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Koochiching County adopts 2025 budget, approves 17.58% net tax levy increase
Summary
After line‑by‑line review and cuts totaling roughly $500,000, the Koochiching County Board adopted a 2025 net tax levy of $7,659,008 — a 17.58% increase over the 2024 levy — and approved a 2025 budget with revenues of $39,610,471 and expenditures of $54,007,688, funded in part by $14,397,217 in reserve use.
Koochiching County commissioners voted to adopt the county’s 2025 budget and a net tax levy of $7,659,008, a 17.58% increase compared with the county’s 2024 levy.
Administration Director Adam Cole told the board the budget process began in May and that department directors submitted preliminary budgets in September. Subsequent line‑item review meetings in September through November reduced the preliminary requests by roughly $500,000, lowering the levy increase from the preliminary 25.18% to the adopted 17.58%.
Cole presented the final figures: proposed 2025 revenues of $39,610,471, expenditures of $54,007,688 and the planned use of $14,397,217 in reserves. He told the board roughly $13.6 million of those reserves relates to jail bond funds committed to cover jail construction and bond payments; other fund balances would be assigned in accordance with state auditor guidance and county policy.
Board members noted that a significant share of the levy increase is tied to jail bond debt service and to inflationary pressures such as insurance and wage negotiations. Several commissioners said they are pursuing state and federal support during the upcoming legislative session to help relieve local tax pressure.
The board approved a motion to adopt the 2025 budget and levy; the motion carried.
