Star Tribune
Divided Anoka County Board approves nearly 17% tax levy hike
After months of tense debate, a split Anoka County Board on Tuesday approved a nearly 17% property tax levy increase, the highest hike in recent history, as officials work to close a projected $40 million budget deficit.
In a meeting that became heated at times, with some commissioners calling for civility and an end to dysfunction, the board voted 4-3 to raise the levy by 16.9%. As a result, the owner of a median $327,000 home can expect to see a $116 bump in property taxes next year.
“It pains me. It sickens me that we have the levy in front of us that we do,” said Commissioner Julie Jeppson, who voted in favor of the budget. “Hearing from constituents is gut-wrenching.
“I don’t want to do this, but I have to do this.”
It’s an unusual move for Anoka County, which in recent years had kept its property tax levy relatively flat while others across the metro steadily raised taxes. While divided on the steep increase for next year, commissioners agreed those past decisions created an unsustainable budget, where the county drew down its reserves and failed to fully staff departments.
A municipality setting a higher levy doesn’t mean every homeowner’s taxes will go up by the same amount. Several factors, such as changes to the tax base and assessment trends, determine each property owner’s share of the tax burden.
On Monday night, about 40 residents filed into an Anoka County Board meeting to voice concerns about making ends meet amid rising costs and inflation on top of the tax increase.
According to prosecutors:
Around 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 13, 2022, Nunn approached a woman in Arden Hills who had just parked her vehicle outside her workplace. Brandishing a handgun and while masked, Nunn forced her to drive him to an ATM in Minneapolis and withdraw cash so he could pay his rent. He then ordered the victim to drive to Matthews Park in the city’s Seward Neighborhood, where he drove away in her vehicle.
Surveillance videos from surrounding businesses showed Nunn exiting the vehicle, removing his hood and mask, and entering a corner grocery store. Four days later, he returned to the store in a vehicle registered in his name and address. That led to his arrest on Sept. 22, 2022.
A search of Nunn’s residence turned up evidence from the kidnapping and revealed Nunn that had stolen a backpack from Twin Cities Orthopedics in Oak Park Heights and used the owner’s debit card and personal identification at various local retailers.
He also robbed a third person at gunpoint in a Target parking lot in Hudson, Wis., and threatened to kill her if she didn’t hand over her purse. He then used her credit cards to siphon money from bank accounts.
Star Tribune
Prominent Twin Cities racehorse owner, businessman Barry Butzow accused of drugging, sexually assaulting bartender
Barry Butzow, a prominent Twin Cities racehorse owner and businessman, is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a bartender who worked a private party at his Eden Prairie home earlier this year.
The charge of third-degree sexual assault was filed in Hennepin County District Court, along with a warrant for his arrest. He has no prior Minnesota criminal history in Minnesota.
Butzow, 78, was reached by phone Wednesday and said he had no comment on the allegations and was unaware of the charges. Butzow was a senior vice president with C.H. Robinson Worldwide and has been a fixture in the horse racing community at Canterbury Park for years. He and his wife Joni reached the pinnacle of the sport in 2022 when their horse, Zozos, ran in the Kentucky Derby.
According to the charges:
On May 18, a woman was hired to work as a private bartender for a cocktail party at Butzow’s home. The two knew each other well from a Shakopee bar where the woman worked as a bartender and Butzow was a frequent customer.
Two days later, the woman returned to the house after Butzow asked if she would help him clean up and package some leftover food.
The two began drinking wine and Butzow attempted to kiss the woman several times. She repeatedly told him to stop and pushed him away. She tried to leave, but Butzow told her she was in no condition to drive. That was the last thing she remembered before losing consciousness.
She woke up in Butzow’s bed and “felt fuzzy and disoriented.” She told investigators Butzow had his hand down her pants and was assaulting her. She tried to leave but Butzow blocked the door and led her back to the bed. She was eventually able to grab her purse, run out of the house and call her boyfriend for help.
The situation escalated, the letter read, when Tran allegedly asked the police chief about obtaining a gun for protection from council members. The letter alleges she took initial steps toward acquiring a firearm.
In another example, Tran sent a Sept. 18 email to City Manager Jay Stroebel and wrote there “was a conspiracy to shut me up” and that drug use led to a death in City Hall. The subject line read, “Mafia in City Chamber.”
The letter, which Winston read aloud at an October meeting, said officials were increasingly concerned about safety risks and Tran’s wellbeing. It stated Tran had filed several police reports, which were determined to be unfounded, including the death at City Hall.
Tran’s lawsuit argues the mayor and council members made several false and defamatory statements about her, saying that she does not have a mental illness and does not pose a danger to herself or others. The suit claims Winston, for example, falsely stated Tran wanted to bring a gun to council meetings.
The lawsuit says Tran has endured “widespread bullying and harassing behavior, including the use of the Police Chief to falsely imply that the Plaintiff presented a danger to members of the public.”
Months earlier, in January, a staff member filed a complaint against Tran accusing her of creating a hostile work environment and violating city policies by disparaging the employee’s performance. The council later held a closed-door meeting to discuss the allegations, where members agreed to issue Tran a letter of reprimand.
