Thanks to Minnesota Locks, Lehner Law Office, and Blue Sky Bookkeeping for their support.
In the face of a potential 18.5% property tax increase in 2027, Dakota County is making budget cuts that will impact parks and libraries, among the county’s most popular services. Dakota County is also expanding passport access to the Northern Service Center in West St. Paul.
Park Cuts
- Lebanon Hills Visitor Center: Will now be closed on Mondays and county holidays, and closing half an hour earlier. New hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, starting November 1.
- Rental equipment: Rental hours at Lebanon Hills Visitor Center are also reduced, now limited to weekends from noon to 4:30 p.m. and closed on county holidays.
- Events: The New Year’s Eve event at Lebanon Hills, Take a Kid Fishing at Thompson Park, and Summer Solstice at Thompson Park are all canceled. The Music in the Parks series at Whitetail Woods Regional Park is reduced to one event annually.
- Programming: Outdoor education for school field trips, summer camps, and public programs will be reduced.
Library Cuts
Seven of the 10 library locations will have fewer staffed hours and the library will reduce some services. These cuts were made to minimize the impact on library users.
- Burnhaven, Galaxie, Wentworth, and Wescott libraries will close at 5 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. on Thursdays. (Burnhaven’s temporary location currently has shorter hours, but those won’t change with the cuts.)
- Heritage, Pleasant Hill, and Robert Trail libraries will shift to the limited hour schedule, not opening until noon (instead of 9 a.m.) on Monday-Wednesday, closing at 5 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. on Thursdays, and being closed completely on Sundays (previously open 1-5 p.m.)
- Farmington, Inver Glen, and Kaposia libraries won’t see any changes since they’re already on the limited hour schedule.
The changes to location hours start Jan. 2, 2027. Libraries will be available for self-service hours from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
More reductions: The library will also reduce library events and participation in partner events in 2027. They will also stop purchasing CDs, reduce DVD purchases, and reduce the number of items customers can check out through Interlibrary Loan.
Improved Passport Access
Not all services are being cut—passport services are expanding. Starting November 9, passport and passport photo services will come to the Northern Service Center in West St. Paul. These services were previously only available at the Administration Center in Hastings and Western Service Center in Apple Valley.
- Passport access is paid for by fees from the services.
- It’s available at the Northern Service Center at the first-floor service desk by appointment and walk-in.
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One Response
I give full support to Dakota County for managing their budget. Yes, some services will be cut back, most without being eliminated. But these cutbacks are primarily because of Federal cutbacks to the County, as well as other governmental agencies. Our Federal Taxes are not likely to decrease due to other items in the Federal budget that do not benefit over 90% of Americans. Dakota County has their priorities in the right place – serving the residents of Dakota County and the greater metropolitan area. Thank you Dakota County!