Housing, safety, climate and revitalizing downtown: Frey’s 2025 budget priorities - Insight News

Housing, safety, climate and revitalizing downtown: Frey’s 2025 budget priorities | News | insightnews.com

Mayor Frey delivered his 2025 Budget Address last week in front of Council Members, City leaders, and community partners. His budget proposal continues the City’s investments in nation-leading affordable housing work, community safety and reform initiatives, historic climate work, inclusive economic recovery, and downtown revitalization.

These investments are aligned with the issues Mayor Frey has prioritized since day one, and a difficult budgetary cycle doesn’t mute the core values guiding the City’s shared work.

Some 2025 recommended budget highlights include:

• A sustained investment in the City’s nation-leading affordable-housing initiatives.

• Investments in community safety, including funding for the Behavioral Crisis Response team, a new South Minneapolis Community Safety Center, and funding for the consent decree and police reform.

• Continued funding for the Climate Legacy Initiative, including investments in EV charging infrastructure and a first-in-the-nation biochar production facility.

“Thanks to our City team’s creative leadership and thoughtfulness, we’ve managed to do what felt like a pipe dream a few months ago: keep the levy increase under 10%,” said Mayor Frey. “Through efficiencies and many hard choices—we’ve managed to drive the levy down to 8.1%.

“I am not expecting us to celebrate this lift, because our residents have a new lift of their own with increased property taxes. But what this budget provides is a way through. We’re doubling down on programs that work, we’re ensuring our resources are used effectively, and we’re making sure our community feels the benefit.”