“As Minnesota begins its economic recovery, Saint Paul is leading the way with new jobs, innovative reforms, and wise investments in our future. These are tough times and we’ve had to make some tough choices, but this budget will keep our City on a path to recovery and a brighter future,” he said.

Mayor Coleman announced that the City will move forward on a new recreation center-library development known as the Payne Maryland Project on Saint Paul’s East Side. Building on the success of Rondo Community Outreach Library that has revitalized a major commercial corner in Saint Paul’s Rondo and Frogtown neighborhoods, the Mayor said he is allocating $8 million from his Invest Saint Paul fund to lay the foundation for the mixed-use development that will replace the outdated Arlington Hills Library and Arlington Recreation Center.

The Mayor’s budget cuts spending for the first time in four years and proposes an increase in the levy that only recovers half of Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s cuts to Saint Paul’s local government aid. Savings come from fewer City employees, spending reductions in backroom operations like library materials, and salary cuts in departments, including 8.25-percent cuts instituted in the mayor’s office in February this year.

Mayor Coleman said the City will move forward, keeping all libraries – including the Hamline Midway Library – open and seeking community partners to take on the programming of five City recreation centers. Another three recreation centers – Front, Sylvan and Prosperity – will be replaced with improved fields and restroom facilities.

The Mayor’s budget also includes money from President Barack Obama’s Recovery to hire 34 new police officers and 18 new fire and EMS personnel. With the additional EMS personnel, the Fire Department will create the last of the planned “super-medic” EMS units. 

Budget in Brief

Accomplishments fact sheet

 
Public Safety fact sheet

Anchored by President Obama’s commitment to partner with cities across America, Mayor Coleman’s budget will put new officers on the street, and new firefighters on the job. Building on four years of investment, the 2010 budget couples these new personnel with the results of department-wide audits to ensure that Saint Paul remains one of the safest cities of its kind in the nation.

• Hiring 34 new police officers. Through money from the Recovery Act, the additional officers will return the department’s strength to 610, giving it resources to increase community policing efforts – building relationships to combat gang activity, helping domestic violence victims escape abusive households, and keeping drugs from hurting our neighborhoods.
• Getting tough on Gangs. From innovative legal tools like civil gang injunctions to mentoring opportunities through the police department and non-profit community partners, the City will develop a multi-pronged approach to prevent gang activity and the drug trade.
• Creating new life-saving “super medic” units. A key element in balancing EMS and Fire workloads, the super medic team addresses rising EMS demands and keeps fire suppression resources strong.
• Bringing 18 new firefighters to the department. Using federal SAFER grant money, Mayor Coleman is investing in a department with professionals who reflect the face of our community.

Parks and Rec fact sheet

Libraries fact sheet

Libraries' Proposed Budget

The Payne Maryland Project will bring together under one roof two valuable but underperforming East Side assets – the Arlington Hills Library and Arlington Recreation Center. Currently less than three blocks apart, the deteriorating buildings no longer meet the needs of the neighborhood. This mixed-use facility will be stronger than any facility each department could create individually.

In July 2008, a long-term vision framework identified the need and outlined future facility possibilities. Extensive community outreach and ongoing discussions with neighboring businesses, residents and organizations brought several groups together to join this collaborative effort and concluded that current neighborhood amenities could better serve the community with a multi-purpose facility. The vision also outlined how the Payne Maryland Project could be developed to sustain future public and private partnerships. By creating opportunities for future growth, we will create a foundation for a facility that will thrive for generations.
 

 


Payne Maryland fact sheet

Outdated business management computer systems are costing the City millions of dollars each year. Built on a technology platform dating back to 1985 and made up of more than 35 different computing programs, the system is unable to provide the information the City needs to manage its operations. Simple information such as how much money the City spends on toilet paper or pens and pencils is unknown because there is no single purchasing contract for such items.

For an organization with a $600 million budget and over 3000 employees, the current operating systems no longer serve the needs of Saint Paul and its residents.
COMET will replace this broken system with an innovative Enterprise Resource Planning system that will carry the City into the future and start generating more than $5 million a year in savings and efficiencies by 2012.

COMET – City Operations, Modernization, and Enterprise Transformation – is a top-to-bottom reform of the way the City does business. It is an investment in the City’s future that will help it function like a successful business with an eye on what’s best for residents. With COMET, the City will improve money management; give directors and council members real-time information to make decisions, and free valuable staff and resources to provide better customer service.