St. Cloud 2024 City Budget to Increase 6%, but Tax Rates to Remain the Same

(KNSI) — Mayor Dave Kleis presented his preliminary 2024 budget at Monday’s St. Cloud City Council meeting.

Spending will bump to nearly $87.8 million, rising over 6% from this year. Kleis exclusively told KNSI News following the city council meeting Monday night the major themes look similar to past proposals. “We’re doing the priorities, what the city’s priorities are, and that’s public safety and infrastructure. We asked that in a survey — top three things that come up; public safety, roads, and traffic.”

Thanks to property valuations and new construction, St. Cloud’s tax base showed significant appreciation again. Kleis explained the tax rate will remain the same despite increasing spending next year, adding that it is important to capture the growth in the tax base without becoming too much of a burden on property owners. He told KNSI he wants to respect property owners’ budgets as they deal with inflation affecting their finances. “We’re not raising the tax rates. We’re living within our means like everybody else has to do, and we’re doing it by still putting dollars into public safety. There’s never been a year that I’ve presented a budget that we didn’t put additional dollars into public safety.”

The budget equates to $426 in spending per resident, significantly below the state average.

The public will have opportunities to give input on the proposal. City staff are planning a hearing on September 9th, beginning at 9:00 a.m. After a short presentation, a bus tour will commence through downtown and area neighborhoods, where more questions will be welcomed.

See the budget breakdown here.

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