Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
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Just about anyone who regularly navigates St. Paul streets knows the problem: Too many of the Capital City's roads are in poor condition despite the city's yearslong efforts to improve them. There's no question that there is a need for ramped-up street repair and maintenance.
With that goal, Mayor Melvin Carter has proposed a 1% sales tax increase — a move that could raise nearly $1 billion over 20 years dedicated to roads, parks and other uses. The city's current sales tax is 7.875%, compared with 8.025% in Minneapolis, according to the Minnesota Department of Revenue's "Local Sales and Use Tax Rate Guide." The increase would give St. Paul one of the highest sales tax rates in the state, alongside Duluth and Walker.
Although legitimate needs exist, questions remain about whether a sales tax increase is the best solution.
Carter told an editorial writer that St. Paul has not fared well under Minnesota's existing local government aid (LGA) formula. He said historic underinvestment from the state and the city in the past contributed to a large backlog of street maintenance and reconstruction.
Carter said the city should devote about $30 million per year to bring roads up to par and needs a sustained source of funding to meet that goal. St. Paul shouldn't "kick the can down the road" any longer, he said.
In addition to raising $738 million for road improvements and $246 million for upgrades in park facilities, the sales tax increase would fund a new multipurpose East Side community center; a mixed-use National Park Service headquarters at Crosby Farm Regional Park, and a 1.5-mile River Balcony promenade downtown.