Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Property Tax Levy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
East Grand Forks hears public pushback on proposed 12% preliminary tax levy
Summary
At a Dec. 2 Truth in Taxation hearing, city staff presented a proposed 12% preliminary levy that would raise about $856,557; multiple residents said recent reassessments and steep tax increases (one cited 27.1%) are unaffordable and asked the council to consider lower levies or different funding approaches.
Carla Anderson, the city’s budget presenter, told the East Grand Forks City Council on Dec. 2 that the proposed preliminary property tax levy for 2026 is 12 percent and would raise approximately $856,557 over last year. Anderson said property taxes make up roughly 54.8 percent of city revenue and pointed to personnel costs and benefit increases as the main drivers of the budget change; she noted personnel is about 64 percent of expenditures and that the general fund used $478,318 of fund balance in 2025 to avoid a larger levy last year.
The presentation included sample homeowner scenarios showing that assessment changes and homestead exclusions can offset or amplify city-side increases for individual taxpayers. Anderson said the city expects a 2025 year-end general-fund balance of about $6.15 million (roughly 42–43 percent of revenue) and told the council the city negotiated to purchase a former Simplot parcel as an intermediary to enable a planned property swap intended to spur private development without intending to profit from the transaction.
During public comment, several residents urged the council to reconsider the proposed increase. Seth Carr of Southeast East Grand Forks said, “My taxes went up 27.1% this year,” and said an independent appraisal he provided was ignored in favor of what he described as an online estimate; he asked, “Where are the checks and balances?” Jacob Torgerson, another resident, said the city should reexamine nonessential spending, noting recreation and culture was shown as roughly 14 percent of the budget, and urged the council to consider reducing that line or finding voluntary funding options. Troy Cermak and Jack Gregoire raised similar concerns about assessment methodology and sharp increases for fixed-income homeowners.
Mayor Mark Holstead and staff offered to meet with residents after the hearing; Anderson suggested residents also contact Polk County officials about assessments and offered the name of County Commissioner Warren Strandell for follow-up. The council closed the Truth in Taxation hearing; Anderson noted state law requires the final levy be set by Dec. 29 and that the council expects to set the final levy at its Dec. 16 or Dec. 23 meeting.
The hearing provided the council with public feedback on both the scale of the proposed levy and the assessment process; council members and staff said they will continue budget deliberations in coming weeks before formally adopting a final levy.
