The Northfield City Council has set the preliminary tax levy for 2023 at 18.5%. While that is the preliminary tax levy,
meaning it cannot increase by more than 18.5%, it is a good bet that the Northfield community will see a double digit increase to property taxes for the third year in a row.
Mayor Rhonda Pownell said that fundamentally, the city government is responding to the needs, the culture and the expectations of the Northfield Community.
“Northfield community members have a higher set of expectations than [other communities] do,” she said. “They want the city to be taken care of.”
Pownell used several examples of how the city is choosing to fund programs in the name of a higher quality of life for Northfielders. The library, for example is funded at a higher rate than other comparable cities. The increases in the public safety budgets, specifically with the fire and police departments are going to help with the leadership of both departments. Northfield streets are being made a higher priority in order to better protect everyone’s vehicles.
The mayor has made the point in the past that some of the budget decisions, increasing the funds for park maintenance, for example, are long overdue, and the community is now paying the price for having to “play catch-up.” She said there has been frustration with the city governance and leadership that policies are in place that are not enforced because they are not adequately funded, and it is time for the city to live up to its own ideals.
“So, you could not fund those things and then you could see that quality of life potentially go down or not be able to have – for example, we just increased some staffing in our Community Development, and without those staffing components, we wouldn’t have been able to engage as much in what is happening in Viking Terrace. Without proper staffing, you have policy that can’t be implemented.”
Pownell said she believes that the city can be doing even more, but there has to be a balance between seeing the results of better funding and not putting an inordinate amount of tax burden on the community.
With the preliminary levy set, the City Council will continue to look at the budget by speaking with the community and devoting another work session to the idea in October. Mayor Pownell and the members of the council are looking for public feedback and are encouraging everyone to contact their councilor or the mayor through the Northfield city website.
County levy could see taxes decrease
Meanwhile, the City of Northfield, of course, is not the only taxing authority that contributes to overall 
property taxes. On Monday the Northfield School Board set its preliminary levy at 5.63%, and on Tuesday morning Rice County’s preliminary levy was set as well.
During their regular meeting, the Rice County Board of Commissioners approved a 2023 preliminary levy of $33.8 million by a unanimous vote. This will constitute an increase of 8.95% over the final 2022 figure. The preliminary Housing & Redevelopment Authority levy is set to rise by 13.24%, or about $225,500.
Debt payments on bonds used to pay for construction of the new Public Safety Center and personnel costs make up most of the increase. Commissioners defended the personnel expenditures, noting the high cost of recruiting and training new employees.
If the 2023 levy is approved as presented Tuesday, the county’s tax rate would actually drop by about 2.25%. According to Rice County Chief Financial Officer Paula O’Connell, tax rates, which are used to calculate property taxes, are the best comparison of costs from year to year.
A statement issued by Rice County said, despite the projected levy increase, Rice County property taxes remain among the lowest in the state.
A Truth in Taxation public hearing in which residents can address the board about the preliminary 2023 levies is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1 at the Rice County Government Services Building.
The board is expected to vote on the levies and the 2023 budget at its final meeting of the year on Tuesday, Dec. 13th.
Nominate your ‘Living Treasure’
And the Northfield Arts and Culture Commission is asking the community to nominate a person they feel should be named Northfield’s
2023 Living Treasure.
The annual award honors an individual who has, over a period of time, made significant contributions to Northfield in, through, or on behalf of the arts and culture, to enhance the reputation of the city and the quality of life of its residents and visitors.
The Commission defines cultural contribution as something that encompasses both the community’s intellectual and social formation. This could include work, thoughts, behaviors, and beliefs through a wide range of options including the arts, food, oral languages, dress, homes, recreation, history, landscape, rituals, traditions, celebrations and festivals.
Nominees may be either a practitioner in one or more of the arts, or an arts or cultural leader, supporter, or advocate. The recipient will be honored at the State of the City Address which will be held at the Weitz Center on March 21 of next year.
Previous recipients of the award include sculptor and visual artist Ray Jacobson; theatre director Myrna Johnson; the Northfield Youth Choirs’ founder and director Cora Scholz; Paul Niemisto, the founder and conductor of the Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra and the founder of the Vintage Band Festival; Patsy Dew, a photographer, theatre artist; pianists, music teachers, and performers DeWayne and Theo Wee; visual artist Jan Shoger; artist and graphic designer Judith Swanson; Judy Code a gardening artist and Northfield’s unofficial city gardener for many years; musician and teacher Donna Paulsen; and last year’s recipient sculptor, poet and teacher Mac Gimse.
The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m., October 30. Nomination forms can be picked up and dropped off at the Northfield Public Library and at FiftyNorth or can be completed online at northfieldmn.gov/LivingTreasure.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
[recent_post_carousel slides_to_show=”1″ limit=”5″ slides_to_scroll=”1″ category=”10″ media_size=”medium” dots=”false” show_read_more=”false”]
