Scott County

Truth in taxation meeting

When: 7 p.m. Dec. 6

Where: County
Boardroom, county Government Center, 200 Fourth Ave. W.

In a nutshell: Scott
County plans to raise taxes by 9 percent to approximately $56 million. However, a few million of this would
be paid by the state through local government aid. The average Scott County
homeowner would see their general county tax go up $32, or 4 percent. Residents
will also pay an additional $5 charge with their vehicle registration tab fee
due to a new countywide “wheelage tax.”

Why more taxes? The
county property tax increase will help fund these additional projects: adoption
of a modern emergency radio system, creation of a public safety training center
and the purchase of parkland. The county has also proposed raising its general
operating and capital expenses by 5 percent.

The county has also been collecting an extra $1 million each
year in taxes to fund more road and transit projects. This year, staff also
recommended allocating $290,000 more toward road maintenance.

Could this change? After holding the public hearing, the Scott County Board could choose to
adopt a tax levy lower than what they originally proposed.