Mayor Rybak To Present City Budget, With Property Tax Hike

After weeks of waiting, Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak is slated to present his proposed 2012 budget to the City Council today at noon on the fourth floor of the Grain Exchange Building in downtown. 

The bulding serving as a backdrop to the Mayor's speech was recently re-opened with city help as an incubator for small, creative businesses.

The mayor is nearly a month late delivering his Budget Address, compared to when city mayors typically outline their budget proposals to the public. The Board of Estimation and Taxation will hold a hearing tomorrow afternoon to hear testimony from citizens and vote on the mayor's proposed two percent property tax hike.

The mayor laid the blame for his tardines on the state government shutown, but has come under fire from City Councilmembers and members of the Board of Estimation for not allowing as much debate on the budget as is normally had. Some have suggested his move was an abuse of the city charter, which requires the mayor to present a budget by August 15.