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LeSueur County assessor presents 2026 valuation data; Waterville council lowers one home’s assessed value
Summary
LeSueur County Assessor Shayne Bender reviewed 2026 assessment data for Waterville, noting modest local increases and $2.3 million in new construction. After a public hearing, the council reduced one parcel’s valuation to $229,500 and declined action on another.
LeSueur County Assessor Shayne Bender presented 2026 valuation data to the Waterville City Council during a special meeting on April 8, 2026, detailing sales and new-construction figures that shaped this year’s assessments. The council held a public hearing, heard a resident’s complaint about a steep jump in his home’s assessed value, and approved a single valuation reduction while declining another request.
Bender, representing the LeSueur County Assessor’s Office with backup assessor Jennifer Flicek, told the council that Waterville’s assessments used 33 qualified sales and showed an average assessed-value increase of about 4.6% from a beginning ratio of 92%. Countywide, new construction totaled roughly $42 million, with Waterville contributing approximately $2.3 million—the city’s highest 10-year new-construction total. County averages rose about 6.3%, and the county’s beginning ratio of about 90.35% was estimated to increase to roughly 94.62% after adjustments; Le Sueur city’s average increase was cited as 15.4% and Cleveland’s as 8.7%. Bender also said the county’s estimated market value for 2026 is just over $6.9 billion, an increase of about 4.2%.
Explaining methodology and timing, Bender said assessors used sales from Oct. 1, 2024–Sept. 30, 2025 for the 2026 assessments and that more recent sales will inform 2027 valuations. He emphasized that assessments are market-based and subject to statutory constraints and that factors such as construction costs influence values. "This cannot be perfect for every parcel," Bender said, noting the limits of applying median and comparable sales across all properties.
During the public hearing, resident Ron Vanhoudt of 116 Buchannon St. S. told the council his property’s assessed value had jumped to $242,000 and that he believed it was overvalued. Assessors offered a free in-person review or a market-analysis option and said one property will be brought forward for a value reduction based on further review. A resident also asked why a county solid waste/recycling fee rose from $18 to $20; assessors directed that question to county Planning & Zoning or county commissioners because the fee is a county decision and not part of the assessor’s valuation authority.
On formal action items, the council unanimously (5-0) voted to: take no action on the request for parcel 24.740.1150 (motion by Councilmember Tim Smith, seconded by Dave Wollin); adjust the valuation for parcel 24.022.0800 from $258,600 to $229,500 (motion by Tim Smith, seconded by Jennifer Grobe); and close the public hearing at 6:28 p.m. (motion by Mayor Bill Conlin, seconded by Scott Potter). The meeting adjourned at 6:29 p.m. after a final unanimous vote to adjourn (motion by Grobe, seconded by Smith).
The assessors encouraged any property owner with questions to review the sales data they supplied and to request an in-person inspection. The council recorded the valuation changes and closed the hearing; further appeals or requests for reductions will follow county procedures for valuation review.
