6 takeaways from St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s State of the City address

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter used his annual State of the City address Monday to float a range of ideas for the capital city, from a new approach to snow plowing to a city-funded jobs program aimed at helping small businesses.

While the mayor’s recent addresses have headlined one or two pressing issues, such as public safety and infrastructure, Carter’s speech for 2024 touched on nearly a dozen topics, including some potential programs and policies that aren’t fully fleshed out.

The mayor, who is halfway through his second four-year term, also used the hour-long address to highlight what he considers some of his key accomplishments.

“I stand before you today with a profound sense of optimism and excitement for the future of our city,” Carter said to several hundred people gathered in the popcorn-scented lobby of the Xcel Energy Center. “The stakes are high, but our determination to create a city where every resident can thrive is even higher.”

Here are six key takeaways from the speech.

Carter’s decision to deliver his speech at the Xcel Energy Center reflects the $2 million request from the city to the Legislature for the initial design work for a multi-million dollar renovation of the arena.

The hockey arena’s transformation is part of a larger vision for downtown that the city has been crafting with the nonprofit St. Paul Downtown Alliance.

As part of that work, Carter said the city will look to incentivize the conversion of office buildings into housing. St. Paul already hired a consultant to consider selling its City Hall Annex to a developer — a move that would mean relocating hundreds of city workers to other parts of downtown.

Carter said he wants to connect St. Paul workers with St. Paul jobs — starting with those the city controls.

The mayor said St. Paul will eliminate degree requirements for 90% of city positions. When selecting contractors, the city will give extra points to those living in St. Paul and employing St. Paul residents.

The city is also exploring a program that would help small businesses employ formerly incarcerated residents, those experiencing homelessness and other at-risk populations. The city would cover part of employees’ wages for a period of time as long as small businesses agreed to retain workers after the funding runs out.

Saying the city is having too many siloed discussions about housing policies, Carter announced his intention to launch “one big conversation about housing.”

St. Paul will get roughly $6 million a year for housing from the new metro-area sales tax approved by the Legislature. Carter said he plans to convene open houses to engage the community to debate how to use those resources — and about how other policies, such as rent stabilization and first-time homebuyer supports, should complement them.

Carter unveiled a logo and brand for work funded by St. Paul’s new 1% sales tax. The “Common Cent” projects will each be stamped with a penny-inspired insignia.

The tax is expected to generate nearly $1 billion for streets and parks over the next 20 years. Carter described the program as St. Paul’s version of the Depression-era Works Progress Administration, saying the funding will help transform the city into a 21st-century, climate resilient city.

The city removed thousands of ash trees from the public right-of-way since emerald ash borer were first discovered in the state in 2009. That multi-million operation wrapped up last year, Carter said.

Now, the mayor said the city plans to offer a low-interest loan program to help property owners pay for removing infested trees, while also working on replanting on city-owned land.

Next winter, St. Paul will likely test out one-sided winter parking rules, allowing the city to rotate which side of the street it plows each week.

Carter said that system could eventually replace snow emergencies in St. Paul. In an interview, he said city staff has been in discussion with Duluth officials about their parking rules. He told the crowd at Xcel to stay tuned for more details.