and staff recommendations in the coming months. Residents will see the final tax levy decision when the council formally adopts the 2026-2027 budget in December.
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Approval of Preliminary 2026 Property Tax Levy
Dissent: No specific dissent mentioned in the summary; council members directed staff to seek further reductions before final adoption.
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The council discussed balancing a desired tax levy increase of under 10% with the need to significantly expand emergency medical services. The 11% increase acts as a placeholder to ensure the hire of 12 paramedics in the event a federal grant is not received.
A lot of hard decisions were made including losing some co-workers that we've grown accustomed to here.
If the grant comes through, council members have said they will lower the levy before adopting the budget in December.
Source document
[Music] Welcome to Agenda Edina, a program summarizing the actions taken at city hall that affect you most. I'm your host, Dorothia Marty. The Adina City Council has set the maximum property tax levy for 2026, but will continue working to reduce it before the budget is finalized in December. Work on the city's 2026 2027 budget started earlier this year with several meetings between the council and city staff. Through those discussions, council members gave direction. Keep the tax levy increase under 10% if possible. Continue investing in public safety, especially emergency medical services. Explore transitioning assessing services to Henipin County. and look for other ways to fund city services. City manager Scott Neil developed a strategy to match that guidance. It included limiting most department budget growth, reducing some staff positions, finding new revenue through utility franchise fees, prioritizing capital projects, carefully managing vacancies, and adjusting debt service to make room for the new fire station 2. We started our process early this year because we had some fiscal targets uh that the council gave us and we wanted to meet those targets. Uh a lot of hard decisions were made including losing some co-workers that we've uh grown accustomed to here. Uh but we were able to meet our targets and we'll continue to work on those later this fall. Last month, the council approved a preliminary tax levy of about $65.5 million for 2026, which is just over an 11% increase from this year. That increase would allow the fire department to hire 12 new paramedic firefighters, which would be enough to operate three ambulances around the clock more frequently. Neil had originally proposed funding six new paramedic firefighters with the potential for 12 if the city receives a federal safer grant. Because that grant has not yet been awarded, the council set the levy higher to ensure funds are available if needed. If the grant comes through, council members have said they will lower the levy before adopting the budget in December. If it doesn't, they may consider other reductions to avoid a double-digit increase. The city council will hold a public hearing on the budget 700 p.m.
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