Winsted City Council to recommend 0% levy increase…goal to have no city property tax increase in 2009

In the next couple of days Winsted property owners will receive their truth-in-taxation statement from McLeod County. The statement will list three critical pieces of information, the first being dates and times for property owners to attend meetings of the school district, county and city regarding proposed property taxes for 2009. Secondly, the statement will include individual proposed property taxes for each property owner. Finally, the statement will include the assessed value of your property in 2009, which will on average increase by 3% according to the County Assessor (which on its own may cause an increase to your property taxes).

Each taxing authority (school district, county, and city) sets a proposed tax levy in September, which will be reflected in your truth-in-taxation statement. The Winsted City Council set their preliminary tax levy for a 6.9% increase from 2008. Although your statement includes proposed tax obligations from the school district, county and city each jurisdiction is individually responsible for setting their own tax rate. The truth-in-taxation statement is similar to receiving a collective proposed utility bill for 2009 from your cable, gas and electric companies. Each individual authority sets their own rate; however, in the end the bottom line is what matters to many tax payers.

In light of the state of our current economy and the increased financial stress it has caused on businesses and residents, during the last several months the City Council has met in work sessions to review ways to cut the 2009 budget. The City Council has done this by evaluating ways the city can become more efficient in its operations and discussing purchases that could be delayed in order to cut taxes.

The City Council during their last work session requested that a 2009 budget be presented during the City of Winsted’s truth-in-taxation meeting on December 3rd at 6:00 p.m., which shows a 0% levy increase from 2008. The City Council has requested that a previously approved salary increase for the Mayor and City Council be removed from the 2009 budget. This cut, along with additional cuts and new operational efficiencies will allow property owners to enjoy the lakefront promenade, mosquito control, city park system, street maintenance and emergency services without having their city taxes increased and in many cases having their city taxes reduced.

Please feel free to attend the Winsted City Council meeting on December 3rd at 6:00 p.m., where the 2009 budget and tax levy will be discussed in further detail. If you have additional 2009 budget or tax levy questions, please feel free to call or e-mail me at (320) 485-2366 or administrator@winsted.mn.us.