OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Saint Paul Budget Committee Meeting – May 13, 2026: Biennial Budget Discussion and Telecast Services Update

Budget Committee — Wednesday, May 13, 2026
BodySt Paul, Minnesota
SessionBudget Committee
DateWednesday, May 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:15:44
Transcript — Verbatim
1:25

No, no, no, no.

1:32

No, no, no.

1:34

No, no, no, no.

1:35

We don't want to leave those.

1:38

No, no, no.

1:42

No, no, no.

1:47

No, no, no.

1:48

No, no, no.

1:49

No, no, no.

1:51

Oh no, the wonderful.

1:55

Oh, we've got to go.

1:57

Well, that wouldn't work.

2:00

Oh, we're going to go.

2:03

Oh, no.

2:11

Well, we'll go.

2:53

Okay.

3:00

Summer from the same time.

3:07

So, um, I don't know.

3:18

Oh god, only both of them.

3:25

Oh, my God.

3:32

Oh, we might want to go.

4:20

Roll call, please.

4:23

Vice Chair Yang.

4:24

Council Member Bowie.

4:26

Councilmember Coleman.

4:27

Here.

4:28

Council Member Kim.

4:29

Councilmember Joe.

4:31

Council President Acre.

4:32

Here.

4:33

Six present, one absent being Councilmember Kim, and one expected shortly.

4:37

Um being Councilmember Bowie.

4:39

And Chair Johnson.

4:44

I'm here.

4:47

Okay, well, it's okay.

4:49

It's so funny we joked about that.

4:48

Alright, so the long annual.

4:54

I feel like we need a drum roll for this.

4:55

I know that the council has really long echoed just uh commitment and uh prioritization of what it looks like to have a biennium budget.

5:03

And I think that it's really important today to have our colleagues and partners and Ramsey County come and talk to us about their budget process.

5:10

So really excited to welcome up at this time.

5:12

Uh County Manager Becker and Deputy County Manager Cutsey.

5:19

Good morning.

5:21

Two weeks in a row.

5:22

When I was saying I hadn't done this for since I've been counting managers, I get sick of you.

5:26

I know.

5:27

But this is a standing item on my Wednesday calendar.

5:30

Um, Madam Chair, uh, council members, thank you for having us today.

5:34

We're excited to talk a little bit about our biannual budget process, so um, and happy to take any questions along the way.

5:41

So we're just gonna give you a little background on our process, then we are going to actually talk about the process, uh, show you our kind of overall budget calendar and then talk about some considerations because in all these structures, there's some trade-offs and some pros and cons, and certainly um we want to be real about what those are.

5:58

So, in terms of background, um, we are fortunate enough to be um you know having a 20-year history of doing these biannual budgets.

6:06

So we've been doing this for quite a while.

6:08

And um we that so it started in the 06 uh 2006-2007 budget.

6:15

Um the transition has um has been generally very positive for our organization, um, both in terms of our ability to plan for things and kind of work through our year a little or two years a little bit differently, as you're gonna see, but also in terms of just um some of the um pressures on our fiscal staff too and and our but and our directors and things like that.

6:36

So there have been some real positives.

6:38

But um for our for our county, one reason why this you know works well is we do have fairly stable revenue streams.

6:46

Now, obviously, we're in a unique time where those are a little bit more challenged, but in general, property tax, fairly predictable CPA.

6:54

Um, we sort of have some of those numbers that we can we aren't, you know, um uh estimating necessarily too widely on over year over year.

7:04

Uh, we definitely have the opportunity to reduce some of the budget fatigue, and then as I mentioned, this ability to focus a little more on strategic planning, and then last um, and then more importantly, on our second years, you're gonna see we spend a lot of time on evaluation and performance.

7:18

We wanna look at where we put money in the previous budget, um, kind of are what did we buy, and sort of are we getting the outcomes that we had hoped to get, and then um, and it allows leadership to focus more on implementation instead of constantly planning.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Fiscal Sustainability█████████████████████████████████████████████68%
Technology and Innovation████████████████24%
Procedural███4%
Community Engagement█2%
Public Engagement█2%
Summary of Proceedings

Saint Paul Budget Committee Meeting – May 13, 2026

The Budget Committee of the Saint Paul City Council met on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 10:00 AM in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 15 West Kellogg Boulevard. Chair Cheniqua Johnson presided. The meeting focused on two agenda items: a presentation by Ramsey County officials on their biennial budget process (SR 26-92) and an update on the city's telecast services and partnership with St. Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN) (SR 26-95). Both items were received and filed without formal votes.

