Stearns County Approves $190 Million Budget for 2024

(KNSI) – Stearns County approved a $190 million budget on Tuesday.

It’s a $3.6 million increase compared to 2023, a 1.9% jump. Stearns County Administrator Mike Williams explained what the new money will pay for. “It’s a combination of things. It’s inflation in a number of areas. Particularly in road construction, and in what we do in the sheriff’s office, [and] personnel. That’s a large part of it as well. And then we have some fairly significant technology improvements that we’re doing.”

Property taxpayers will cover about $93.1 million, a 2.7% increase, or $2.5 million more than last year. Stearns County’s tax base will increase by 10.36%, resulting in an average county property tax drop of 6.9%. That means most homeowners should see their county portion of their taxes decrease slightly.

See the approved budget by clicking here.

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