The Washington County Board of Commissioners approved the county’s 2023 budget Dec. 13, and the property tax levy that will support it.

The board approved a proposed 2023 budget and preliminary levy Sept. 27.

The approved amounts are:

• $126.5 million for the county net levy;

• $660,000 for the Regional Railroad Authority levy; and

• $1.2 million for the Land and Water Legacy Program referendum levy.

The board also consented to a $5.9 million levy for the Community Development Agency. Under the adopted budget, the county net levy would increase 4.88% over 2022, and non-levy revenue would be $113.2 million, a decrease of 14.9% from 2022.

As in nearly all counties, property owners in Washington County have experienced increased property values from the rise in sales prices, especially for residential properties. The median value of a home in the county went up about 20% in the past assessment year. The levy, combined with new construction and the rising valuations, results in the county’s tax rate decreasing by 14.5%.

With the budget and levy that was approved, the median valued home in the county, which is $386,500, assuming that its value increased by 20% in the past year, will be taxed $919 for 2023 by the county, a $40 or 4.6% increase over 2022.

New revenue in the budget will pay for services and materials are in areas experiencing significant growth, such as deputies who patrol county communities, correctional officers who serve in the County Jail, and dispatchers who manage 9-1-1 calls in the Sheriff’s Office.

There has been an increase in applications for service and more need for the health and human services that the county provides, such as services for those with mental health needs and for homelessness prevention.

Inflationary costs are having an impact on managing the county’s vehicles, such as plow trucks and deputies’ vehicles. The cost of replacement machinery, fuel, salt for clearing roads, and construction and building materials has risen substantially over 2022, raising the cost of doing business for the county. Also, the county’s Information Technology costs related to data management, data security, data storage, and technology infrastructure are increasing.

The budget calls for 28.5 new positions countywide, which is typical in an average year. However, 31 positions have been eliminated, which includes 25 special project positions that are expiring, which are made up of mostly the federal emergency rental assistance program that was augmented during the pandemic. There is a slight decrease in the ratio of employees to residents from 2022.

The budget includes Gold Line construction costs, the bus-rapid transit line that will be built from downtown St. Paul to Woodbury roughly along Interstate 94 and then south along Bielenberg Drive in Woodbury. While money for construction is part of the proposed budget, no property tax dollars will be used to build the line. It is funded through the local option transportation sales tax and federal money. All budget workshops and meetings may be viewed through webstreaming of the County Board meetings. See the county website at www. co.washington.mn.us/budget for other background on the budget.