The Golden Valley City Council met Sept. 10 for a work session to discuss the city’s 2025 budget and tax levy. City leaders are looking at setting the preliminary levy increase at 4.5%. In 2024, the general fund levy was $26.78 million. For 2025, it’s projected to be $27.98 million.
Property taxes have a variety of factors, but the median Golden Valley homeowner with a house worth $440,600 is expected to pay roughly $200 more in 2025.
Finance Director Lyle Hodges and City Manager Noah Schuchman were both hired earlier this year, which means this is their first 2025 budget and levy in Golden Valley.
“Both Lyle and I have new eyes on the budget, so we’re coming at it fresh,” Schuchman said, “And there is no major curveballs in this budget. We’re not looking to make any significant shifts in city operations, we’re looking to understand it, keep it moving and also account for the needs of our staff.”
Part of the increase is for inflation and compensation for employees. There are also a few changes. Golden Valley is adding a full-time equivalent (FTE) position for IT technical help as well as a half FTE for building maintenance. The city also hopes to add two FTE firefighters, but this will be offset by having fewer on-call firefighters.