Minneapolis Park Board going to the mat for funding, buoyed by public response

Frustration has been brewing at the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board since Mayor Jacob Frey’s Aug. 12 budget proposal, which includes significantly less money for 2027 than the board requested.

Frey’s message? Every department needs to do their part and find savings, even the ever-popular and proudly independent park board. The increase he recommended for the MPRB would allow for $2.4 million more than their 2026 budget, compared to the $5.4 million increase they’re hoping for.

It’s a placeholder figure that can be negotiated up, Frey promised. But only if the board is willing to come down.

But at an August 9 meeting of the city’s Board of Estimate and Taxation – the body that controls city purse strings by setting the property tax levy each year – MPRB officials said they’ve been making do with less for years and they’re tired of it. Now, buoyed by a public animated by what many see a...