Media Release from Cook County MN - July 30, 2019

July 29, 2019 – The county budget and property tax levy will be discussed at a majority of the upcoming county board meetings. The County board meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 8:30 in the Cook county Courthouse. Meetings are open to the public and agendas are published the Thursday before the scheduled date for the meeting. If you can’t attend the scheduled meetings feel free to contact your commissioner or the appropriate county staff. A few dates of interest are:

Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting

• Sheriff’s Office/Jail budget discussion. 14% of 2019 expenditures

Cook County Public Health and Human Services (PHHS) Board Meeting

• PHHS budget discussion. 20% of 2019 expenditures

Cook County Board of Commissioners Meeting

• Highway Department budget discussion. 39% of 2019 expenditures

• Period for Town Hall Meetings, schedule to be announced in August

• Deadline to certify proposed levies and set date for Truth-In-Taxation (TNT) Public Hearing

• Deadline to certify final property tax levy

• Proposed annual federal payment reduction of $751,000 due to the Thye/Blatnik ten-year appraisal which is a payment for federal BWCA lands.

• The county has capital needs, highway, bridge and building projects that exceed the current budget capacity. The county’s financial management plan identifies anticipated growth in the operational budget and shows capacity for future projects, however the need for future projects significantly exceeds expected capacity.

Contact: Jeff Cadwell, County Administrator, 387-3687 or [email protected]