by Dennis Dalman
Sartell will have a zero-percent tax-rate increase in 2023, despite the inflation that has ravaged so much of national and local economies.
Once again, the tax rate for Sartell in 2023 will be the lowest of the greater St. Cloud area’s five cities.
At its Dec. 12 city council meeting, the members unanimously approved the city tax levy/budget for 2023. It is the fifth consecutive year that Sartell has approved a tax levy that was below 1.5 percent. The average annual increase for the past 10 years has been 1.2 percent.
Each year, property taxes include three portions: city, county and school district. The city portion of that tax pays for city services that include streets, police, fire department, parks, snowplowing, the community center, disability accesses and more. The city council noted, some residents’ taxes will not increase under the zero-rate levy/tax increase but some residents’ taxes might increase due to higher property valuations
Sartell Financial Director Rob Voshell outlined the salient features of the 2023 city budget.
The biggest increases in the 2023 budget are the following, most of them having to do with public safety of one sort or another: Street Fund will be $600,000; the Public Works Equipment Fund will be $225,000; the Police Equipment Fund is $180,000 and the Fire Equipment Fund is $90,000.
The total levy for 2023 is $9,218,695.
One interesting note in the budget summary is that the population of Sartell increased by 22 percent since the national census was taken in 2010. According to the last census (2020), the city’s population is now 19,351.
