Becker County expected to pass 5.96% tax levy increase for 2024 during their meeting on Dec. 19; will raise about $1.5 million more than 2023

Detroit Lakes, Minn. (KDLM) – The Becker County Board is expected to approve a 5.96% property tax levy increase for 2024 during their regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

The Board held their Truth In Taxation presentation of the county budget and proposed levy for residents last Thursday.

During the presentation, Becker County Administrator Pat Oman showed commissioners the county tax rate has come down more than 12% since 2009, due mainly to consistent property value increases over the last 14 years.

“The tax rate for 2024 is 28.8446%,” said Oman. “A steady decrease in that tax rate and that has a lot to do with market values and also the levy that we determine. When market values are high, and values continue to increase, even though we are levying dollars and in many cases increasing the levy, that tax rate continues to go down.”

Barry Nelson, chair of the Becker County Board, also pointed out during the discussion that about 3% of this year’s tax levy increase is a carryover from last year’s budget negotiations with county employees, which wasn’t allocated in the budget at that time.

“Last year’s negotiations with employees gave an increase to this year’s budget that wasn’t budgeted last year,” said Nelson. “We are paying last year’s raise that wasn’t in last year’s budget. And really, that’s one of the reasons that this year’s is up where it is … about 3% of this year’s rate is for last year’s payments.”

The 2024 Becker County portion of resident’s property taxes will raise more than $26 million in revenue for the county, about $1.5 million more than last year.

The biggest recipients of that revenue will the county’s revenue fund, which will see a $918,000 increase, and the public safety department, which will see a $680,000 increase.

Becker County’s operating budget is expected to top $68 million in 2024.

Former county commissioner Larry Knutson was the only resident who spoke during the public forum, which he used to criticize increased spending by the board.

“The total picture is that if your assessed values go up, and if the government doesn’t spend any more money, the tax would go down,” said Knutson. “But it gives the government the opportunity to raise more money because the capacity is so much higher by percentage. The values have increased so tremendously that I’m curious to why we even need a tax increase. Except for that, I’d say you guys are spending money like drunken sailors, but I wouldn’t insult the sailors because they spend their own money. You guys are spending our money.”

He also had a response to the increased county employee wage carryover from last year.

“In my mind, you were too excessive in your negotiation,” he said.

Becker County is also slated to receive $1.7 million in state program aid in 2024, which was allocated by the Minnesota Legislature. The amount represents a $400,000 increase in state aid over the previous year.