Letter to the Editor (Sun)
To the Editor:
(Step 2) of the 2022 tax process was sent in the mail a few weeks ago (blue document). It gives you a proposed tax based on 2023 preliminary taxes of all taxing authorities—county, schools, cities or townships, Region 5, etc.
In the case of Wadena County, the final levy will be passed in December. At this point the original 11% increase will be reduced by at least 50%. So amounts shown should be reduced when the final tax statements (Step 3) go out.
With more than 55M of new construction (real tax base), many people may see no increase or even a slight decrease in the county.
However, as I have stated before, I think rural people may see a bigger share of the levy. That is because all types of land had the biggest increases, based on unrealistic prices that were being paid for land. A lot of it is being sold to parties living outside the county.
(Step 1) of the 2024 tax year begins this spring (green document), when new valuations go out.
Get involved. Make sure your classification is correct or if there was a change. This is a huge factor in your tax bill. Also, get a summary data sheet from the assessor’s office to make sure the information is correct—land type and building condition.
By statute, site visits are scheduled on a rotation each year around the county. These folks do not set any tax rates, so check with them to make sure you aren’t getting taxed on inaccurate information. Their goal is to be fair.
The actual dollar levy is set by the county commissioners in December each year. Controlling that number needs to be done in three ways: controlling expenses, increasing the tax base with real growth—not valuation increases, and lobbying the state for adequate funding for all the things that by statute counties are required to do.
Murlyn Kreklau
District 4 Commissioner