Rybak's Budget: No Rise In Mpls Property Taxes

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said property taxes won't be going up Monday as he delivered his 2012 budget proposal.

Rybak's announcement marked the first time in 10 years that there would not be an increase in the city's property taxes.

"We will not a single cent more," Rybak said. "I'm proud of everyone…who helped me get that done."

Rybak said that in order to keep property taxes flat, he had to make important cuts around Minneapolis.

The mayor's budget also proposed major roadwork projects and an effort to hem in the racial jobs gap in Minneapolis.

Rybak plans to expand Minneapolis' five-year capital program by 60 percent ($57 million). Street improvements will be focused on the city's arterial streets, which carry two-thirds of Minneapolis' traffic. The improvements will be financed by bond sales, Rybak said.

To close Minneapolis' jobs gap between white and black residents, which is one of the biggest of any large city in the country, Rybak proposed an initiative called "One Minneapolis."

The initiative seeks to be a collaboration between city departments and the private and philanthropic sectors. It will focus of giving "hard-to-employ" workers training and job placement. A proposed investment of $300,000 will be dedicated to the project, Rybak said.