Anoka County shows where tax dollars go

The owner of the average $175,800 Anoka County house will pay $96 for sheriff coverage next year, $67 for snow-free county roads and $13 for county parks.

At the Dec. 2 Truth in Taxation hearing, the county broke down its $708 tax bill for that average house as a way to transform an abstract number into one residents could relate to their own lives.

"We never really framed the budget in the Truth in Taxation presentations," said Cevin Petersen, finance and central services division manager. "They get something they can put their hands around, something they can understand and how it relates to what they're paying."

At the hearing, Petersen asked participants how many books they could buy for the $37 they pay for county libraries, how many snowfalls a service would cover for the $67 they pay the highway department, and whether they could provide flu shots, regulate restaurant safety and manage water quality for the $9 that goes to Community Health and Environmental Services.

"It's the concept of why county governments were created, and it's like joining a co-op or a club," he said. "If every person had to pay to have the street plowed, how do you get it done?"

At least two other counties, Dakota and Olmsted, do something similar in breaking down taxes, Petersen said.

He and county spokeswoman Martha Weaver said they believe the information residents received changed the hearing's tone.

A different view

Still, not everyone is on board with the tax picture.

County commissioners Rhonda Sivarajah and Robyn West voted against the 3.5 percent increase to the county's certified levy. The measure still passed, 5-2, putting the 2011 levy at $126.4 million.

Sivarajah, who will chair the board next year, saluted Petersen for creating a presentation that residents can understand. But she said the budget is too large.

"We do things that are mandated services, things people consider essential services," she said. "In these difficult times we may not be able to do those things that are nice to do because people can't afford to pay for them."

"They still couldn't do it, no matter what kind of deal it was," she said. "It really is about taking a step back and saying, what can people really afford to pay at this point in time?"

She said she hopes to look at the budget -- including mandated services -- from a different perspective.

The county levy is only one portion of the property taxes people pay. Cities and school districts also collect property taxes.

Thanks and differences

At the Dec. 2 meeting, about a dozen residents addressed the County Board. Generally, people come to these hearings to try to reduce their own taxes. Rather than castigating the county for raising taxes by about $8, on average, they thanked Petersen and the board for keeping them in the budgeting process, and asked them to continue to do so in the future.

He said 80 percent of county business is mandated by state or federal government. The county's costs are rising as the recession has swelled human services caseloads and outside funding is declining.

As for the future, Petersen said he'll continue to break down the budget. He may follow Dakota County's lead and include the document with annual tax estimates, to reach more people earlier next year.