A group of St. Paul organizers called on voters Sunday to support a ballot initiative that would raise property taxes to pay for child care for low-income families.
A dozen advocates and several of their young children gathered at Rondo Community Library to launch a campaign for the initiative, listening and cheering as their leaders spoke about the effort.
“Early childhood education is one of the best investments St. Paul can make,” said City Council Member Nelsie Yang.
Affordable child care helps working parents, she said, and access to quality early learning will better prepare children for school.
“You all ready to go to work?” Yang asked the activists. The group cheered.
To fund the child care subsidies, the city would increase its property tax levy $2 million a year for 10 years — $2 million in the first year, $4 million in the second year and so on, until $20 million is levied in the 10th year.
Advocates of the program have not yet determined exactly how that money would be distributed to families. But City Council Member Rebecca Noecker, a member of a group that started exploring the policy in 2017, said she and others will work with consultants to develop a detailed plan and budget by early fall.
A split City Council voted last summer to put the measure on the 2024 ballot, overriding a rare veto from Mayor Melvin Carter. At the time, the mayor offered a laundry list of criticisms, describing the proposal as a “nakedly dishonest” promise to cover care for all low-income families without enough money to do so.