The Bemidji City Council is scheduled to consider approving their final budget and levy this evening.
According to city documents, the preliminary levy adopted in September was $6.12 million, an increase of over 250,000, or 4.3 percent, from 2019.
According to city finance director Ron Eischens, the statewide average levy increase was 7.5 percent, and in Bemidji, new construction and property value increases decreased tax rates by 1.8 percent.
The city also received $161,000 in Local Government Aid from the state.
The city has a budget surplus of $206,000, which, according to Eischens, is related to fluctuations in capital purchases from year to year, such as the city’s recent purchase of a ladder truck for the fire department.
The truth in taxation presentation is available on the city’s website, which explains how the city uses its levy dollars and makes its budget.
