Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Mower County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday afternoon, approved advancing during its work session a 2025 tax levy increase of 4.99% and a budget of $26,252,538 to its next meeting.

That increase represents a $1.2 million rise over its 2024 levy.

“My recommendation is to put on the next agenda a set preliminary 4.99% levy increase,” said County Administrator Trish Harren during the Tuesday work session. “I can’t imagine there is any way to possibly get it lower than that. I can’t honestly see where else we can go.”

The levy increase is less than its 5.5% for 2024, but came only after significant reductions in various areas to get to 4.99%. 

When initial work began earlier this year, the levy increase was projected at 30% or $5 million over the 2024 levy of $25 million.

Since then, the board  has worked with department heads to drive that increase lower requiring over 30 hours of meetings, Harren said Tuesday in a letter to the Herald.

Three of the biggest areas that saw reductions in their budget requests were Public Works and Health and Human Services.

Public Works reduced its levy ask from 14.9% to .9% and has a budget of $21.5 million with over $18 million coming from non-levy dollars. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services decreased its ask from 13% to 1.1% and has a budget of $20 million with 12.5 million funded by non-levy dollars.

All of other departments combined were asked to reduce from $19.9 to $18 million and sits at around a $30 million budget. This does not include recycling, which is paid by solid waste fees.

“In the end, the increase of $1.2 million over the 2024 budget is less than the actual increased cost of a negotiated cost of living increase of 2% and an anticipated health insurance increase of 7.75% (combined being $1.5 million), reflecting many tough decisions and work yet to be done,” Harren said in her letter.