Despite numerous unfunded mandates and mounting cost-shifts to local government from federal and state authorities, Pope County’s preliminary budget seeks to minimize outsized impacts from these federal and state decisions on local taxpayers.
The Pope County Board of Commissioners adopted its preliminary budget and property tax levy for 2027 at its regular Board meeting on September 15, 2026, opting to set the maximum County property tax levy increase at 3.4%, despite numerous unfunded mandates and new cost-shifts for required services being imposed on local government by the State of Minnesota and the federal government.
After several months of internal work and public meetings on budget proposals, the County Board adopted a preliminary property tax levy for 2027 of $11,809,106, an increase of 3.4% over 2026’s levy of $11,420,799. The preliminary budget was set with expenditures of $25,525,636; County program aid revenue from the State of Minnesota of $801,089; other non-levy revenues of $10,945,851; and planned fund balance use of $19,590 to reduce the budget’s reliance on the property tax levy. The budget also includes a one-time additional road and bridge fund balance expenditure of $1,950,000 to be used exclusively for county transportation system projects.
Historically, Pope County’s property tax levy has increased far less than inflation since 2017, with an average levy increase of only 2.2% each year since 2017, compared with an average inflation rate of 3.2% annually in that same period in the upper Midwest region. During that time period, levy changes have ranged from a low of a 3.0% reduction to the levy in 2021 to a high of a 6.9% increase in 2024. The 3.4% preliminary increase proposed for 2027 was adopted due to the current sustained inflation in the market for labor and materials along with additional mandates and cost-shifts imposed on counties by the state and federal governments.
Under Minnesota law, the County preliminary property tax levy can only remain the same or decrease at the time of the 2027 final budget adoption. The County Board, County administration, elected officials, and appointed managers will carefully examine the expenditures and revenues projected in the preliminary budget for opportunities to adjust the budget or levy before final adoption in December.
At the same meeting, the Board of Commissioners set the County’s annual Truth-in-Taxation Hearing for Thursday, December 3, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. at the Pope County Courthouse. This County public meeting is held after Truth-in-Taxation (TNT) notices are issued to property owners in the fall. The County budget is discussed at the TNT meeting, and public input on the County’s preliminary budget and levy may be given before the Board’s final budget is adopted.
Note that all local government property tax proposals for 2027 that apply to a property owner’s parcel appear on one TNT notice sent by the County Auditor-Treasurer for each parcel, but be advised that only the County property tax on the form is decided by Pope County and its Board of Commissioners.
Property owners are strongly advised to review their TNT statements carefully to distinguish between changes in County proposed property taxes, which are the subject of County budget proceedings, and changes in city, township, school, or special taxing district property taxes, which must be addressed by the governing boards of those other local governments.
Separate hearings are held by other local governments, such as school districts and cities over 500 in population, at which the public may give input on those governments’ separately-determined preliminary levies and budgets, and the dates and times of those meetings are clearly noted separately on each parcel’s TNT notice.