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Albert Lea council adopts amended 2026 levy after residents raise assessment and affordability concerns
Summary
After a packed Truth-in-Taxation hearing where landlords and residents described sharp assessment increases, the Albert Lea City Council amended its levy to remove a $53,000 soil-district debt and approved the 2026 levy with a 5.3% city increase. Council also reduced the HRA levy and directed staff to identify contingency funding if needed.
Albert Lea City Council approved its amended 2026 tax levy on Dec. 8 after a lengthy Truth-in-Taxation public hearing in which multiple residents and property owners urged the council to limit pain from recent, large increases in assessed values.
Finance Director Christy Berlaug told the council the city’s proposed levy package would total $9,286,000 and reflected a 5.9% increase before the amendment. “If your valuation had stayed the same, you would actually see a decrease in your taxes,” Berlaug said, but she acknowledged that some property owners have seen valuation jumps far above the city average and that the city cannot control county assessment methodology.
At the podium, local landlords and residents described how higher assessments could…
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