County gives levy a sharp look

For the past few months commissioner “work sessions,” which are typically scheduled as needed on Tuesday mornings prior to the 9:30 board meeting, have centered around arriving at a preliminary tax levy amount to be collected during 2027.

 

Commissioners have heard from department heads who have summarized their intended budgets for next year, and have asked questions about pertinent details.

 

Under Minnesota state law, all entities which benefit from property taxes must announce a preliminary levy amount by Sept. 15. The county receives the preliminary numbers and compiles them on a summary which is sent to all property owners in mid-November letting them know what their property taxes are likely to be in the following year. The number includes levies from towns, townships, school boards, and the county, whichever are applicable.

 

Taxpayers then have the opportunity to attend  “Truth in Taxation” meetings which each entity is required to hold either late in November or in the first few weeks of December. At those meetings, questions can be asked about the proposed budget amounts.

 

Once the September preliminary levy amount is released, the entity cannot raise the number, but it can reduce it: final levy numbers are required by Dec. 29.

 

With the Sept. 15 deadline approaching, county administrator Michael Johnson informed board members during their Aug. 18 meeting that they will “have something on their calendars” for the next few Tuesdays, even those which are not the first or third Tuesday of the month, the usual time slot for county board meetings.

 

For 2026, the county’s operating budget was $39.5 million. The levy, that is, the amount paid by property owners, was $19.2 million. 

 

Commissioners were visited by District 19A State Representative Keith Allen, whose district includes Alton, Blooming Grove, Iosco, and Janesville townships.

 

Allen began by sharing information about a proposed constitutional amendment which will be on ballots this November. Taxpayers are being asked to approve a change in the formula used to distribute funds to school districts. Allen explained the change would not increase taxes, but will allow an increased amount of money to be given out from a specific, very successful fund that was arranged for in the state constitution in 1858.

 

Namely, payments accrued from mining rights, lumber sales, and other opportunities on millions of designated acres managed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have always been set aside to support schools. In November, voters will be asked “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to increase the funding going to all school districts from the permanent school fund, which is a fund that supports school districts without raising individual income or property taxes, effective July 1, 2027?”

 

Allen mentioned that the rules regarding constitutional amendments is that, to pass, they must be approved by the majority of all people casting a ballot. Thus, failing to vote on the question is the same as voting against it.

 

Allen cautioned that the question will be appearing on the back side of the printed ballots. “So you have to turn the sheet over to see it,” he said.

 

When asked about the status of the permanent school fund, Allen said the proposed increase is “exceptionally conservative,” but would provide a significant increase to school districts, which he described as “flipping over every couch cushion to find every penny they can to continue their vital work.”

 

Allen also summarized some actions taken during the 2026 legislative session which he regarded as positive. These included funds to update important software used for recording and communicating important human services information; a one-year decrease in car licensing fees; and a “bonding bill” which allots more money than has typically been the case to outstate improvement projects, especially those helping to improve water quality.

 

County board members approved allotting $40,000 to act as a local funds match for a $60,000 grant from the state’s “safe and secure courthouses” program.

 

It was shared during the meeting that groundbreaking for the planned judicial center to be constructed next to the historic courthouse is delayed from this fall to the spring of 2027. Board members made reference to some “due diligence” needs that caused the delay.