Politics & Government

How Do Minnetonka's Taxes Compare to The Rest of The State?

Compare the community to nearby areas in Patch's interactive chart.

Minnetonka residents may see their taxes grow next year at a higher percent than the state average, according to a Tuesday Minnesota Department of Revenue release of preliminary property tax levies.

State law requires local governments to set a preliminary levy by Sept. 15. After citizens have had an opportunity to learn about proposed tax levels at Truth-in-Taxation hearings, the governments must then set a final levy by Dec. 27. The final levy can be lower than the preliminary levy, but it can’t be higher.

(School district figures include voter-approved referenda.)

Find out what's happening in Minnetonkawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The city of Minnetonka's 2014 adopted preliminary city tax increase is 2.87 percent– above the 2.1 percent growth for cities across the state as a whole. 

Minnetonka's levy is held beneath the 3 percent levy cap imposed by the state legislature largely as a result of the savings from the reinstatement of a state sales tax exemption for most local government purchases starting in 2014, according to information from the city. The budget for non-personnel operating costs is held to 2013 levels. 

Find out what's happening in Minnetonkawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Unlike most cities in the state and a number of comparable cities, the city of Minnetonka does not qualify for the Local Government Aid (LGA) increases adopted by the state legislature during its 2013 session. The city of Minnetonka doesn't receive any LGA funds.

The Minnetonka School Board has adopted a preliminary 2013 tax levy payable in 2014 of $36.9 million, a 4.84 percent increase over the 2012 tax levy. The overall state increase is 2.6 percent.

The increase is due to funding changes made during the 2013 state legislative session. Today’s district property taxes are lower on a total dollar basis than they were 17 years ago, according to the school district.

School levies were initially set to decrease by $59 million statewide. But that changed last week when voters approved $119 million in new and renewed referenda, resulting in a $60 million increase.

Hopkins was one of those districts to approve levies. It approved a capital projects levy that will bring in about $1.75 million per year for 10 years and revoked its existing operating levy and replaced it with a newer one that brings in more money.

Hopkins district’s levies are on track to climb by 11.43 percent compared to the overall state increase of 2.6 percent.

Hennepin County, on the other hand, is on track to fall below the statewide increase—0.98 percent compared to 1.5 percent.

The graphs above show the percentage changes for city, school district and county levies across the state. Compare your taxes to nearby areas or click on “Percent Change” to sort by the size of the increase. Then tell us in the comments section below how you feel about your taxes.


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