What a math teacher and finance analyst sees…at budget time

The Day has arrived…

There is a reason I have been sounding the alarm.  As budget season is upon us, I hope to give you a view to see what I see.

By Becka Thompson

Earlier today, Mayor Frey released his recommended budget. I applaud his ability to squeeze oil from a lemon in a challenging fiscal climate. The mayor is doing his best to steer the city through a difficult transition — and when we work together after this election, I know we can go even further for the people of Minneapolis.

But here’s the reality: just to maintain our core services, both property taxes and the overall budget will need to rise — by roughly $100 million. That’s not because the mayor overspent. It’s because the current council majority treated one-time federal relief as a blank check, rather than a bridge to long-term stability.

Let’s back up: How did we get here?

Over the past five years, Minneapolis has been running on an unprecedented surge of federal dollars — money meant to stabilize our city in the wake of the pandemic and the destruction following the George Floyd aftermath. Federal relief was critical for recovery — but much of it was spent on politically driven, short-term programs instead of strengthening the foundation of services we rely on every year. Now, those dollars are ending, and the gap will hit every neighborhood, every service, and every tax bill.

We received $271 million in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds — the largest one-time federal infusion in city history. Nearly one-third of our budget in recent years has been buoyed by federal money.

For context, Omaha — a city similar in size but spared the scale of destruction we saw — got $112 million. They used it to shore up core services first, like police, fire, and staffing, before adding new programs. Minneapolis should have done the same.

If you want proof of where much of our ARPA money went, look at Contractual Services — a necessary category for many partnerships, but one that too often has minimal oversight and the highest exposure to waste or fraud.

• In 2023, the last major year of ARPA funds, Contractual Services totaled $676 million.

• In 2024, it ballooned to $740 million — a massive jump fueled by one-time federal aid.

• By the 2025 budget, it dropped to $598 million, and in the 2026 recommendation, $611 million.

That sharp drop shows the truth: the extra dollars didn’t go to building lasting capacity in core services, infrastructure, or parks. They went into temporary contracts and one-off initiatives that disappeared when the funding ran out.

Mayor Frey saw this coming. Last December, he vetoed the 2025 budget — the first budget veto in Minneapolis history — calling it reckless and irresponsible. He was right. The council overrode him. And that budget is one of the reasons I entered this race.

We’ve been living on borrowed time and borrowed money. And now, to balance the books, the mayor has made hard choices — including cuts that will affect our parks. I believe we can protect parks and core services with better fiscal discipline. In 2027, I look forward to working alongside him to put the keys to the future of this city back into the hands of residents, with profound levels of transparency and reinvestment.

That’s why I’m advancing The Minneapolis Miracle — a plan to:

• Rebuild our commercial corridors so we grow the tax base instead of raising taxes.

• Audit city operations to cut waste and duplication, freeing millions for core services.

• Replace politically driven grant-making with blind, competitive, best-value bidding to get the most for every dollar.

• Invest in public assets — like parks and tourism — that generate new revenue.

Federal money was always temporary. The Minneapolis Miracle is about building something permanent: a city that pays its bills, funds its services, and grows stronger year after year — without waiting for Washington to bail us out.

We can’t undo the years of reckless spending, but we can choose a different future — one where the mayor’s best efforts are matched with a council that works with him, not against him, and where residents see every dollar put to work.

Becka Thompson represents District 2 on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, and is currently running for City Council in Ward 12.