Because of several area rising costs, the Mower County Board voted Tuesday to approve a preliminary 7 percent tax levy increase.

Chairman Tim Gabrielson said the board will keep looking for further cuts to county services before the final increase for 2012, which could be smaller, but not larger, than 7 percent.

Board members made it clear that out-of-home placements such as juvenile delinquents, abused and other troubled adolescents have placed an increasing burden on not only Mower, but many surrounding counties.

“It’s a situation that doesn’t seem to be going away,” said County Coordinator Craig Oscarson. “We’ve seen not only a growth in numbers, but also a growth in severity.”

County Attorney Kristen Nelsen added, “We have juveniles that are committing adult crimes.”

Furthermore, Nelsen and other board members expect the trend to continue.

“I don’t foresee it coming down,” Nelsen said.

Oscarson said next year’s county costs on adolescent criminals could exceed $1.05 million, and reach $1.2 million by 2013. For abused and neglected kids, county costs could reach $700,000.

With out-of-home placements, state shifts in local funding and increasing fuel costs for county vehicles, the board estimates 2012 costs to be nearly $418,000 more than 2011.

“These are the three biggest components of our levy increase,” Oscarson said.

Referring to the county’s entire budget and hopes to keep the county’s reserve funds at $299,550 in 2012, Commissioner Ray Tucker said, “We need roughly $15 million from local taxpayers to make this budget work.”