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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—DECEMBER 9, 2024 6 years and hoped to age in place. This neighbor feared that she would not be able to remain in her home given how taxes were rising. He implored the Council to consider dialing back expenses on behalf of the residents. Gregg Larson, 3377 North Snelling Avenue, stated the City has a history of budgeting at the margin and racing to the bottom seeking a low levy. He indicated this was a meaningless chase because cities were not comparable. He discussed how cities differ based on the services they opt to provide or not provide. He commented on how Arden Hills on the cheap has underfunded its parks, delayed improvements for streets and trails, failed to save for a new fire station, has insufficient compensation for staff along with failure to budget for inflation. He noted past Council's have done this with unbalanced budget and deficit spending. He reported the past strategies have not worked and five of the last seven years have resulted in general fund deficits, which leaves smaller carry over balances for the next year. He indicated previous Councilmembers Holmes and Scott recognized the problem in December of 2022. However, Mayor Grant and Councilmembers Holden and Raji were still racing for the bottom at 5.5%. He discussed how the chickens came home to roost in 2024 where a 12.55% levy increase was approved and Councilmember Holden and Mayor Grant voted against this. He discussed how Councilmember Holden predicted the City would end 2024 with a surplus, when in fact the City would be ending 2024 with a general fund deficit of $182,000. He explained staff was recommending a levy increase of 15.5% for 2025 and the majority of the Council was acting responsibly by offering support of this increase. He anticipated Councilmember Holden and Mayor Grant would act irresponsibly and would be voting against the proposed levy increase. He stated if the Council wants to lower the proposed levy, he recommended the Council speak to what expenses would be cut that would make a significant difference. Mary Henry, 3521 Ridgewood Court, stated she supported the proposed levy. She believed it took courage to face the reality of what the City was experiencing. She reported inflation was not the City's fault but it was the City's experience. She indicated it was important for the Council to recognize that when staff puts together the budget that it reflects increased costs for public safety, street maintenance costs, etc. She encouraged the Council to approve the proposed tax levy increase in order to continue to provide basic services for the residents of Arden Hills. Kris Shields, 1144 Karth Lake Drive, thanked the Council for their service to the community. She appreciated how Councilmember Holden and Mayor Grant had done their best in the past on the TCAAP development by not letting Ramsey County run all over the City. She thanked the Council for working to keep taxes reasonable and asked that the Council to work to reduce the proposed tax levy for those who live in the community that would like to age in place or are single parents. Mayor Grant closed the Truth in Taxation public hearing at 7:55 p.m. 11. NEW BUSINESS A. Adoption of the 2025 Budget and Tax Levy o Resolution 2024-059 Setting the Final Tax Levy for Taxes Payable in 2025 o Resolution 2025-060 Adopting the Proposed 2025 Budget Finance Director Yang reported this item was presented under Item 10A.