Crow Wing County board adopts 2026 fees and budget, approves plats and lake district

The Crow Wing County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 16 adopted a set of fee changes for 2026 and approved the county's 2026 budget and levy, along with a series of land use approvals and appointments.

At a public hearing the board adopted an updated county fee schedule that includes a 3.2% service charge for credit- and debit-card payments in the solid waste area and modest solid-waste rate adjustments (examples cited in the staff presentation included raising demolition debris to $9 per cubic yard and increasing bag fees to $5.25). Nancy Maleka, the county's finance director, said the schedule was reviewed at the November budget committee meeting and that only minor changes were made since that review.

The board also approved the county's preliminary 2026 levy of $50,839,879, a 6.49% increase the county attributes mainly to rising personnel costs, including a projected 23% rise in health insurance premiums, pension and payroll costs, and several mandated programs. "Personnel services are the largest driver," Maleka said in the presentation describing budget drivers, revenue sources and a 7-year capital improvement plan. After a public hearing that included a taxpayer appeal about steep valuation changes, the board voted to adopt the final budget and levy by roll call.

Other formal actions taken by the board included:

- Establishing the Mission Lakes Lake Improvement District (LID). Staff said 54% of property owners on Mission Lakes signed letters of support for a $55,000-per-year program (about $250 per eligible property owner). The Department of Natural Resources provided an advisory acknowledging the presence of curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil and approved proposed boundaries. The motion to establish the LID passed with three yes votes, one no and one abstention (the abstention cited a family conflict of interest).

- Approving the preliminary plat for Trailside Preserve, a proposed 21-lot subdivision on about 23 acres, after extended public comment about traffic, emergency access and drainage. The board approved the preliminary plat 4-1.

- Approving final plats for Walkers Highland and Pelican Valley and the final plat process for other listed subdivisions.

- Approving the 2026 Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Plan, which updates staffing and pay for watercraft inspectors and targets state-provided allocations (the county expects approximately $471,391 for AIS work in 2026).

- Approving a contract with attorney Ross Truin to provide court-appointed child-protection representation beginning Jan. 1, 2026, at $75,000 for the year, and reappointing county designees to the Northeast Minnesota Regional Advisory Committee (nominee: Operations Lieutenant Turner; alternates: Emergency Management Director Clayton Bargue and Emergency Management Coordinator Liz Gleeson).

Board members said the fee and levy decisions were guided by long-term capital needs (landfill cell construction and leachate treatment were cited by solid-waste staff) and the county's effort to minimize one-time large increases while maintaining required service levels. The meeting packet and staff presentations showed multi-year fund-balance planning intended to keep a solid-waste cash reserve near $2 million to avoid debt financing for major landfill projects.