Detroit Lakes City Council approves 11.22% tax levy increase for 2024; expected to raise additional $812,000 in revenue
Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – The city of Detroit Lakes finalized their 2024 budget and property tax levy on a 7-2 vote Tuesday night following their Truth In Taxation public hearing.
The city will be implementing an 11.22% tax levy increase for next year that is expected to generate more than $812,000 of additional revenue over last year’s budget.
During the hearing, Detroit Lakes Finance Officer Heidi Tumberg told members of the council and the public what the extra tax revenue was going to be used for.
“About $100,000 of that is going toward the fire department,” said Tumberg. “This budget included the first time of the full-time fire chief, so that impacted this budget quite a bit. Another $110,000 went into the equipment funds for increasing costs of equipment. If you look around, if you’ve seen the cost of vehicles, or any type of equipment, all of that has gone up quite significantly. We had to add in another $100,000 to service our new debt on our new public works facility that is being constructed.”
She also said $200,000 of the new tax revenue will be used to offset larger street rehabilitation projects that are part of the city’s capital improvement plan over the next couple years, since the budget committee thought it wiser to incrementally save for future construction costs instead of needing a larger lump sum in a single year.
Tumberg also highlighted increases needed for the city’s general fund.
“In the general fund, we’ve got about a $300,000 increase,” she said. “Much of that is just normal, kind of everyday, things. Wages, equipment, supplies, things like that. $123,000 increase in the police department. $124,000 in streets. $71,000 in snow removal. $51,000 in parks. And then, it’s an election year next year, so we have $23,000 for elections.”
She also pointed out that the city’s tax rate is actually decreasing next year compared to 2023.
Tumberg explained that since property values in the city, on average, have risen by more than the proposed levy increase over the last year, it creates more tax capacity on those properties, and decreases the overall tax rate.
“Even with an increase in the levy of 11.22%, our tax rate is still going down,” said Tumberg. “Because our property values, overall, are going up more than 14.5%. It’s pretty bonkers, if you look at it that way.””
No members of the public made comments during the hearing and councilmembers approved the 2024 budget and tax levy on a 7-2 vote with councilmembers Aaron Dallmann, alderman at-large, and Jay Deraney, alderman at-large, voting against the resolution.
To check out the Detroit Lakes 2024 budget, or the Truth In Taxation presentation, visit the city’s website and click on the finance tab.
ND federal judge orders subpoena by publication for difficult to locate hate group
A federal judge has granted a motion by Fargo plaintiffs in a human rights violation claim against the white nationalist hate group Patriot Front to serve notice of the case via publication after attorneys for the North Dakota Human Rights Coalition and the Immigrant Development Center say they have been unable to locate any of the named defendants.
Federal law requires personal service of a summons and complaint but allows for service by publication in certain circumstances.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the case say they have been unable to locate any physical addresses associated with Patriot Front or at which to make personal service on individual defendants Thomas Rousseau, Patriot Front’s founder, or Trevor Valescu, the group’s regional director.
According to the suit, under the leadership of Rousseau, Texas-based Patriot Front has targeted events and artwork honoring Black and Jewish people, the LGBTQ+ community, and New Americans across the country.
Also known as “Johnny MN,” Valescu serves as Network Director for Patriot Front’s Network 11, which includes North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.
The case, first filed in early September, claims individuals affiliated with and acting on behalf of Patriot Front trespassed onto the property of Fargo’s International Market Plaza multiple times in 2022 and vandalized the building with stencils advertising Patriot Front’s website which is “littered with racist and xenophobic propaganda.”
The suit also claims the defendants destroyed murals that portrayed people of color, causing shopkeepers and patrons at the plaza to fear for their safety. The complaint says Patriot Front’s actions were intended to cause fear and deprive others – especially immigrants of color – of their rights.
The plaintiffs’ motion said their attorneys have hired a private investigator to assist with locating and serving Rousseau and Valescu and made multiple unsuccessful attempts to serve Valescu at his last known address in Faribault.
Arthur Argo is with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington, D.C. and one of a number of attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the case. He says the legal team was prepared for this possibility as it is common strategy of groups like Patriot Front.
