June 10, 2021 at 1:12 p.m.
Cass board increases levy, first time in six years
The budget committee recommended a $136,356 levy increase to $19,721,969 after the county had set the same dollar levy for six years.
Because the county's total property value increased this year, the amount will be spread over more valuation, so the net rate taxpayers will pay will actually decrease from 31.005 percent to 30.600 percent.
The $136,356 is the amount of tax capacity new construction generated since last year.
The value of new home starts was actually down. The value of new commercial construction was only 6.2 percent of the total new construction increase, so most of the new construction value came from a lot of small projects like home additions and accessory buildings.
Budget committee members include citizen appointees Earl North, Chris Henneken, Jim Lohr, Rick Baird and Dan Meier and Commissioners Neal Gaalswyk and Jeff Peterson.
This is just the first step of Cass's budget process.
The budget committee will now look at the fact increased projected expenditures, despite the slight increase in levy, are expected to exceed revenues by $305,375. This would leave not only a deficit, but also means no emergency reserve fund for 2015.
It will be the committee's task to try to pare down the budget requests to a break-even level, plus some reserves for emergencies, then report back to the board on recommended changes from the initial requests.
The budget proposal at this time includes the following new requests:
• Working Together Coalition - $125,000
• Cass County HRA - $30,000
• MN Rural MN Caucus - $4,000
• Assistant county attorney - $89,230
• County attorney clerical - $53,740
• Sheriff half-time records - $27,619
• Custodial capital staff - $51,381
• Jailer - $74,500
The committee also will evaluate health, human and veterans services placements and health grants, labor costs and health insurance, equipment lists and county road conditions to take into account potential future cost trends.
Cass's total 2015 budget expenditures are projected to increase from $50,202,277 in 2014 to $52,925,514 in 2015. State and federal aids and grants pay the difference between the county levy and total budget.
Some of the state and federal money is designated for specific uses, while other revenue can be used for general purposes.
In addition to setting the preliminary levy Tuesday, the commissioners set the Longville Ambulance Service District levy for properties within that district at the same amount as 2014 or $461,000. They kept the unorganized township levy the same as well at $245,000.
After the budget committee lowers proposed expenditures to a level that will allow for a reserve fund and eliminates the deficit, the committee will present a revised budget recommendation to the board.
That revised budget will be presented at a public hearing in December before the board accepts a final budget and sets a final levy, which usually occurs at the board meeting on the second Tuesday in December. The levy may be lowered, but not increased from the amount set Tuesday.
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