Washington

Ramsey, Washington and Dakota counties all seek property tax levy hikes

Published

1 year ago

December 5, 2024

Ramsey, Washington and Dakota counties all seek property tax levy hikes

Ramsey, Washington and Dakota counties all are seeking property tax levy increases this year, as they deal with higher costs in areas such as construction, labor and healthcare as well as the end of federal pandemic money.

Homeowners and other property owners in the east metro have seen the proposed hikes on their property tax statements. There is a distinction between the levies imposed by counties and those from their city, county, school district and other special taxing jurisdictions. Up to a dozen different taxing authorities — including mosquito control districts — contribute to the total payment due at the bottom of a tax statement.

“They’re looking at a tax statement that comes from us, but it includes the city, the school district,” said Ramsey County Commissioner Rafael Ortega, who said he, too, has shouldered years of sizable property tax increases.

Ortega noted home prices have soared in recent years in higher-end neighborhoods like St. Paul’s Highland Park, while many long-undervalued properties in poorer neighborhoods are effectively playing catch-up as their estimated market values spike. Values also have shifted, leveled off or dropped for commercial office buildings, apartment buildings, industrial properties and small businesses in St. Paul while rising for St. Paul homeowners.

“I’ve been paying 15% increases on both mine and my mother’s properties for the last five years,” Ortega said. “You take a place like the East Side that has such low values, but their taxes jump higher because of the increase in assessed value. They’ve been undervalued for so long.”

Beyond growing home values, Ramsey and several other counties experienced deep cuts to state County Program Aid over time, and between 2006 and 2018 in particular.

Increased costs

Construction costs that soared during the pandemic as prices rose for materials and equipment have yet to abate, and a labor shortage continues. Meanwhile, counties are facing rising costs for everyday labor and healthcare. In surveys conducted by the Association of Minnesota Counties, one county reported its health insurance costs ballooning by almost 18% next year.

“That’s a 6.8% tax levy increase alone,” said Matt Hilgart, the government relations manager for the association.

For most counties, “the amount of their budget that is financed with property taxes has grown,” Hilgart said. “There isn’t one single reason why. While some state local government aid has grown very recently after decades of lack of funding or incremental increases, general expenditure spending has also grown.”

Counties “carry out the majority of core social services delivery for most of Minnesota, and I think it’s fair to say some of those mandates have grown over time,” Hilgart said. “Counties across the state, and including Ramsey County, are having to hire more social workers, case managers, and more child protection workers to fulfill both new mandates and increased community needs. These costs show up as wage increases, but in reality, it’s driven by the state mandate to provide certain services.”

Here’s a round-up of proposed property tax levy increases in Washington, Dakota and Ramsey counties as well as how their budgets have grown in the past 10 years.

Ramsey County

In St. Paul, a median-value single-family home had an estimated market value of $267,400 for taxes payable this year. That value will go up 3% to $275,300 for taxes payable in 2025. That owner would see overall property taxes — city, county, school district, Met Council and more — go up $337, an 8.8% increase.

Nearly 46% of the county’s proposed 2025 budget is funded by property tax, an increase of less than 1%, or $17.6 million, compared to the current fiscal year. The rest comes from intergovernmental revenues, charges for services and other sources.

The proposed county budget for 2025 is $848.6 million.

Ramsey County’s public truth-in-taxation hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, 270 N. Kent St. in St. Paul. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and interpreters will be available. County commissioners plan to approve the 2025 supplemental budget and property tax levy at their Dec. 17 board meeting.

The Ramsey County Board set next year’s maximum tax levy increase at 4.75% in September, though it could be altered up to the final vote.

Ramsey County budget

• 2015: $622.8 million.

• 2016: $645 million.

• 2017: $660.8 million.

• 2018: $714 million.

• 2019: $738 million.

• 2020: $741.7 million.

• 2021: $763.1 million.

• 2022: $774 million.

• 2023: $785.7 million.

• 2024: $808.5 million.

• 2025: $848.6 million (proposed).

Washington County

Washington County’s 2025 budget is $361.6 million, or $9.65 million less than in 2024. The proposed tax levy increase is 5.9%.

Of the total county budget, property taxes cover $140.48 million, or 38.8%.

There was a decrease in Washington County in the estimated median-value single-family home’s market value from $422,400 in 2024 to $411,400 in 2025. The median increase from 2024 to 2025 for the county portion of taxes is approximately $24, or 2.6%.

The county’s truth-in-taxation hearing was Nov. 26. The county board will vote on the final tax levy and budget at the Dec. 17 board meeting at the Washington County Government Center in Stillwater.

Washington County budget

• 2015: $228.7 million.

• 2016: $219.2 million.

• 2017: $211.2 million.

• 2018: $224.3 million.

• 2019: $288.1 million.

• 2020: $282.2 million.

• 2021: $288.5 million.

• 2022: $316 million.

• 2023: $378.9 million.

• 2024: $371.3 million.

• 2025: $361.6 million (proposed).

