By Dana Kazel
The St. Louis County Board will hold an evening public meeting to receive comments on its proposed operating budget and property tax levy for 2026.
The meeting is Tuesday, December 2, at 7 p.m. at the St. Louis County Courthouse in Duluth. It will include a presentation about the budget and levy, and an opportunity for citizens to address the Board with questions or comments. It will also be live streamed on the County's Facebook page for people to watch virtually.
Staff from the Assessor’s Department and Auditor's Office will be available to meet one-on-one with anyone who has questions or concerns specific to their proposed property tax statement. While this meeting does not provide opportunity to appeal a valuation or classification, since the appeals process already took place last summer; it does give people a chance to get questions answered and better chance to understand how property taxes are determined.
People are reminded they can contact the Assessor’s Department at any time with questions about their property’s classification and valuation by calling 1 (800) 450-9777, or email assrdept@stlouiscountymn.gov.
Meanwhile, questions about property tax statements can be directed to the Auditor's Office by calling (218) 726-2383, or email PropertyTax@stlouiscountymn.gov.
The proposed property tax statements are being mailed out over a several week period that commenced November 8. All statements will have been mailed by November 24.
The 2026 budget is expected to total more than $560 million to deliver services supporting public safety, health and human services, infrastructure and general government, many of which are mandated by the state and federal government.
The budget would include $202.7 million collected through the levy to support these critical services. The proposed levy amount is a 12.4% increase compared to this year's levy. Partially offsetting the levy increase impact is the 7% growth in the county's net tax capacity.
The County saw $300 million in new construction in the last year - the largest single year increase ever in St. Louis County.
Citizens are also welcome to provide input at any County Board meeting, or by contacting commissioners directly. Contact information can be found at stlouiscountymn.gov/countyboard.
The Board is scheduled to vote on the final levy and budget at its December 16 meeting.
