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Resident warns DNR, land-trust purchases are raising Rushford Village property valuations
Summary
At the Truth & Taxation meeting, resident Brian Krambeer said Minnesota DNR and a Land Trust Conservancy purchases of local land reduce tax rolls and push up property valuations; city officials said county reassessments and Commerce Department rules also contributed and legal limits constrain local responses.
A Rushford Village resident told the city’s Dec. 3 Truth & Taxation meeting that recent land purchases by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and a local Land Trust Conservancy have reduced the parcel base subject to property tax and driven up residents’ valuations.
Brian Krambeer said the DNR and the land trust “own approximately 10% of the land in CRV,” and that when those sales are included in recent-sale calculations they can raise assessed values for adjacent private properties, increasing taxes for village homeowners. Krambeer said he plans to contact state legislators to seek changes in how such purchases are treated in local valuations.
City Attorney Joseph O’Koren responded that it would be difficult for Rushford Village to prevent private transactions with the DNR or a land trust, calling the sales private in nature. Mayor Dennis Overland and other councilmembers also said a recent Fillmore County reassessment may have forced values to “catch up,” and that county requirements tied to the Commerce Department’s valuation ranges could have compounded the effect.
Councilmembers raised practical concerns about services: Councilmember Mike Ebner said the DNR does not pay local taxes or fees for fire and ambulance services and has not cooperated on trail development or creek-bank erosion problems. The council did not take formal action at the Dec. 3 meeting to change policy or challenge land sales.
Next steps: Krambeer said he will contact Representative Greg Davids and Senator Jeremy Miller to seek assistance; O’Koren characterized local legal options as limited. The council did not vote on any ordinance or resolution regarding land purchases during the session.
