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COOK, Minn. — St. Louis County commissioners on Tuesday set the county’s maximum 2027 property tax levy increase at 6.25%, a $12.67 million increase that comes as county officials confront rising operating costs, state and federal mandates and growing pressure on local government services.
The vote establishes the most the county can collect through its 2027 property tax levy. Commissioners can reduce the amount before adopting the final budget in December, but they cannot increase it beyond the level approved Tuesday.
County officials said the impact on individual taxpayers could be softened by an estimated 7% increase in the county’s property tax base during the past year, fueled in part by a record $337 million in new construction.
The levy decision followed months of budget work in which county officials identified approximately $12.1 million in additional operational expenses that must be absorbed through staff reductions, restructuring, consolidation or reductions in services and targeted use of fund balance.
County officials have also pointed to growing costs associated with administering federal and state programs, including expenses shifted to counties without enough accompanying funding to cover implementation.
Minnesota counties are required to establish their maximum property tax levies by the end of September. The County Board and staff will continue refining the 2027 budget through the fall, with final votes on the budget and levy scheduled for Dec. 15.
Tuesday’s meeting at the Cook Community Center also included a contentious township issue and recognition of nearly three dozen emergency responders and 911 employees whose work helped save three lives during a span of less than a week around Memorial Day weekend.
Commissioners delayed a decision on a petition from some Greenwood Township property owners seeking to separate from the township and become part of Goodwill Township.
The board held a public hearing on the request but heard enough questions involving potential property tax consequences and communication with affected property owners to continue the hearing rather than take immediate action.
The hearing is scheduled to resume Nov. 10, when the County Board meets at Gilbert City Hall, 16 S. Broadway St.
Commissioners also joined Sheriff Gordon Ramsay and Arrowhead EMS in recognizing emergency responders involved in three separate life-threatening incidents between May 27 and June 1.
The first occurred May 27 in Morse Township, where responders provided immediate life-saving treatment, restored a patient’s vital signs at the scene and maintained the patient’s condition during transport to a hospital.
Ely Area Ambulance, Morse Township First Responders, the Ely Police Department, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office and St. Louis County 911 were among the agencies recognized.
Three days later, on May 30, county 911 personnel guided a man through CPR on his father while emergency crews were responding.
Responders later used a St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office LUCAS device, which provides automated chest compressions during CPR.
St. Louis County 911, sheriff’s deputies, Ely Area Ambulance Service, Morse Township First Responders and the Babbitt fire and police departments were recognized for their roles in that response.
A third incident occurred June 1 in Lake County, where Ely Area Ambulance and Morse Township First Responders provided life-support measures that stabilized and revived a patient before transport to a hospital.
The three incidents underscored the dependence of northeastern Minnesota communities on coordinated emergency response systems that frequently combine county personnel, municipal departments, ambulance services and volunteers.
Dewey Johnson, St. Louis County sheriff’s Emergency Support Services administrator, told commissioners that the county’s 911 communications team assisted with approximately 42,000 incidents during June, July and August alone.
Johnson also noted that many emergency response agencies serving St. Louis County rely heavily on volunteers, placing added importance on coordination between dispatchers, law enforcement, ambulance crews, firefighters and first responders across the county.
For county taxpayers, however, the most consequential action Tuesday was the levy vote.
The 6.25% increase now becomes the ceiling as commissioners begin the final stage of building a 2027 spending plan — with the central question over the next three months being whether additional savings can be found before the Dec. 15 final vote.
