Ramsey County proposed budget includes closing detox center, levy hike

The Ramsey County Detoxification Center in St. Paul will close Jan. 1 under a proposed budget county officials are preparing for the coming year, and the county will look for more cost-effective ways to address the changing demand for addiction services.

The facility on University Avenue is licensed to serve 50 people at a time for stays of a week or longer, but it only has 10 clients on a typical day. State law requires counties to provide detox services, but most contract for those services and only Ramsey and Clay counties operate their own centers.

County leaders have weighed closing the facility for years and, with federal and state funding tightening, decided it was time.

The decision is included in the county’s 2026 budget, which includes a 9.75% increased in the property tax levy and was presented to the County Board on Tuesday. The budget plan includes reducing staff by 43 people, most of whom are workers at the detox facility.

“These are not easy decisions, but they are responsible ones,” County Manager Ling Becker said.

Other organizations in the community provide detox services more cost-effectively, Becker said. County officials also plan a one-time grant to try to increase the number of providers.

Past county budgets included $2.5 million a year to help operate the detox center, but the facility often lost money and required an additional county subsidy of roughly $2 million annually.

Addiction treatment centers across the state have been closing, despite growing demand, because they struggle to retain staff and face low reimbursement rates for their services.

Ramsey County’s budget plans also include the elimination of the enterprise and administrative services department, with employees mostly folded into other departments. Library hours may need to be reduced to save money.

Minnesota counties are wrapping up initial budget plans because they are required to set the maximum amount they may increase the property tax levy — the total amount of money raised through property taxes — by the end of September. County leaders face ongoing uncertainty over future state and federal funding cuts.

While the 2026 Ramsey County budget includes some staff reductions, the plan results in a net gain of about 110 employees. They will mostly be working directly with residents, like helping to address the backlog of applications for social support programs.

Becker is proposing a 9.75% increase in the levy next year to fund a $929 million budget for 2026. That’s a $56 million increase over the current spending plan.

“This proposed budget shows our commitment to using every dollar wisely, protecting essential county services, and strengthening the systems that support our residents and businesses,” Becker said in her budget presentation.

While the county plans to add jobs overall, roughly half the budget increase will cover pay raises for existing staff approved by commissioners earlier this year. County leaders recently updated pay scales and approved a 3% cost of living increase in order to retain and attract workers.

Ramsey County is planning a smaller, 7.5% levy hike in 2027. The county is the only one in Minnesota to release a two-year budget, and typically sticks with its out-year proposal, but it could be modified by commissioners.