HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 12-21 Maplewood passes 2017 levy with 5 percent increase MAPLEWOOD REVIEW
Maplewood passes 2017 levy with 5
percent increase
Submitted by admin on Wed, 12/21/2016 - 12:00am
Maplewood held a public truth-in-taxation hearing during its regular Dec. 12 city council meeting.
After the hearing, council members cast unanimous votes for a 5 percent increase in the city’s property-
tax levy for next year.
The total 2016 levy was $19,751,270, and the total 2017 levy is $20,738,833. The 2017 levy jumped
$987,563 over last year, which represents the same 5 percent increase that was sent to Ramsey County
for the preliminary levy in September.
At the meeting, city finance director Ellen Paulseth explained, “We had originally brought the city
council a budget that was a 3.4 percent increase, and we subsequently got some good information from
the county. We had an increased tax capacity. We had increased fiscal disparities \[funding from the
state\] that broadened our tax base, so we asked to raise it to 5 percent so that the money could be used
to buy down some of the deficits and deficit funds that we have.”
According to Paulseth, city staff went through the budget and made over $600,000 in budget cuts in
order to keep the property-tax levy as low as possible.
In 2017, the assessed value of a median home is expected to increase by 5.29 percent, from $190,800 to
$200,900. Between the rising real estate values and the levy increase, a median-valued home is
expected to see an annual property-tax increase of about $28 or 3.3 percent.
Paulseth explained that 47 percent of Maplewood homeowners will not see an increase in their overall
property taxes when the city taxes are factored in with county taxes, school board taxes and all other
components of property taxes.
“We’re not lightly passing a levy tonight,” said mayor Nora Slawik. She added, “Ms. Paulseth, and the
staff and the city manager have been working on this for months, and we’ll continue to be happy to hear
anything you want to talk about.”