Waseca County previews 2026 budget, recommends 3% operational increase as library becomes county responsibility

County administrators on Dec. 2 reviewed an updated budget for 2026 and recommended a 3% operational increase to county departments while holding the overall tax levy effectively flat through the use of reserves.

"I'm recommending a 3% operational increase from this year going into 2026," the county administrator said, describing line-by-line changes between the preliminary September certification and the Dec. 2 update. Staff told commissioners the county would use roughly $2,000,000 in reserve balances to buy down levy impacts, while many department-level cells had only minor changes tied to benefits and insurance selections.

The presentation singled out library services, which the county has begun to incorporate into its budget. Staff said including the library lowered a bottom-line figure but did not change the countyoperation-level spend; the library line showed a reduction of about $29,600 versus the earlier worksheet, moving a library component of the levy from roughly 6.3 to about 6.12 in the presentercalculations.

Commissioners pressed for more operational detail before final certification, especially on staffing, payroll responsibilities and the countyboard's relationship with city partners and the regional library system. One commissioner said the library board and city partners should be invited into focused conversations so the board and staff can better define who pays for what services.

Staff said it will convene targeted follow-up meetings with the countyfinance team, the library administration and individual cities and return numbers and options ahead of the county's Dec. 16 levy certification. The administratornoted the budget models were still in an early, interpretive stage and that some line items (notably payroll and benefits) will finalize only after staff-level selections are confirmed.

The board did not adopt a final levy at the Dec. 2 meeting. Staff will return refined departmental and operational details, including a clearer breakdown of which reserve balances are one-time sources and which are restricted, before the next public action.