Olmsted County looks at $7 million levy increase for 2025

ROCHESTER – Olmsted County officials plan to raise property taxes by about $7 million in 2025, close to a 6% increase compared with this year.

The Olmsted County Board on Tuesday approved a preliminary tax levy of almost $133 million for next year, though the board could cut that down by the time it finalizes the 2025 budget in December.

The county has yet to calculate specific impacts to homeowners, according to Wilfredo Roman-Catala, the county’s chief financial officer. Some of the increase will be offset by new commercial property; property value increases will likely make up part of the increase as well.

Olmsted County will use part of the levy increase toward more public works projects, including work on the county’s government center, Hwy. 14 improvements and expansion efforts at Graham Park among other issues.

“It’s a balancing act for us as a board to respond to community expectation ... and also to protect our taxpayers,” Board Chair Sheila Kiscaden said.

The board’s levy decision comes a week after the Rochester City Council set the city’s 2025 levy at just under 10%, with a little under $10 million added to Rochester’s property tax levy. City officials initially budgeted the Rochester levy at a 10.4% increase but council members trimmed a planned auditor position as well as snowmaking equipment purchases to bring the preliminary levy down.