HENNEPIN CO. (FOX 9) – Homeowners across Minnesota started getting their property tax assessments this week, but some are also getting sticker shock when they open their mailbox.

Taxes rising

The city of Minneapolis proposed the largest property tax hike in 16 years, 8.1%, while the school board passed a maximum levy of 4.5%.

That’s in addition to a separate $20 million school technology levy which voters approved.

St Paul and its school board also set maximum levy increases of 7.9%.

Add in county and park board levies and some homeowners are seeing double-digit increases.

“It’s actually not even just Minneapolis and St Paul. I think we’re finding that cities across the metro area, across the state are going to see this as well,” said Andrew Babula, the director of the real estate program at the University of St Thomas.

He says property taxes are going up because rising labor costs have made it more expensive for cities to provide services like street repair and public safety.

Some municipalities have also extended the number of services they provide, like investing in housing or revitalizing their downtown.

“The wages of city employees, which is good for city employees, but also then is bad for the taxpayers,” said Babula.

Babula says the falling value of downtown office buildings as more people work from home has shifted more of the city’s financial burden from commercial building owners to homeowners, but inflation is the major contributor to the property tax hikes.

“Cities are in a tough spot because they’ve got to provide the services. They don’t want to raise taxes either, so they’ve got tough decisions to make,” said Babula. 

MINNEAPOLIS — Twin Cities residents can expect a messy wintry mix next week. For Wednesday night and Thursday, precipitation could feature both rain and snow.

Temperatures will hover in the upper 30s and mid-40s this week.

Here’s the full NWS forecast from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport:

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. Breezy, with a south southeast wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 42. South wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west southwest after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 51. West wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 36. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south southeast after midnight.

Monday: A 50 percent chance of rain after noon. Increasing clouds, with a high near 52. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Monday Night: Rain. Low around 43. Breezy, with an east wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%.

Tuesday: Rain, mainly before noon. High near 51. East wind around 15 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%.

Tuesday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. West wind around 15 mph.

Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. West northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Wednesday Night: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. North northwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday: A chance of rain and snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 40. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis officials are working to replace aging water infrastructure, including lead pipes, at properties across the city without any charge to owners.

READ MORE: Minnesota drinking water lead pipe address lookup, maps available

What we know

Minneapolis officials say that residents who have either a lead water service line, a galvanized water service line that requires replacement, or a water service line of unknown material, will get a letter from the city sometime this week.

That letter will reportedly provide information on the water service line material, how to minimize lead exposure in drinking water, as well as an update on the Minneapolis effort to replace lead water service lines.

The water service line is the pipe that runs from the water main in the street to the meter inside the property.

Property owners in Minneapolis own the entire water service line, and the city needs explicit permission to replace it. 

Anyone who receives a letter is encouraged to complete, sign and return the form. 

State and federal funding

The city is crediting the Minnesota 2023 Lead Service Line Replacement legislation for allocating public funds for the replacement of water service lines.

Minneapolis is now using a combination of state and federal funds to replace lead water service lines “at no cost to the homeowner.”

City officials say about 400 lead service lines will be replaced in 2024, and they plan to replace about 1,000 in 2025.

The goal is to replace every lead service line in the city with the property owner’s consent.

The legislation passed prioritizes replacement based on these criteria:

• Areas with lower-income residents and “disadvantaged communities.”
• Areas with children who have elevated blood lead levels.
• Making the most efficient use of grant funding by coordinating lead service line replacement with other improvements.

The state’s goal is to remove all lead service lines in the state by 2033.

What homeowners can do

Anyone with a lead water service line can mitigate the presence of lead by using cold water for cooking and drinking, running the water for a few minutes before using it or run the water through a lead-reducing filter or pitcher. 

The city also shared an interactive map showing lead and non-lead service lines. 

READ MORE: Minnesota drinking water lead pipe address lookup, maps available

Minneapolis officials emphasized that the city’s water is safe to drink and is tested hundreds of times a day. 

Minneapolis can also request a free at-home water lead testing kit.

Nationwide replacement

Back in October in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, President Joe Biden proposed a 10-year deadline for cities nationwide to replace lead pipes.

The initiative would not begin for three years, but will have a goal to remove all lead pipes within 10 years, down from an initial 60-year time limit in an effort to prioritize safe drinking water.

The new regulation would be stricter than one proposed in 2023, and require water systems to ensure that lead concentrations do not exceed an “action level” of 10 parts per billion – a decrease from 15 parts per billion under the current standard.