A group of Minnesota mayors held a press conference Wednesday to once again urge state government officials to bring change to Minnesota’s finances.
“We are here today to address two issues that are actively harming every hardworking Minnesotan: rampant fraud that continues to drain public trust and taxpayer dollars, as well as the failed economic direction of our state,” said Mayor Jackson Purfeerst of Crosslake.
Last year, Purfeerst and seven other mayors sent a letter to state legislators which warned that “fraud, unchecked spending, and inconsistent fiscal management” are having a trickle-down effect that places strain on city budgets.
Additionally, the mayors said they are seeing “businesses struggling to expand, workforce shortages, rising costs, and families choosing to leave Minnesota altogether.”
Since that letter was published, more than 250 other mayors have signed it. Further, the mayors’ message was expanded to warn lawmakers that unfunded mandates issued by the state have caused cities to consider property taxes increases.
“Every unfunded mandate or cost shift forces us into difficult choices: raise taxes, cut services, delay infrastructure, or stretch thin city staff even further,” the letter said.
Expressing a desire for taxpayer dollars to be protected and used responsibly, the mayors said Minnesota’s fiscal ship is in dire need of a course correction.
Mayors from Alexandria, Blaine, Blue Earth, Champlin, Coon Rapids, Corcoran, Dayton, Deephaven, Delano, East Grand Forks, Fergus Falls, Forest Lake, Ham Lake, Inver Grove Heights, Lake Elmo, Lino Lakes, Monticello, Oak Park Heights, Rogers, Shakopee, Virginia, Waconia, Wayzata, West St. Paul, and Zumbrota are among those who signed the letter.
On Wednesday, Purfeerst and a group of those mayors went to the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul to again call for action from state officials. In his call for better stewardship of taxpayer dollars, Purfeerst said not enough had been done to stop fraud.
“Hundreds of millions of dollars have been proven stolen,” he said. “Dozens of defendants have been charged by federal prosecutors, and systematic failures allowed it to happen.”
For years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota has prosecuted fraud that has occurred in state-run, federally-funded programs. Last year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office estimated that more than $9 billion could have been stolen from some of those programs since 2018.
At his press conference, Purfeerst also criticized the large increase in state spending that has occurred in recent years.
🚨 WATCH: Minnesota mayors sound the alarm on impacts of fraud and poor fiscal management on their cities
"Affordability is collapsing in the state of Minnesota and unfunded mandates are crushing our communities," says Crosslake Mayor Jackson Purfeerst.
According to… pic.twitter.com/8M9d5zXF5x
— Alpha News (@AlphaNews) February 5, 2026
Comparing state spending with household income, Purfeerst said, “In six years, government spending per household increased by $8,500 while household income barely moved an inch. Government got significantly bigger but families did not get significantly richer.”
Since 2019, Minnesota’s annual state budget has increased from $24 billion to $33 billion.
Purfeerst said those state spending increases stifled budget flexibility and pushed “more costs and mandates onto cities which then show up as higher property taxes, tighter budgets, or cuts to local services.”
Asking for state leaders to meet with mayors to discuss these issues, Purfeerst said, “What we are asking for is not extreme, it’s not partisan, and it’s not unreasonable. It’s accountability, it’s fiscal responsibility, and it’s leadership — true leadership.”
Taking questions after his press conference, Purfeerst said he had not heard back from Gov. Tim Walz despite the letters his coalition has sent. Similarly, Purfeerst said he had heard from “maybe five” legislators since his calls for action began.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
