The Beltrami County Board approved a tax levy of $28.9 million as it approved its 2023 $99.9 million budget.
This tax levy represents an increase of 6.87 percent over last year.
The motions for the budget and levy both passed by a 4-1 vote.
In other business, the county awarded a few local nonprofits with its development fund grant program.
There was a smaller amount than usual because this fund is also helping pay for the Bemidji Veterans Home.
The Beltrami County Ag Association, Greater Bemidji, Boys and Girls Club of Bemidji, Bemidji Area Cross Country Ski Club, Bemidji Community Theater, Bemidji Curling Club, Bemidji Downtown Alliance, the Bemidji Veterans Memorial, and the Blackduck Area History and Art Center will receive a portion of the available dollars.
The board also approved beginning a grant process for a new fully state-funded bicycle and pedestrian path along Division Street, with Commissioner Jim Lucachick voting against it, saying the state needed to prioritize its transportation dollars.
