St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman is calling for a 1.9 percent property tax levy increase, as well as higher fees – including charging for evening parking downtown until 10 p.m.

The third-term mayor delivered his 10th budget address Tuesday at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building on Robie Street.

The mayor touted the city’s population growth and growing tax base but acknowledged that St. Paul is staring down a $10 million deficit for 2016, much as it always does at the start of the budget season. The city will have to nip and tuck wherever it can to balance revenue and expenses by the time the 2016 budget is finalized in December.

The result is a budget light on frills. It prioritizes infrastructure investment over new hiring or program initiatives.

The mayor’s $545.8 million budget proposal includes a 1.9 percent increase to the city’s overall tax levy. Most of the $18 million, or 3.5 percent, increase over the 2015 budget comes from one-time expenditures, including debt reduction and technology investments. The proposed general fund budget is $258 million.

The 2015 budget included a 2.4 percent increase to the tax levy, for a total levy of $103.6 million.

PROPERTY VALUES UP IN EVERY WARD

To craft the budget proposal, the mayor said he and his staff met with an estimated 500 city residents during “pop-up” budget meetings at special events around the city, including the Rondo Days and Dragon Festival celebrations.

The mayor said St. Paul’s population – now at roughly 300,000 – is at the highest level in nearly 40 years. The city’s budget has been “structurally balanced,” with ongoing expenditures tied to ongoing revenue sources.

“Property values are growing in every ward,” the mayor said. “Our tax base is up nearly 5 percent this year over last, and up more than 12 percent since 2013. Lowertown and neighboring commercial areas are booming. The Green Line is surpassing ridership estimates.”

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AID

The mayor emphasized that local government aid makes up 26 percent of the general fund budget and that more than 71 percent of the city budget is dedicated to public safety.

Coleman continued his annual call for the state to restore aid to 2003 levels, with inflationary growth built in.

“St. Paul is still 44 percent – or $47 million – short of the amount we would have had before LGA became a political football in 2003,” Coleman said.

“If the state were to use $67.5 million of its $2 billion surplus to restore LGA to its 2003 certified levels, local property taxpayers would experience immediate relief,” Coleman said.

ROADS AND BRIDGES

The mayor called reconstruction of the Kellogg Boulevard-Third Street bridge the city’s top legislative request in 2015, “and it will be again in 2016.”

Coleman said that in the past year, St. Paul committed a record $54 million toward investments in street repair and transportation upgrades – including $34 million in new money.

More than half the “Terrible 20” roads have been repaired or are slated for reconstruction this fall, and most of the rest will be complete by 2017.

The mayor has proposed a 2.5 percent increase to right-of-way street assessments to keep the momentum of street repair going.

The mayor promised organizational changes to the Public Works Department.

“Public Works Director Kathy Lantry will be leading a realignment of the department’s resources in the coming year,” Coleman said, “with the goals of quality customer service, improved service delivery models, increased transparency and improved street maintenance.”

POLICE AND FIRE

The St. Paul Police Department’s sworn complement will remain at last year’s authorized level of 615 officers, up from 576 officers a decade ago.

A new public safety training facility and gun range will be completed on Lafayette Road in 2017, the mayor said, and $3 million will be invested into the police department’s records-management system in the next three years.

Another $1.3 million will be put into expanding Fire Station 19 in Highland Park. The city dedicated $2 million to accommodate more crews and relocate an existing fire truck in 2014, but costs were greater than anticipated.

The budget proposal dedicates $1 million to study a possible relocation of Fire Station 20, which sits along the Green Line on University Avenue.

VICTORIA THEATER ARTS INITIATIVE

During Coleman’s budget address, members of the Victoria Theater Arts Initiative held a silent protest from the audience.

The initiative petitioned the city’s Capital Improvement Budget committee in June to have $400,000 included in its funding recommendations, with the goal of buying the vacant and long-unused performance space from the Twin Cities Community Land Bank.

Hit with more than $100 million in funding requests, the CIB Committee recommended $22 million in projects to the mayor’s office, including $325,000 for the theater in 2016 and $75,000 in 2017.

The mayor’s new Capital Improvement Budget proposal includes no funds for the theater.

“We were a little surprised,” said Sam Buffington, an advocate with the initiative, which needs the funding to acquire the performance space at 825 University Ave. W. and complete emergency repairs. “We’re hoping that we can squeak that back in there somewhere.”

FUNDS FOR REC CENTERS

Coleman said the budget does, however, include funds to improve the Wilder, Palace and Scheffer rec centers, as well as the ice rinks at Phalen and North Dale, and a series of neighborhood playgrounds.

The funds include $200,000 for the city’s first “universally accessible” playground at Victoria Park off West Seventh Street, specially designed with the disabled in mind.

Distributed through nonprofit partners, a voucher program funded by “a modest fee increase” at city pools will allow low-income kids to access swimming areas, he said, and a joint effort with St. Paul schools and libraries will aim to get a library card in every student’s hands by the end of 2017.

The mayor’s CIB budget proposes $250,000 toward a Rondo Commemorative Plaza and Garden at Concordia and Fisk to recognize the history of the old Rondo neighborhood, which was torn in two in the 1960s to make room for Interstate 94.

On behalf of the city, the mayor officially apologized to the historically African-American community last month for the role that city, state and federal officials played in leveling Rondo’s streets and houses.

BUDGET GOES TO CITY COUNCIL

Coleman’s budget proposal will go to the St. Paul City Council, which has until December to finalize any changes.

After two years of holding the county tax levy steady, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners is considering raising property taxes about 2.8 percent in each of the next two years.

The new revenue would help pay for improvements to Lake Owasso Park, a new library in Shoreview, road work and two new deputies for the sheriff’s department, among other projects.

FEE HIKES

In addition to tax rates, certain fees are also likely to increase in 2016.

As of Jan. 1, downtown St. Paul parking meters will expire at 10 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. every day except Sunday, though rates will drop to $1 per hour after 6 p.m.

The mayor said the city will test new pricing strategies, such as event rates, to ensure drivers use the meters for short-term parking only. The city’s online fact sheet indicates there are 28,000 on-street and off-street parking spaces downtown, and even at its busiest times, more than 7,500 remain unoccupied.

The meter changes drew mixed reaction on social media, where St. Paul resident Meredith Gillies tweeted: “BOO. One of the few things downtown St Paul has going for it is the free on-street parking after 6pm!”

The new meter hours are expected to generate $1.6 million in additional revenue.

St. Paul Regional Water Services plans to increase its water meter base fee by $1 per month. The water board of commissioners will host a public hearing at 5 p.m. Sept. 8 at 1900 Rice St. More information is at stpaul.gov/water.

Frederick Melo can be reached at 651-228-2172. Follow him at twitter.com/FrederickMelo.