01-02 Jan/Feb 2026 Arden Hills Notes

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4 • Arden Hills Notes • Jan/Feb 2026 2026 Budget & Tax Levy City Adopts Budget and Approves Tax Levy The annual Truth in Taxation hearing was held on December 8 at City Hall. City staff presented information regarding the 2026 budget and tax levy. The City Council adopted a 2026 property tax levy of $6,781,514. This sets the City’s property tax levy increase for 2026 at 12.5%, which is 5.82 percentage points lower than the preliminary levy rate set in September 2025. The result of a 12.5% levy increase translates to a $175.93 increase in annual City taxes paid by resident owners of median-valued homes. Arden Hills continues to have one of the lowest tax rates in Ramsey County. In Arden Hills, the levy is split between the General Fund ($5,939,514), the Equipment/Building Replacement Fund ($100,000), and Capital Funds ($742,000). The Council adopted a 2026 City budget of $21,735,742, which includes the General Fund, Capital Funds and Utilities. What Your Arden Hills Tax Dollars Buy You General Fund Budget Revenues • General Fund revenues in the 2026 budget are set at $7,354,657. • The property tax levy and associated revenues account for approximately 80.1% of the General Fund revenues and will be increased by 9.9% ($532,524) over the previous year. A $496,400 home (median value in Arden Hills) generates $1,496 in annual City property taxes, or $124.70 per month, for 2026. Expenditures General Fund expenditures for 2026 total $7,354,657 with Public Safety accounting for almost half of overall General Fund expenditures. Public Safety costs overall are set to increase by 14.7% ($460,516). This is an increase of 13.3% ($233,475) for the Ramsey County Sheriff contract, 17.6% ($159,231) for the Lake Johanna Fire Department, 17.4% ($12,780) for the Ramsey County Dispatch contract, a decrease of 5.2% ($510) for Protective Inspection and 14.9% ($55,540) for Emergency Management costs. Personnel costs are increasing by 6.6% ($153,867) due to cost-of-living adjustments, step increases and health insurance premium increases. The property tax levy covers the City’s overall budget. The approved budget and tax levy information can be viewed in detail in the December 8 City Council agenda at cityofardenhills.org/agendacenter. The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of the 2026 budget information concerning the City of Arden Hills for interested citizens. This Budget Summary is published in the format prescribed by Minnesota Statutes Section 471.6965. This report is not the complete City budget. The complete City budget may be viewed at Arden Hills City Hall, located at 1245 West Highway 96, or online at cityofardenhills.org/176/Budget-Financial-Planning. The City Council approved this budget on Dec. 8, 2025.