The Pequot Lakes City Council on Tuesday, Sept. 1, approved the most recent 2021 preliminary budgets and levies as follows:
General revenue tax levy: $1,828,455 ($38,595 increase from this year, or 2.16% higher).
Tax abatement levy for Pequot Lakes Supervalu: $18,080 ($613 decrease from this year, or 3.28% lower). This will be the 10th of 13 years for the tax abatement levy. Before the grocery store was built, the city agreed to abate the city’s portion of taxes on the increased value of the development back to the developer from 2012-24.
HRA special levy: $46,247 ($7,997 increase from years past, or 20.91% higher).
The city won’t receive tax rate information from Crow Wing County until October or November. The city must set a preliminary general revenue tax levy by Sept. 30. The levy can be decreased, but not increased, before final adoption in December.
Council member Scott Pederson said he remains firm for a 0% levy increase, saying the city can reduce expenditures. He will not cast a final vote for any increase and said he questions some items in the budget that he’d like to look at further.
Council member Cheri Seils said the council could adopt the preliminary numbers now, and work to continue reducing them before December, which is what the council voted unanimously to do.
The council agreed to discuss and potentially adopt the final budget and levy for 2021 at the 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1, city council meeting.
Nancy Vogt may be reached at 218-855-5877 or nancy.vogt@pineandlakes.com. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@PEJ_Nancy.
