Mayor Roger J. Reinert

09/29/2026

Last night, the Duluth City Council approved the City’s 2027 maximum property tax levy resulting in a 2.65% max for the City portion of local property taxes.

That’s lower than last year’s 2.7%, below inflation, and for the third consecutive year the lowest levy amongst a peer group that includes Rochester, St. Cloud, Bloomington, Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and St. Louis County. And over my three years as your mayor, an average annual effective levy of just 1.78%.

Keeping the city portion of property taxes low hasn’t been easy. But we’ve done it by prioritizing core city services and maximizing every public dollar with which we’ve already been entrusted.

09/28/2026

Plan to attend a public meeting on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, from 5:30–7:00 p.m. at the Public Safety Building, 2030 N. Arlington Avenue. If you would like to get involved and learn more about the Duluth Police Reserves or Neighborhood Citizen Patrol programs!

Police Reserves work side by side with our badged officers during our special events and help with things like traffic control and related community safety functions. Neighborhood Citizen Patrols are volunteers working with DPD to observe and report suspicious activity in any of Duluth’s neighborhoods.

These programs were put on hold during COVID, and I’ve been working with Chief Ceynowa and the DPD team to bring them back. Stop in on Tuesday if you’re interested in helping our community!

09/27/2026

It was an absolute privilege to attend and offer a few words as part of Denfeld High School’s Centennial Celebration!

Denfeld’s current building has stood as a landmark since it opened in 1926. Richard Nixon and Johnny Cash both visited the auditorium, and it was the site of my first State of the City Address. The school was also instrumental in the creation of a two-year program to train teachers that grew to become today’s University of Minnesota Duluth.

The celebration recognized generations of students, educators, families and alumni who have helped to create the legacy of Hunter Pride. School leaders also opened the contents of a 100-year-old time capsule, and in its place created a new community time capsule for future Hunters to discover.

09/26/2026

We recently opened a new accessible trail at Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve. And I even had the surprise fun of helping release a sharp-shinned hawk!

The project was established through the Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve Mini-Master Plan, which was adopted by the City in partnership with the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory. The new trail improves access to outdoor recreation and conservation-based education while creating a safer and more welcoming experience for all visitors.

Hawk Ridge is internationally recognized as a premier fall migration hotspot that draws visitors from across the globe. Throughout September and October visitors can see an average of 60,000 raptors and over 200,000 total migrating birds.

Kudos to the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, City staff and the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund for making this project possible.

09/24/2026

Updates to Duluth’s Unified Development Chapter (UDC) are in effect! This is important work from the Planning and Economic Development team to make it easier to build housing and grow our commercial tax base.

Here’s a quick snapshot:

If you own a home:
• Side-yard setbacks are now 3 feet instead of 6, making it easier to add onto your home.
• New smaller minimum lot sizes and frontage requirements to create more opportunities to divide lots and build additional homes.

If you’re a builder or developer:
• R-1, R-2 and MU-N districts allow more density including fourplexes in R-1 districts.
• Increased maximum building heights.
• Housing can be built by-right creating greater certainty for builders and developers.

If you own a commercial property:
• Form districts have been simplified with fewer building design standards to make it easier to reinvest in existing commercial areas.

These changes may not make headlines but are the steady work of local government to make it easier to add more housing at all income levels and grow our commercial tax base.

09/23/2026

Growing Duluth’s housing supply at all income levels is one of our five strategic priorities, essential to our regional economy, and critical for long-term fiscal sustainability.

That’s why our Planning and Economic Development team will host the 2nd Annual Duluth Housing Strategies Conference on November 6th. This free event will bring together developers, builders, lenders and community leaders to hear about housing policy, building code and zoning changes, and discuss other steps Duluth is taking to make it easier to build more housing across the city. Sites available for housing will also be shared.

Learn more and register on our website at:
https://duluthmn.gov/planning-development/housing/duluth-housing-strategies-conference/

09/22/2026

Our street strategy must be about both renewal and maintenance. Rebuilding and resurfacing streets that have reached the end of their useful life while taking better care of the streets we already have.

This summer, our Street Maintenance crews have put in over 27,000 labor hours,including:
• 4,250 tons of hot-mix asphalt
• 50 lane miles of crack sealing
• 8 miles of mastic work
• 8,017 gallons of pavement marking paint

Crews will continue this work into the fall, as long as asphalt plants remain open. Investing in streets and utilities must remain one of our top five priorities to make meaningful progress on decades of deferred infrastructure needs.

09/21/2026

Welcome back to Duluth, college students! Whether you’re at UMD, St. Scholastica, or Lake Superior College, we’re glad you’re here. Every year, more than 15,000 students from across Minnesota, the country, and around the world call Duluth home while they pursue their education. You bring energy, talent, ideas and economic activity to our community! Our colleges and universities are a major part of Duluth’s economy, as well as our future.

While you’re here, I hope you’ll do more than go to class. Explore our neighborhoods, trails, parks, restaurants, businesses, arts and music scene. Get involved in the community, volunteer, attend a meeting or event, and take advantage of everything Duluth has to offer. And remember that you’re not just a student here, but also a neighbor. Be respectful of those who live around you, particularly when it comes to neighborly issues like parties and noise, parking, and keeping sidewalks and streets clear when winter arrives.

Go, Bulldogs! Ho, Saints, Go, Hawks! We’re glad you’re here, and it’s good to have you back.

09/18/2026

I recently sat down with Greg Grell for another one of our quarterly Conversations!

We covered a lot of ground, including the 2027 budget proposal and the proposed 2.65% property tax levy increase. We also discussed major road projects underway across Duluth and opportunities to attract new development, including high-tech manufacturing.

We also looked ahead to the upcoming legislative session and the priorities we’ll be asking our state partners to support.

Watch our full conversation on our City of Duluth YouTube Channel:

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

09/17/2026

Big announcement this morning! Duluth has been named host city for the 2027 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship!

From April 21- May 2, 2027, 10 international teams will compete in 29 games, from preliminary-round play through the medal games. This tournament will bring some of the best under-18 players from around the world to Duluth. Many of these young athletes are on their way to becoming collegiate players, NHL draft picks and future Olympians.

A big thank you to Visit Duluth, USA Hockey, and DECC, along with all our local partners, for bringing this exciting opportunity to Duluth. We’re proud to be the host city and excited to welcome teams, fans and visitors from around the world this spring!