Star Tribune
St. Louis County OKs 7.23% max tax levy increase; new development will blunt that
DULUTH – St. Louis County board members were unanimous in their support for a maximum 7.23% property tax levy increase in 2025 — a jump from last year, but still a bit less than the increase in the property tax base.
The levy increase is more than $180 million, and more than half of the money is slotted into two categories: public health and human services and public safety. The county’s tax base grew with about $265 million in new construction last year, mostly residential. The levy is divided among property owners based on the property’s value and classification — including commercial, homestead and seasonal recreation.
“When I look at an increase like this, it is a daunting task to go in public and ask that,” board chair Keith Nelson said during Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting at the St. Louis County Courthouse, adding that he fully supported it. He credited finance and budget chair Annie Harala, of Duluth, for her leadership on the project.
According to the county, a home valued at $400,000 will see a $10 decrease in the county portion of its property taxes compared to last year. Commercial properties are expected to see minimal impact. In Duluth, the county’s portion of the property tax bill is the highest. Forty-one percent of what residents pay goes to the county, while 27% goes to the city and a similar amount to the school district.
By law, counties in Minnesota must set a maximum property tax levy by the end of September. The amount can lower but it cannot increase as commissioners hone next year’s budget — which commissioners are expected to vote on Dec. 17. Meetings for public input on the levy and budget are at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at the St. Louis County Courthouse in Virginia and Nov. 25 at the courthouse in Duluth. The latter meeting will stream live on Facebook.
Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Trump’s new demands for a debt limit increase are ”premature.”
”This reckless Republican driven shutdown can be avoided,” Jeffries said. Republicans should ”simply do what is right for the American people and stick with the bipartisan agreement that they themselves negotiated.”
While Democrats have floated their own ideas in the past for lifting, or even doing away with the debt limit caps that have created some of the toughest debates in Congress, they appear to be in no bargaining mood to save Johnson from Trump — even before the president-elect is sworn into office.
”Here we are once again in chaos,” said House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, who detailed the harm a government shutdown would cause Americans. ”And what for? Because Elon Musk, an unelected man, said, ‘We’re not doing this deal, and Donald Trump followed along.”’
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget had provided initial communication to agencies about lapse planning last week, according to an official at the agency.
Late Wednesday, the Republicans floated a new idea for a scaled-back bill that would simply keep the government running and provide the disaster assistance to hurricane ravaged regions.
“MCPA had two totally contrary orders, one to follow federal law, and one from the Legislature to not follow federal law, and they got caught in that trap,” said Hudston Kingston, the legal director of CURE. “Luckily, the EPA is not bound by state law.”
The documents Kingston received from the case end in August. It’s unclear what has happened in EPA’s enforcement case since then.
EPA Region 5 spokeswoman Macy Pressley said the case was still active, but did not answer a list of detailed questions.
Separately, U.S. Steel is arguing in court that it should receive a legal exception to the rule it’s accused of violating.
The standard is allowed in law, but the company has to prove the change won’t harm the rice. In April, MPCA said U.S. Steel had not met that bar and denied the request. The company appealed the decision.
Sen. Kari Dziedzic, DFL-Minneapolis, sponsored this bill after she had to pay $500 for a wig because insurance didn’t cover it after she was diagnosed with cancer and began chemotherapy.
“I want to make sure that others who don’t have the resources can get a wig,” Dziedzich said in May. “Research shows that losing hair related to cancer has a negative impact on quality of life. Loss of self-esteem. Do you wear a cap, do you wear a scarf, what do you do?”
Landlords are now prohibited from retaliating against residents who want to establish a tenants’ rights association. Property owners must also keep common areas “reasonably maintained” and the law requires landlords to notify tenants about energy assistance programs for low-income families and individuals by Sept. 30 of each year.
Landlords must now offer alternative housing, or the right to end a lease, if construction delays on new buildings prevent tenants from moving into their units.
