The City of St. Paul is dealing with an unexpected budget due to COVID-19. | Pixabay
The City of St. Paul is dealing with an unexpected budget due to COVID-19. | Pixabay
St. Paul has began making budget cuts as the city is projected to face a financial shortfall between $19 to $34 million due to COVID-19.
The Minn Post reports city amenities are among the cuts being made in an attempt to offset decreased revenues and increased expenses related to the pandemic.
“We won’t be turning on the fountains this year,” St. Paul City Council President Amy Brendmoen told Minn Post. “It’s a bummer, but it costs $100,000 to bring on that plumber, and do that work. We don’t need the fountains on, and if people understand the reasons why, they’ll be more understanding of the fact that the niceties we normally have are missing this year.”
While the city hopes to obtain state or federal assistance, it has put on a hold on discretionary spending and has implemented a hiring freeze.
“We’re bracing for [budget gaps] both in 2020, with a revision of what we imagined this year was going to look like, and also looking down the pike at 2021, what that may look like with a different landscape and different ability to generate revenue,” Brendmoen told Minn Post.
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