Greetings from Le Sueur County
Le Sueur County will be welcoming back incumbent Commissioner John King and installing Commissioner-elect Dennis Tietz at the first meeting in January. They will each take their oaths of office on January 7 for four-year terms. Commissioner King represents Tyrone and Derrynane Townships which includes the City of Le Sueur, and Commissioner-elect Tietz will represent Lanesburgh Township, which includes the City of New Prague.
Commissioner-elect Tietz will replace Commissioner Dave Gliszinski who has served as Commissioner since 2013. A heartfelt thanks goes out to Commissioner Gliszinski for his years of service as Commissioner, along with his years of service to the County within the Sheriff’s Office.
In terms of Board business conducted in December, the Board officially approved the final 2025 budget and levy. The final levy increase adds around $1 million in property tax revenue, which equates to a 3.9 percent increase. The tax rate, which is the rate that is used to calculate the property tax on taxable values, will increase slightly, around 0.4 percent, going from 45.8 percent to an estimated 46.2 percent rate for property taxes payable in 2025.
Assuming a 3 percent average value increase for a residential homestead property, a $200,000 valued home will pay around $37 more, a $400,000 home will pay $76 more, and a $600,000 home will pay $129 more in property tax that will go to the County. Most city and school levy increases were larger than the County’s, so property owners may see larger increases, along with a larger share of total property taxes going to jurisdictions other than the County.
In other news during the month of December, the Board approved all remaining labor bargaining unit contracts, which included contracts with the Highway Department and Sheriff’s Office. With those approvals, the County has secured three-year contracts with all five labor bargaining units through 2025-2027.
The Board also approved an initial round of funding allocations for use of opioid legal settlement funds. The Board approved spending $182,000 of the $379,000 received in settlement dollars. Projects to be funded include obtaining and training a new dog for the K-9 program, support for the Public Health Department to provide in-home and community medication management and harm reduction training, and a new counseling and treatment program within our jail.
The Board also approved an updated policy outlining guidance on how the septic upgrade loan program is administered, with the key change allowing up to $30,000 to be borrowed for those individuals unable to secure financing from a private lender.