In our neighborhood - Aug 2025

Wastewater rates GOING UP 5.8%
The Met Council has adopted a 5.8% increase in the municipal wastewater charge. The sewer availability charge that developers and businesses pay for hooking up to the regional system will remain the same for the 11th consecutive year. This year’s increase will cover inflationary costs of labor and construction, and to support technology needs such as cybersecurity, according to the Met Council.
The Met Council collects wastewater through more than 600 miles of regional pipes and operates nine water resource recovery facilities where the wastewater is cleaned and returned to the environment. User fees pay for the costs of building, maintaining, and operating the regional wastewater system. The largest expense of the system is debt service, which finances construction and rehabilitation costs. In 2026, the Met Council will carry about $1.3 billion in debt for the system, which is currently valued at about $9 billion.
According to a survey from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, a household in the Twin Cities region pays an average of $392 annually for sewer service, compared with $604 annually in peer regions. Those costs also include local sewer service charges.

PARK BOARD LEVY AT 6.75%
At its July 16, 2025 meeting, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) Commissioners voted to support a tax levy increase request to the Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) of 6.75 percent for 2026. Last year, the 2025 property tax levy for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) was $89,488,432, an 8.27 percent increase over 2024.
If passed, the levy increase for the MPRB will result in a 1.20 percent increase in city property taxes overall, which amounts to an approximate $25 annual increase in property taxes for owners of a median $333,400 value home.

Minneapolis levy may increase 7.8%
Mayor Jacob Frey has proposed increasing the city’s levy by 7.8% in 2026. The levy increase for 2005 was 6.9%. The $2 billion proposal protects core services, invests in affordable housing, advances community safety, drives climate and public health initiatives, and expands inclusive economic opportunities, according to Frey’s office.