Audubon County board holds public hearing on levy rates as residents flag rural tax burden

The Audubon County Board of Supervisors opened a public hearing on March 24 to review proposed levy rates and hear public comment before finalizing budget requests for fiscal year 2027.

Supervisor Heath Hansen said the county has “made big pushes this year to bring the levy rates down and make cuts in every possible area,” and that department heads had worked to trim budgets. Auditor Lisa Frederiksen told attendees the purpose of the hearing was to explain levy rates and give the public a last opportunity to raise concerns before the county may only further reduce — but not increase — the dollar amounts requested.

Several residents and attendees raised concerns about the county’s tax burden and staffing. Jennifer Johnston told the board Audubon County has “one of the highest rural tax burdens in the State.” Troy Wessel and Supervisor Hansen said smaller population and lower property valuations, alongside persistent baseline costs such as law enforcement and road maintenance, make it difficult to match service levels of larger counties.

Carol Hogueison asked how levy rates are determined for individual property owners; Auditor Frederiksen said applicable rates depend on where a person lives and the jurisdictional classification of their property. Hogueison also inquired about differing tax amounts for houses on large acreages and farm parcels versus properties classified strictly as residential; Hansen said those classification and valuation tradeoffs affect tax bills.

Johnston also raised concerns about employee wages and noted the county shares an engineer with another county and questioned the assessor’s starting wage. Frederiksen described the county’s valuation procedures and noted an upcoming reappraisal project that will affect assessments.

Cole Christensen urged the board to preserve funding for essential county services while trimming less essential programs; supervisors noted that the Conservation department has already proposed additional cuts for FY27. Chairman Kent Grabill said cabin revenues are expected to increase this year, though the extent is unknown. Troy Wessel added that Audubon’s limited infrastructure constrains local revenue-generation, and called for balancing growth initiatives against service needs.

Frederiksen explained that the county is using Tax Increment Financing (TIF) related to wind turbines and described bonding processes the county employs as part of its revenue and capital strategy. The hearing record shows no final levy vote or adoption at the meeting.

The board had earlier approved the meeting agenda on a motion by Don Mosinski, seconded by Heath Hansen, with the vote recorded as all in favor. The public hearing was closed and the special meeting adjourned at 2:32 p.m.