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Blackduck council hears proposed $443,157 levy and budget shortfall at truth-and-taxation hearing
Summary
City staff presented the proposed 2026 property tax levy of $443,157 (described as a 2.8% figure) and said the general fund does not balance without this levy; the council adopted a final levy resolution later in the meeting.
City staff presented the City of Blackduck’s proposed 2026 general fund budget and recommended property tax levy at a truth-and-taxation public hearing, saying the general fund would require the proposed levy for balance.
The presenter told the council the recommended levy — presented in September and reiterated at the hearing — is $443,157 and characterized the change as a 2.8% figure across the tax base. The staff noted that an average home with an estimated market value of about $100,000 and full homestead exclusion would see roughly $678 in property tax for the year under the proposed levy, while individual bills will vary with market value and specific exemptions.
The staff walked the council through the components that drive the city’s revenue forecast, including local government aid (LGA) from the state, estimated market values, net tax capacity and personnel costs. The presenter said Blackduck expects a modest increase in LGA tied in part to a revaluation of a class D rental property that will change calculations in future years and that, overall, the city’s taxable market value rose about 3% compared with 2025.
Council members asked for clarification on the state’s age-index calculation used in LGA formulas. The presenter explained the Department of Revenue supplies that age-index figure (derived from census or population data) and offered to request more detailed state data if council wanted a deeper analysis.
Later in the meeting the council voted to approve a formal resolution confirming the final tax levy collectible in 2026 (resolution referenced in the transcript as '2521'); the vote was recorded as passing with no opposition.
The city must certify its final payable 2026 property tax levy to the county auditor by Dec. 28, 2025. No public speakers appeared for the hearing and no amendments to the levy were proposed during the meeting.
What’s next: The council approved the levy resolution at the same meeting; staff will certify the levy to the county auditor by the statutory deadline.
