(KNSI) – The Sauk Rapids City Council is holding a truth-in-taxation hearing at Monday’s meeting for the 2026 budget, which calls for levies to rise nearly 9% for the second straight year.
Staff say the 7.7% General Fund increase is being driven by the hiring of two new employees, a huge surge in health insurance costs, the new paid family and medical leave law, and an allowance for election costs. The General Fund will soar by nearly $700,000 to $9,681,100.
To pay for the change, the total levy will rise by 8.92%. Property valuation changes are absorbing some of that, but not all of it. For a $200,000 home, taxes would still bump up by $34 per year even if the assessed value stayed the same.
The Enterprise Funds budget will also be tackled. KNSI reported in November that residents can expect a roughly 5% spike in city service costs, primarily due to PFAS abatement measures taken by the city in recent years.
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