Increase covers sheriff’s office, county operations

The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday by a 4-1 vote to approve a 5 percent preliminary tax levy increase.

Commissioner Dan Belshan voted no.

“The city of Albert Lea has increased taxes, school districts are talking about increasing taxes and the federal government is talking about increasing taxes,” Belshan said. “And with the talk in the city and county about adding new government buildings when our population has been shrinking to 1940 levels, it’s time to discipline our spending.”

Under the preliminary tax levy that was approved, owners of a residential homestead with a $100,000 value would see their tax bill rise from $350 to approximately $394, a 12.57 percent increase.

Owners of a $100,000 residential non-homestead property would see their tax bill increase approximately from $488 to $548, a 12.3 percent increase.

Owners of a commercial property valued at $200,000 would see their tax bill increase from $1,586 to $1,782, a 12.36 percent increase.

Freeborn County residential and commercial landowners are faced with the increase due to agriculture land declining in value by about 10 percent in Freeborn County, meaning owners of residential and commercial property have to make up for the loss in agriculture land value.

The 5 percent overall tax levy increase is due to a few things, according to John Kluever, Freeborn County administrator.

Sixty percent of the increase is due to the county taking the law enforcement dispatch cost from the city and adding transportation deputies to help with court security.

The other 40 percent of the increase will go toward the operations of the county.

Downward shifts are possible within the next three months before the final 2016 budget is set in December. The county cannot increase the tax levy before December, per state law.