The Crookston City Council met Monday evening and decided to approve the 2025 Preliminary levy at 26% at a special City Council meeting. This DOES not mean your property taxes will go up 26 percent, but your property taxes would go up.
2025 Tax Levy and Preliminary 2025 General Fund Budget
The City Council carried out to adopt the proposed 2025 Tax Levy and Preliminary General Fund Budget. The council approved to set the levy at a 26% increase over this year’s levy.. Mayor Stainbrook says it’s important to remember that this is a preliminary number. “We are going to get into the nuts and bolts of it now and try to get down as low as possible.”
The City of Crookston’s net tax capacity has been reduced, primarily to homestead exemptions that have been filed. The tax capacity has gone from $4.962 million, and the new tax capacity is $4,850 million, so that does reduce it by about $70,000.” said Crookston City Administrator Jeff Shoobridge.
“This is a not to exceed and we can change,” said City Administrator Jeff Shoobridge. “I believe that it would tie our hands unnecessarily in relying on interest income. It is not a good practice to fund operations from reserves. It should be a rare occasion. This $4.45 million is the budget we have been discussing all along, however, it has replaced the reserve interest with levy dollars as a best practice.”
The City had an assumed interest income of $250,000 from investments, which was predicted by Ehlers.
The council unanimously approved the preliminary levy. Last year, the Crookston City Council approved a preliminary levy of 65.09 percent increase and the final levy was 24.09 percent.
Crookston Housing Trust Fund
The City Council of Crookston adopted Ordinance No.95, creating and establishing the Housing Trust Fund for the City of Crookston. The Housing Trust Fund will provide loans and grants to property owners, homeowners, local units of government, for-profit and nonprofit housing developers, and others to create new Affordable and Workforce Housing.
Code Change for Agenda Writing
The City Council of Crookston adopted Ordinance No.96, which amends sections 30.02.B and 30.02C of the Crookston City Code. Mayor Dale Stainbrook explains. “It just makes it easier to put stuff on the agenda by the Administrator or the City Clerk.” Mayor Stainbrook says it makes it easier to write an agenda and fit everything in without needing special meetings.
The City Council Meeting was adjourned, and the Special Ways & Means Committee Meeting opened with just one agenda item. Tonight’s meeting was held to get approval for the Mayor’s Recommendation to appoint Todd Johnston to the Planning Commission to fill the unexpired term of Bryan Schipper. “We appointed Todd Johnston; he is replacing Bryan Schipper, who is a snowbird, and it was just difficult for him to Zoom in when we did have the meetings,” said Mayor Stainbrook. “Todd did serve on the Planning Commission before, and he was excited and willing to come back to serve Bryans Term.”
To watch the full meeting and levy discussion, click on the video below.
