If your Minnesota property taxes increase by more than 12% in a single year, regardless of your family income, you may be eligible for a “special refund” of up to $1,000 by filing Form M1PR, Minnesota’s property tax form.

Officials in St. Paul are spreading the word that the year 2023 will be a great time for many people to utilize it.

At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, St. Paul’s City Council will hold its last hearing on the proposed 2023 budget and tax levy at City Hall in the heart of the city.

The city levy, which will be finalized on Dec. 7, can go up a maximum of 15.3 percent, a number that has drawn a strong reaction from some taxpayers.

There will be wide variations in the effects on different neighborhoods and property types, but if St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s proposed $202.3 million city levy goes through, the owner of a median-value St. Paul home ($261,800 in 2023) can expect to pay an additional $231 in city property taxes the following year.

On Monday, Ramsey County, which is expected to raise its tax levy by 4.5 percent, hosted a hybrid truth in taxation hearing, attracting an audience of 50 individuals in person and 40 remotely, with most speakers identifying themselves as incensed St. Paul residents. On the same day that the St. Paul City Council holds its Truth in Taxation hearing, the St. Paul Public School District will have its own at 6 p.m.

How can Ramsey County and St. Paul justify such large increases (above inflation) when so many locals are already struggling to make ends meet? Daniel Quant, a resident of Merriam Park, stated that his property tax bill is expected to climb from about $8,000 to $9,000 as a result of the new county and school district levies, which is a roughly 12 percent hike.

I like living in St. Paul,” Quant stated during an interview. There was a tax increase the year prior, but it was reasonable. However, my local tax bill is increasing by more than twenty-four percent. However, I did not include any new sleeping quarters. No substantial building projects were undertaken by me.

At a meeting before the Ramsey County Board on Tuesday, many residents complained that basic municipal services like street plowing and pothole filling had not kept pace with tax hikes.

About half of the rise in St. Paul’s tax is attributable to a change in the way street sweeping, lighting, and seal coating will be funded rather than to additional expenditure.

The city is moving individual assessments into the general budget, which is backed by taxpayers, in response to legal pressure. That is to say, homeowners will soon see some relief when those property-specific levies are eliminated and integrated into citywide property taxes.

St. Paul’s city council president Amy Brendmoen stated on Tuesday that the city was “actually looking at a seven-a-half percent levy increase,” with the bulk of the increase coming from a shift away from roadway maintenance assessments.

Nonetheless, the cost of normal roadway maintenance will rise for homeowners and other property owners since tax-exempt entities like churches, organizations, government buildings, and so on will no longer contribute to the total.

To reduce the planned municipal levy, the city council is considering using sales tax income and other one-time financing possibilities in addition to the city’s general budget.

However, the council seems to agree with several of St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s spending objectives, such as adding maintenance employees to the Parks and Recreation Department and life support medic cadets to the St. Paul Fire Department.

According to Brendmoen, “people have been worried about the quality of sidewalks and the status of parks.” Copper theft has been a major problem for us. Otherwise, a large portion of it consists of transfers from the general fund to other sources of one-time money to assist us to rein in the budget during a difficult year.

If the city’s tax levy goes up by 15%, it doesn’t indicate that everyone’s property taxes would go up by the same amount.

One of the elements affecting each homeowner’s ultimate tax payment after accounting for state help is the rate of appreciation in their area and the kind of property they own.

The Ramsey County estimates show that property taxes will increase by between 12 and 20 percent citywide in eight low and moderate-income regions in 2019, while wealthy communities may be less affected.

Tax levies imposed by the county and school district, which together may account for as much as two-thirds of the total payment, are often overlooked by homeowners. Special taxing districts, such as those responsible for mosquito control, may impose a tax levy, although they cover a broad area and aren’t as common as the Metropolitan Council, the region’s planning organization.

When property tax bills rise by at least 12 percent in a single year, city and county authorities encourage people to apply for state homestead refunds, which have income restrictions but are still available.