For the second year in a row, Ramsey County is poised to raise property taxes.
Ramsey County commissioners set the maximum levy for 2017 at about $293 million at a board meeting Tuesday, according to information released by the county. The figure represents a nearly 3 percent increase over the 2016 levy.
The jump was built into the county’s two-year budget adopted by the board in 2015. That budget relied on a 2.8 percent levy increase in both 2016 and 2017 to help cover a variety of county spending, including additional child protection workers, a new library in Shoreview, improvements to Lake Owasso County Park, road work, a couple more deputies, and other expenses.
Commissioner Jim McDonough said before the vote he was “proud” of the county’s recent budget process and its continued resolve to align dollars with its commitment to ensuring economic prosperity in racially isolated areas of the county.
“I think this is a fair and justifiable increase to continue the work we are doing here in the county,” McDonough said.
Owners of a median-value home of about $160,000 in St. Paul would see their county property taxes go up about $15 next year if the proposed increase is adopted this winter. That figure assumes a roughly 6 percent increase in market value over 2016, the county’s assessor reported. Owners of a median-value home in the suburbs — about $222,000 — would actually see their county property taxes drop slightly under the change. That assumes a roughly 4 percent increase in market value for suburban homes.
The county’s total proposed budget for 2017 is about $662 million, about 43 percent of which is paid for via property taxes. The total is slightly higher than previously projected due to a $1.4 million increase in funding for child protection services and other expenses, the county reported. The additional spending is expected to be covered by an increase in state funding next year.
After holding the levy flat in 2014 and 2015, the county’s 2016-2017 budget aims to “maximize exciting new (opportunities) to build prosperity,” county documents state.
The county’s spending has risen incrementally since 2013, when it was about $559 million. Its debt went down last year; it was $165 million in 2015 and last year was $158 million, according to county staff.
Ramsey County’s bond rating by Standard and Poor’s remains at AAA, the highest assigned.
There will be a truth-in-taxation hearing on the proposed levy Nov. 28 at Union Depot in the Red Cap room. The board is scheduled to adopt its final 2017 budget Dec. 13.
TO KNOW MORE
For additional details on the county’s 2017 budget, go to https://www.ramseycounty.us/your-government/budget-finance.