Olmsted County Board Sets 2027 Tax Levies, Credits $1.5 Million Tax Over Collection
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Olmsted County Board of Commissioners have set the preliminary tax levies for next year’s budget.
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Tuesday’s vote represents the highest amount of tax revenue the county can collect from property owners.
Included in the preliminary figures is the county’s plan to credit tax payers for over collections made due to what county officials said was an error for this year’s budget.
Olmsted County Board Approves $157.1 Million Combined Preliminary Property Tax & HRA Levies
The 2027 preliminary property tax levy has been set at $151,350,166. That represents a 6.8% or over $9.6 million higher than the 2026 property tax levy.
The amount billed to property tax payers to fund the levy is $149,769,949. That’s up from $143,236,740 billed for this year’s budget.
The more than $1.58 million difference includes the credited $1.5 million over collected from property tax payers plus interest. County Board members voted 4-3 in April to credit the extra $1.5 million to next year’s budget instead of issuing refunds to tax payers.
Read More: Olmsted County Board Votes to Retain $1.5 Million in Over Collected Property Taxes
A news release issued by the county says the over billing resulted in the average property tax payer shelling out an extra $10-$30 this year.
The County Board also approved setting the 2027 Housing Redevelopment Authority levy at $5,804,098, which is an increase of $235,554 from this year.
County Officials Cite Rising Costs
County leaders cite changes in federal and state funding requirements and increasing costs and demands for services as factors in the decision to increase the tax levies.
“At the same time, the county must continue providing essential services, including public safety, roads and bridges, public health, human services, elections, property assessment, veterans’ services, parks, and other programs required by law, even if funding from the state and federal governments is reduced or delayed,” the news release says.
Next year’s budget also includes a planned reduction in spending for the county’s Capital Improvement Plan, although projects such as the Hwy. 14/County Rd. 44 interchange between Rochester and Byron and Graham Park improvements continue moving forward.
The board is set to vote on finalizing the levy and next year’s budget on December 15.
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