Stillwater's mayor said Tuesday that he intends to form a citizen budget committee to help steer the city through tough financial times.
Ken Harycki said his decision to start the ad-hoc committee was motivated, in part, because he was surprised to learn that Stillwater ranks in the top 20 among cities with the highest tax rates.
Stillwater has the 16th-highest city tax rate out of 140 cities, according to data from the League of Minnesota Cities.
The committee's mission will be to find comparable cities in the metro area that rank lower in terms of tax rates and then examine their budgets.
"I'm just really envisioning that this committee goes in and takes a look at the middle of the pack, the 50th percentile, and says what are they spending their money on," Harycki said. "We've had tremendous growth in Stillwater in the last decade, and with that the costs have gone up."
Like many other metro-area cities, Stillwater is bracing for a tight budget year and dwindling state aid.
Stillwater residents interested in serving on the citizen budget committee should contact City Hall at 651-430-8800.
ALLIE SHAH
