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MARSHALL -- After weeks of budget talks, Lyon County commissioners approved a double-digit preliminary levy increase for 2027. A proposal brought before the county board this week included a preliminary levy increase of about $2.2 million from 2026, which would be an increase of 11.9%.
"I hesitate to recommend a double-digit increase because this goes against everything that I've worked for the last 20-some years," said Lyon County Administrator Loren Stomberg. "But I don't see any other avenue out of this, at this point. The numbers - I just can't make them work and still keep the financial health of the county going."
Commissioners said they didn't like the increase either, but still unanimously voted to set the preliminary levy.
"In my 10 years of being a county commissioner, I don't remember ever spending this much time and effort to work on our levy. We looked at every avenue and tried to make cuts," said Commissioner Gary Crowley. "I don't like the double-digit figure, but we did our best."
It's still possible for the county to lower the levy increase, Stomberg said.
"The board can make adjustments between now and our Truth in Taxation meeting on December 1. However, the notices will be based on the number that the board sets today," Stomberg said.
The county has until the end of the year to finalize the 2027 levy amount.
Stomberg said there are a few major challenges that the county is facing in setting a levy and budget for next year.
"We know that Health and Human Services is taking a dramatic increase. We know that our health insurance costs have increased dramatically again this year. Those are two big factors that are pushing the increase in this levy," he said. "Inflation, cuts in county program costs, I think about a 20% increase in our worker's comp cost, those are all factored into this as well."
Stomberg said the proposed 11.9% levy increase would include a $200,000 buffer for unforeseen costs that may come up before a final levy is adopted in December.
"We will be using some of the revenue reserve funds to pay our debt service," for the county's 2016 courthouse building addition, Stomberg said. The county would be levying roughly half of the $1.26 million in debt service it would need for 2027. The other half of the debt service funds would come from county reserves.
"Setting the levy is different from setting the budget," Stomberg said. Line items in the budget that the county have been discussing since this spring are still negotiable, he said. "The board needs to hone those down."
Proposed budget and levy documents brought to county commissioners on Tuesday did include some funding allocation changes from 2026. The proposed 2027 budget included $306,000 for the Marshall-Lyon County Library, compared to an allocation of about $412,000 in 2026. Earlier this month, the Marshall City Council and MLCL leadership discussed the impacts of possible funding cuts for the Marshall, Balaton and Cottonwood libraries.
The proposed 2027 budget figures also included funding cuts for the Minneota and Tracy city libraries. Each of the libraries were proposed to receive $10,000 in county funding, compared to $20,000 in 2026.
Proposed funding allocations for organizations like the Lyon County Historical Society, Marshall Area Fine Arts, and Wheels Across the Prairie were also reduced compared to 2026.