LE MARS — The Plymouth County General Fund tax levy will increase slightly during fiscal year 2025-26.
On Tuesday, April 1, the Board of Supervisors held a public meeting on their proposed tax levies for the next fiscal year budget. The General Fund levy — a property tax paid by all county residents — will be $3.60383 per $1,000 of valuation. That’s up from the current levy of $3.4318 per $1,000.
The Rural Fund, which is assessed only to people who live outside incorporated communities, will decline from the current rate of $3.83496 per $1,000 of valuation to $3.722326 per $1,000.
For people in rural areas, the total tax levy will be $7.32790 per $1,000, up 6 cents from the current levy of $7.26634 per $1,000. Other residents pay city taxes in addition to the General Fund levy.
In addition to the slight increase in tax rate, Plymouth County property rose in value by $275 million, so that will mean more revenue for the county. The total assessed value went from $2,075,609,091 to $2,350,000,000.
The General Fund pays for most county departments and all county residents pay taxes to provide revenue for it. The Rural Fund is derived from taxes assessed to people who reside in unincorporated areas and its dollars are used to pay for services in those areas.
Another public hearing on the fiscal year 2025-26 budget will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 22. The fiscal year is from July 1 to June 30.
During the public hearing, some residents asked why taxes seem to always increase.
“We’re not cash cows,” Ken Kirchner of rural Hinton said.
Board Chairman Don Kass said it seems everything is more expensive. He said some farm equipment he had to buy tripled in cost in four years. Supervisor Craig Anderson said when he was first elected to the board, a motor grader cost $180,000. The price tag for one now is $400,000.
Kass said he has asked legislators, who had placed a cap on what counties can assess, what services should be abandoned.
“I don’t know what I’m getting now,” Kirchner said.
Auditor Stacey Feldman said many of the services — the sheriff, ambulance, fire and other emergency agencies — aren’t something most people want to use. But they are very necessary.
Supervisor Mike Van Otterloo defended county spending.
“We provide pretty good services for the people of Plymouth County,” Van Otterloo said. “I do believe this board has done an excellent job of keeping costs down.”
Kass said one major expense is law enforcement and maintaining a jail. He said about half the people in the county jail are from other counties, a figure that Van Otterloo, who served three decades as sheriff, agreed with.
Kass said many of the criminals, including methamphetamine addicts and burglars, come from Woodbury County.
“I’d like to put up a wall on the south border and make Woodbury County pay for it,” he said, echoing a comment about the U.S.-Mexican border made by President Donald Trump.
“We joke about it, but that’s the sad reality,” Kass said.
Van Otterloo said to retain deputies and other important staffers, the county has to pay competitive wages. That’s an expense that cannot be avoided.
Kass said the county does use the money it receives from the 1-cent Local Option Sales and Service Tax (LOSST) to pay for some services. That’s a tax charged to everyone who purchases items, except for food, and uses services in the county, not just residents.
He said the supervisors and other county officials welcome questions. Kass said Plymouth County sets a high standard for transparency and openness. It doesn’t want to conceal anything from the public.
“And that’s the last thing we try to do here,” he said. “We’ve got nothing to hide.”