Presentation: Ramsey County Biennial Budget Process (SR 26-92)

  • Key Speakers: Ramsey County Manager Becker and Deputy County Manager Alex Kutz presented the county's 20-year history of biennial budgeting, which started in the 2006-2007 budget. They explained the two-year cycle: odd years focus on performance metrics and supplemental budgets; even years are budget adoption years. The county board sets a maximum levy each year, but the second-year levy can be adjusted. They highlighted stable revenue sources (property tax, county program aid) and the ability to reduce budget fatigue, allowing more time for strategic planning and performance evaluation.
  • Positions: Council members expressed strong interest in transitioning to a two-year budget cycle. Council President Noecker noted the value of performance metrics and asked about the transition from annual to biennial budgeting, requesting institutional history from previous county managers. Councilmember Yang praised the performance review aspect and shared that the mayor also supports the transition. Councilmember Kim asked about quarterly budget-to-actuals tracking and staffing for financial reporting. The county manager described using quarterly Financial Status Reports (FSRs) to monitor budgets, a $2 million contingency fund, and a reserve policy requiring at least two months of operating funds. They noted that the county uses an aging Oracle PeopleSoft system but is migrating to Workday in 2027.
  • Key Details: The county's biennial budget process includes a year-long preparation for the two-year budget, with department presentations in August, a max levy vote in September, an addenda process for adjustments, and final adoption in December. The county does not carry money between budget years; unspent funds return to the general fund balance. Community engagement occurs through departmental narratives, framework plans, and commissioner outreach.

Update: Telecast Services and SPNN Partnership (SR 26-95)

  • Key Speakers: Chase Maxwell (Office of Technology and Communications) and Bonnie Schumacher (Executive Director, SPNN). Maxwell announced that the city has begun testing YouTube simulcasting of city council meetings, with a public launch expected the week of May 18, 2026. This move addresses accessibility concerns raised by the Mayor's Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities and responds to community preference for YouTube over the legacy Granicus platform. All city council meetings and boards/commissions currently web-streamed will be simulcast on YouTube; Ramsey County has not yet opted in.
  • Partnership Update: SPNN is taking over day-to-day meeting production duties under OTC supervision. Three SPNN staff (Tajadeen Hali, Emma Debore, and retiring Steve Runsburg) have been training since February. The transition will fully occur by late May 2026. The partnership saves OTC approximately 300 hours of staff time annually, which will be redirected to other communications projects, such as the response to Operation Metro Surge. The county pays half the cost of SPNN services.
  • Council Positions: All council members expressed strong support for the YouTube simulcasting and SPNN partnership. Councilmember Bowie highlighted easier access for family and constituents. Councilmember Yang appreciated the community-driven decision. Council President Noecker noted the accessibility improvements for people with disabilities. Councilmember Jost asked about future communications support from OTC; Maxwell indicated that council members can submit requests through OTC's front door.

Key Outcomes

  • SR 26-92 Biennium Budget Approach: Received and filed. No formal action taken; the presentation served as informational for the council's ongoing consideration of transitioning to a two-year budget cycle.
  • SR 26-95 SPNN Service Partner Contract: Received and filed. The committee acknowledged the upcoming transition to SPNN management and the YouTube launch; no vote was required.
  • Directives: The chair requested that the county manager provide historical information on the 2006 transition from annual to biennial budgeting. Council members were asked to help publicize the new YouTube streaming option starting the week of May 18, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

No, no, no, no. No, no, no. No, no, no, no. We don't want to leave those. No, no, no. No, no, no. No, no, no. No, no, no. No, no, no. Oh no, the wonderful. Oh, we've got to go. Well, that wouldn't work. Oh, we're going to go. Oh, no. Well, we'll go. Okay. Summer from the same time. So, um, I don't know. Oh god, only both of them. Oh, my God. Oh, we might want to go. Roll call, please. Vice Chair Yang. Council Member Bowie. Councilmember Coleman. Here. Council Member Kim. Councilmember Joe. Council President Acre. Here. Six present, one absent being Councilmember Kim, and one expected shortly. Um being Councilmember Bowie. And Chair Johnson. I'm here. Okay, well, it's okay. It's so funny we joked about that. Alright, so the long annual. I feel like we need a drum roll for this. I know that the council has really long echoed just uh commitment and uh prioritization of what it looks like to have a biennium budget. And I think that it's really important today to have our colleagues and partners and Ramsey County come and talk to us about their budget process. So really excited to welcome up at this time. Uh County Manager Becker and Deputy County Manager Cutsey. Good morning. Two weeks in a row. When I was saying I hadn't done this for since I've been counting managers, I get sick of you. I know. But this is a standing item on my Wednesday calendar. Um, Madam Chair, uh, council members, thank you for having us today. We're excited to talk a little bit about our biannual budget process, so um, and happy to take any questions along the way. So we're just gonna give you a little background on our process, then we are going to actually talk about the process, uh, show you our kind of overall budget calendar and then talk about some considerations because in all these structures, there's some trade-offs and some pros and cons, and certainly um we want to be real about what those are.

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