October 7, 2026 - City Council Meeting

At its October 7, 2026 meeting, the Saint Paul City Council approved acceptance of a $100,080 Minnesota Department of Commerce grant for a solar installation at a city public building and authorized execution of the grant agreement. It also authorized the Police Department to apply for the FY2026 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, described as roughly $250,000 and intended to reimburse overtime for community engagement and enforcement activities. Police staff said the grant has generally been sought annually; council members requested a follow-up breakdown of how funds are used. The council also approved the 2027 operating plan for the Downtown Improvement Special Service District and its associated service charge, despite testimony from downtown property owners concerned about the added tax burden. No vendor contract award was identified.

The council ratified special assessments for multiple completed street reconstruction, mill-and-overlay, paving, and sanitary-sewer projects, including projects under the 2024 and 2025 street programs. It also adopted a resolution concerning a neighborhood organics/composting site, with discussion of city curbside organics collection planned for 2027. Other actions included authorizing a record of declaration for the Wellstone Center renovation project and adopting a salt-storage ordinance. The council approved these resolutions and assessments by recorded votes; the transcript does not provide total project costs or contract amounts for the street work.