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MARSHALL -- Lyon County could be on track to have a smaller property tax levy increase in 2024. A budget proposal brought to county commissioners this week showed a net levy increase of less than 1%.
Lyon County Administrator Loren Stomberg said there were some factors helping to drive the "good numbers" in the budget proposal, including an increase in state aid, and better interest rates.
Commissioners discussed a 2024 budget proposal that Stomberg presented on Tuesday. The proposed budget included a net levy of about $16.19 million. That would be an increase of $148,555, or 0.9%, from 2023.
Commissioners didn't take action on the budget proposal Tuesday.The county board typically acts to approve a preliminary levy and budget in September, before setting a final levy by the end of the year. The final levy amount can be lower, but not higher, than the preliminary levy.
Stomberg said there were some factors that could allow for a lower levy in 2024. One big factor was that Lyon County would receive an increase of more than $300,000 in County Program Aid from the state. According to data from the Minnesota Department of Revenue, Lyon County was certified for about $1.5 million in County Program Aid in 2024, compared to about $1.17 million in 2023.
Stomberg said changing interest rates would also be helpful for Lyon County, with the county receiving an increased amount of interest in 2024.
The budget proposal Stomberg brought forward included some increases for individual county departments. Some of the increases had to do with staffing changes - for example, an increase in the Veterans Service Office budget came from moving one position from the county administrative office over to help in the VSO, Stomberg said. An almost 30% increase in the proposed budget for the County Attorney's Office would help cover the cost of a crime victim services position, if the county moves forward on hiring one, he said.
Commissioners had positive feedback for the budget proposal. Commissioner Paul Graupmann said the proposed 0.9% levy increase was looking "very good."