Once Again, Mayor Frey Uses Veto as a Political Tool to Distract from His Own Budget Mismanagement

One day after the City Council passed a 2025 budget that successfully lowered the Mayor’s proposed levy, the Mayor vetoed it.

MINNEAPOLIS — Late last night the Minneapolis City Council approved a 2025 City Budget that successfully lowered the Mayor’s 8.3% raise on property taxes, while restoring support for vital city programs. Earlier today, the Mayor vetoed it. 

Years of mismanagement by Mayor Frey has put our city in a difficult financial position. But make no mistake, programs to provide housing, expand public safety services and foster economic growth by supporting workers and small business corridors are not the culprit: it’s the Minneapolis Police Department and Mayor Frey’s inability to reign them in. The Mayor lobbied for historic pay raises for MPD this summer after $27 million dollars in additional police spending over the last two budgets in order to comply with the State’s consent decree, and recent police misconduct claims estimated to cost the city over $100 million. 

The City Council responded to the city’s difficult financial position and the feedback they received from residents to carefully craft a budget that funds programs that directly meet the needs of the community. The Mayor was unable to make the hard choices our city needed back in August, but is willing to risk our entire budget today.

Mpls for the Many Chair Chelsea McFarren had this to say about the Mayor’s veto:

“The results of Mayor Frey not approving a city budget by January 1, 2025 could be catastrophic, but that hasn’t stopped him from playing political games with crucial programs and services that residents rely on. Mayor Frey has shown us time and time again that he does not value our community-and that is evident in the lack of crucial investments reflected in his initial budget proposal. Fortunately, we have a City Council who listens to the concerns of community and has put in the work to prioritize the needs of Minneapolis residents throughout this budget process. The time for petty political games is over. Mayor Frey’s ongoing reckless veto infatuation and inability to govern effectively is putting our entire city at risk.”