Proposed county levy stays at 5.7%
Thu, 12/04/2025 - 4:48am
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By:
KAREN M. JORGENSEN EDITOR
Dodge County’s proposed tax levy for 2026 remains at 5.7%, commissioners were told at last week’s meeting, the final look at it before the Truth in Taxation session on Dec. 11.
The latest draft, County Administrator Jim Elmquist told the board, had updates in the budget primarily in Human Services, Building Operations, and General Government.
At an earlier meeting, commissioners had asked the administration to take another look at the proposed budget and try to get the levy increase as close to 5% as possible. There were adjustments that increased revenues or decreased expenses in the General Government and Building Operations area, Elmquist said, but those savings were offset by the Human Services final budget being set at a greater level than anticipated and was included in the adopted preliminary levy. There was an increase of $150,000 for MNPrairie, he said.
Commissioner David Kenworthy said he would rather have the levy closer to the 5% figure. “I can live with it, but I’m not happy with it.”
Elmquist added nobody knows at this time what to expect for human services in the coming years as MNPrairie, which now involves Dodge, Steele and Waseca counties, will be transitioning to just Dodge and Steele Counties.
The county’s total budget as presented is $39,264,617. The total net levy is $18,967,236.
In other actions, the board approved labor agreements with two groups of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local Union No. 49: 49ers Highway and 49ers Transfer Station.
For the 49ers Highway, changes included adding working dues in the amount of.25% per base hourly pay for 40 hours per week; adding Juneteenth as a holiday, adding language for Paid Family Medical Leave for employee/employer 50/50 premium split; and adjusting wage scale to a 2.5% spread between all steps and a 3% pay increase a year for 2026, 3.25% for 2027 and 3.25% for 2028.
For the 49ers Transfer station, the changes were adding working dues in the amount of.25% per base hourly pay for 40 hours per week; adding Juneteenth as a holiday; adding Paid Family Medical Leave language for a 50/50 employee/employer split of the premium and a wage scale adjustment to 3% spread between all steps and a pay increase of 3% a year in 2026, 3.25% in 2027 and 3.25% in 2028.
Union members have voted to approve terms of the contract.
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