Argo said: “Organizations like Patriot Front ironically like to be seen but they don’t like to be identified. They want to remain anonymous, and therefore avoid responsibility for the harms that they cause. We will continue to use this case in particular to find out the identities of the people who harmed our clients.”
Magistrate Judge Alice Senechal granted the plaintiffs motion on Tuesday. The court order says, in accordance with North Dakota Rule of Civil Procedure, plaintiffs must publish the summons three times, once each week for three consecutive weeks, in a newspaper published in Cass County.
The order also extended the time allowed to serve the named defendants to February 20, 2024.
Detroit Lakes City Council orders designs for West Downtown street and utility reconstruction project
The Detroit Lakes City Council order designs for multi-street road and utility reconstruction project that will affect four major roadways on the west side of downtown.
The project, set to begin in summer 2024 and be completed during the spring of 2025, will cover Frazee, Holmes and Front Streets, as well as, Lake Avenue, west of Washington Avenue.
Jon Pratt, city engineer for Detroit Lakes, said they will be replacing some clay and cast iron water pipes along the project route that are estimated to be more than 70 years old. He added the roads are also in pretty tough shape.
“If you’ve driven the roads, this is pretty obvious, most of them are in very poor condition,” said Pratt. “Most notably, that block of Holmes Street isn’t even going to make through another spring. Front Street is pretty poor as well, but all the streets, to some degree, are in pretty tough shape. Sidewalks, it’s a mixed bag. There has been areas that have had a panel here or there be replaced, but, by and large, the sidewalks are in pretty tough shape. And it doesn’t currently meet ADA standards.”
He also said the city is picking up about 70% of the cost of the project and the remaining 30% will be assessed to the adjacent property owners.
“I think the important thing to take away is that out of a $4.1 million dollar project, about $1.2 million is being assessed, but the city is still picking up just shy of $3 million dollars on the $4.1 million dollar project,” he said. “So, the city is still picking up about 70% of the project, which is commonly a little bit of a misconception that these things are heavily assessed. The assessments are certainly sizable, but the city is still picking up a vast majority of the project cost.”
On average, a residential property owner with 75 feet of project facing front-footage can expect an assessment of nearly $20,000. Commercial property owners with 100 feet of front-footage can expect their assessments, on average, to be up to $30,000.
During the public hearing, Heather Hamlin, real estate development specialist for the Midwest Minnesota Community Development Corperation, said, under the current special assessment formula and with the amount of front footage with the organization’s Greystone property, the assessment was going to be large and asked for some consideration be taken for their property since it also holds 41 units of affordable housing.
“Of course, with MMCDC owning a large portion of that block on Lake and Front Streets, just the special assessments, if that could be clarified on what those special assessments would be for that building that would be helpful” said Hamlin. “We’re looking at about 500 feet and, if that’s $30,000 per hundred feet of commercial lot, I mean, $160,000, it’s kind of a big chunk of change.”
Pratt said, since their property is unique by it spanning an entire block, he thinks some consideration should be given and said the city would begin working with MMCDC to agree on a path forward.
Designs for the project are expected in coming months.
MN DNR receiving comments on proposed 22-mile ATV trail in Douglas County
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants public input on a proposed off-road vehicle trail in Douglas County.
Douglas County is working with a group of off-road ATV riders to obtain funding for a loop trail that would connect Holmes City, Kensington Rune Stone Park and the City of Kensington.
That group is the ROAR Club. The trail would follow about 22 miles of gravel roads in Douglas County and would be open to off-road vehicles like ATVs and motorcycles.
Comments on the proposal will be accepted through January 11th.
Perham man dies by suicide in October while awaiting murder trial for killing wife
A Perham man accused of killing his wife reportedly died by suicide ahead of his trial.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner has announced that Paul Mart’s death was to be classified as death by suicide.
The cause of death is believed to be from toxicity of various prescription drugs that he had reportedly ingested.
Mart made his first court appearance on July 19 and was scheduled to appear in court Nov. 9, when it was announced that all charges were dismissed due to his death on Oct. 19.
According to the report, Mart was arrested following the death of his wife, Jean, at their residence back in July.
In an autopsy performed ruled that the cause of death for her was determined to be a gunshot wound of the head with multiple blunt force injuries to the head.
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