The Beltrami County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation from the University of Minnesota Extension Office on the potential impact of a future sales tax that may be proposed to fund a new county jail.
Rani Bhattacharyya, the Extension Office Northwest Community Coordinator, highlighted some of the points of a potential additional .625% sales tax.
Vehicle sales are excluded from local sales taxes, but parts and service are subject to the taxes.
The application for a local option sales tax was sent on Jan. 27, according to administrator Tom Barry.
Much of the county’s work session was a closed session.
The county also approved a budget amendment for two more FTEs and $390,000 of federal dollars in response to the additional need to house people in incarceration out-of-county.
The county typically does not use one-time dollars like these American Rescue Plan funds to hire full-time employees, but Barry states the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office will work the hires into their budget going forward.
