Mountain Iron sets modest 3% levy increase

MOUNTAIN IRON—The Mountain Iron City Council passed a modest 3% preliminary levy increase in September.

During its Sept. 16 regular meeting, the council voted 4-1 to pass a proposed 2024 tax levy, collectable in 2025, of $1,483,760—a $43,217 increase over the 2023 levy passed in December of last year.

Cities in Minnesota are required to pass a preliminary levy by the end of September each year and a final levy in December. Once a preliminary levy is set, it cannot go up but it can go down.

“The 3% increase, even that recommendation, is one of—if not the—lowest increases of all the cities around,” Councilor Joe Prebeg Jr., who made the motion, said just prior to the vote, adding that in recent years the levy has remained low annually.

“It has been everywhere from a zero to 3% increase so we should be pretty proud of the budgets we are doing and the small increases we are doing to keep up with our insurance employee increases and the costs,” Prebeg said.

Only one councilor voted note on the motion—Ed Roskoski—who, during discussion, reminded the council that in December 2023 they passed a 3% increase (payable 2024) over the prior year, which led to a roughly $42,000 budget increase.

He then went on to bring up a number of purchases and examples of spending, saying $5,000 was spent for a sign at the water treatment plant, $18,000 was spent for a ballfield grader when—in his opinion—they could have spent less, and $30,000 was spent on city hall remodeling.

“An awful lot of what was done in here (city hall) didn’t have to be done,” Roskoski said, specifically pointing out new carpet and blinds.

“I’ll be voting no on this proposed levy increase for 2025,” he said.

City Administrator Craig Wainio, when asked to address Roskoski’s comments, said the water treatment sign was paid for through the water plant and had nothing to do with taxes. He also pointed out that city hall is used steadily and has to be maintained.

On the purchase of the ballfield grader, Wainio pointed out that it was a piece of “equipment that we needed.”

“It’s a specialized piece of equipment that’s absolutely necessary to keep the ag lime in shape at our ballfields so we’re not replacing it all the time and actually saving money over the long term,” Wainio said.

There are five ballfields within the city limits of Mountain Iron.