Mora 2024 tax levy serves city’s long-term goals, needs
On Sept. 19 the Mora City Council approved a preliminary tax levy of $1,836,843. The 2024 levy reflects a $332,744 or 22.12% increase over 2023. This preliminary levy could be further reduced before the council sets its final levy in December; it cannot be increased.
Additionally, the Kanabec County Assessor’s Office estimates an 11.18 % increase in tax capacity values for properties located in the City of Mora. Mora City Administrator said this is good news for taxpayers as this increase in property value will likely reduce the impact of the levy increase to taxpayers, possibly to as little as 9.85%.
This means for a city resident with a home value of $100,000, their city-portion of property taxes would increase approximately $50 in 2024. For a home value of $250,000 they can expect a $124 increase. For a commercial property with a value of $200,000 they can expect a $161 increase.
According to city officials, the majority of the 2024 levy increase is due to rising costs and upcoming projects.
The city’s expenses are typically divided into two basic areas:
- The operating budget: This budget covers the day-to-day expenses of keeping the city running which includes staff pay, fuel for utility vehicles and plows, law-enforcement contracts, office supplies, etc.
- The Capital Improvement Plan: This part of the budget covers large, often one-time purchases to maintain the city’s assets. These expenses include repairs to buildings, or replacing equipment and machinery.
The capital improvement expenses planned for 2024 include maintenance and repair of city-owned buildings like the library, playground improvements, and replacement of city vehicles used to maintain public works.
Anderson said the city has been falling behind when it comes to replacing capital assets and/or equipment necessary to maintain the city’s level of services and complete projects, but he hopes that with careful planning the city can stop “kicking the can down the road.”
“We believe it is the city’s responsibility to stay ahead on maintenance and capital improvement before it becomes a crisis,” said Glenn Anderson, Mora City Administrator.
“We understand rising costs are a burden to our city’s residents. We are feeling those burdens, too, which is why our city staff and council members have worked hard, going line-by-line through the budget to find areas or innovative ways where the city can reduce costs. It’s all about being good stewards of tax dollars while making responsible financial decisions to best serve our city in the long term.”
The city of Mora will host its annual Truth-In-Taxation meeting at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at Mora City Hall. Residents and property owners are invited to ask questions or voice concerns regarding the city’s budget and levy during this time.
For more information about the City of Mora and upcoming council meetings, visit www.ci.mora.mn.us