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In the face of a significant property tax increase for 2027 and major service cuts, Dakota County is hosting a second open house to answer resident questions.
- When: The Budget and Property Tax Open House is Thursday, September 10 from 5-6:30 p.m.
- Where: The Dakota County Western Service Center in Apple Valley (14955 Galaxie Avenue).
- What: Learn how rising costs, new state and federal cost shifts, and other factors are creating new challenges for 2027 budget planning. Residents will be able to ask questions about their property taxes.
- More: The county has one more open houses planned on Tuesday, December 1 in Hastings.
The last property tax open house in August drew hundreds of residents and a large group of AFSCME workers protesting potential layoffs.
What’s the Issue?
We detailed the property tax issues last month, and since then the Dakota County Board of Commissioners has worked to refine their numbers.
Numbers: The county is looking at a range of potential increases, from 16.3% to 21.2%. For comparison’s sake, last year there was a 9.9% increase. (It’s worth noting that those numbers are not how much your total property taxes will go up, but just the county portion).
Cuts: Each range of increase has corresponding cuts, with the lowest increase still cutting approximately 56 full-time positions and making steep cuts to parks, libraries, and social services.
Why: Higher operating costs due to inflation, state and federal mandates, and growing demand for county services. Dakota County Commissioner Joe Atkins framed it as the federal government giving an average tax cut of $2,272, but paying for it by passing those costs on to counties, where residents might see an average increase of $167.
Timeline: The county commissioners have to approve a maximum levy by September 22. That number will be mailed to residents in November. That number can be lowered but not increased, and the commissioners will have to approve a final number on December 15.
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