Dakota County

The recommended 2025 maximum levy of $167.7 million for Dakota County represents a 9.9% increase from the amount levied in 2024, according to officials with Dakota County Finance.

A median-value single-family home in Dakota County carried an estimated market value of $372,000 in 2025 and 2024. Per the proposed levy, the owner would see their taxes go up 5.87%, or $39.62, to total $714.35 next year as compared to $675 in 2024.

“In 2024, the county maintained the lowest levy per capita in the state of Minnesota and the lowest property tax rate among the seven metropolitan counties,” reads the staff report in county budget documents.

Nearly 30% of the county’s 2024 budget was funded by property tax, which according to the county, “is the largest and most stable source of funding.” The proposed budget for 2025 is $532.9 million, with an operating budget of $377.5 million.

The county’s truth-in-taxation hearing was Tuesday night. The county board is expected to vote Dec. 17 on the final budget and levy.

Dakota County budget

• 2015: $245 million.

• 2016: $269 million.

• 2017: $246 million.

• 2018: $249 million.

• 2019: $262 million.

• 2020: $278 million.

• 2021: $294 million.

• 2022: $290 million.

• 2023: $306 million.

• 2024: $336 million.

• 2025 $377.5 million (proposed).

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Washington

Brothers shot Park Police officer who arrested one of them the day before, documents say

Published

2 days ago

March 25, 2026

Press Room

Brothers shot Park Police officer who arrested one of them the day before, documents say

Charging documents reveal the U.S. Park Police officer who was shot Monday in Southeast D.C. had arrested one of the suspects the day before and was following that suspect at the time.

The suspects are brothers, 22-year-old Asheile Foster and 21-year-old Darren Foster, of Southeast. They appeared in federal court Wednesday afternoon.

Court documents state the Park Police officer who was shot had arrested Asheile Foster on Sunday on suspicion of dealing drugs. The officer said he followed Foster after he was released from jail on Monday and came to Park Police headquarters to get his personal belongings.

According to prosecutors, Foster told police he knew he was being followed by a white Tesla, and he confronted the officer on Queens Stroll Place SE, jumping out in front of the Tesla before the officer swerved around him.

Then, dozens of gunshots went off, the officer told police. He said in charging documents he was shot in the shoulder as he kept driving several blocks to the intersection of Benning Road and Southern Avenue SE, where police found him. A helicopter then took him to a hospital. According to charging documents, the officer was treated and released the same night as the shooting.

A U.S. Park Police officer who was shot in Southeast D.C. on Monday is recovering from what authorities say was likely a targeted attack. Multiple law enforcement sources tell News4’s Mark Segraves that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday.

Photos in the charging documents show the brothers firing at the officer’s Tesla, according to prosecutors.

The shooting drew a massive police presence to the Southeast neighborhood near the D.C-Maryland border Monday night.

Shell casings littered the middle of the street. Police said they recovered two weapons: a Glock 9 with an extended magazine and an AR-15.

Prosecutors said that when the officer was shot, he was investigating a shooting that occurred in Anacostia Park on Friday. No one was injured in that shooting.

Darren Foster was located and stopped shortly after the shooting, D.C. police said. Asheile Foster was found on Tuesday.

The brothers were charged with assault on a federal officer, assault with intent to kill and weapons charges. They could face up to 60 years in prison if they’re convicted.

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Washington

Washington passes new AI laws to crack down on misinformation, protect minors

Published

3 days ago

March 24, 2026

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Washington passes new AI laws to crack down on misinformation, protect minors

Washington just became the latest state to regulate artificial intelligence.

Under a pair of bills signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson Tuesday, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic will have to include new disclosures in their popular chatbots for Washington users.

Ferguson asked legislators to craft House Bill 1170 to crack down on AI-generated misinformation. When content is substantially modified using generative AI, that information will now have to be traceable using watermarks or metadata. The new law applies to large AI companies more than 1 million monthly subscribers.

“ I’m confident I’m not the only Washingtonian who often sees something on my phone and wondering to myself, ‘Is that AI or is it real?’ And I feel like I’m a reasonably discerning person,” Ferguson said during the bill signing. “It is virtually impossible these days.”

RELATED: WA Gov. Bob Ferguson calls for regulations on AI chatbot companions

House Bill 2225 establishes new guard rails for AI chatbots that act like friends or companions. It applies to services like ChatGPT and Claude, but excludes more narrowly tailored chatbots, like the customer service windows that pop up when visiting a corporate website.

Chatbots that fit the bill will have to disclose to users that they are not human at the start of every conversation, and every three hours in an ongoing chat. The tools will also be barred from pretending to be human in conversation with users.

The rules go further if the user is a minor. Companies that operate chatbots will have to disclose that the tools are not human every hour, rather than every three hours, if the user is under 18. The bill forbids AI companions from having sexually explicit conversations with underage users. It also bans “manipulative engagement techniques.” For example, a chatbot is not allowed to guilt or pressure a minor into staying in a conversation or keeping information from parents.

“AI has incredible potential to transform society,” Ferguson said. “At the same time, of course, there are risks that we must mitigate as a state, especially to young people. So I speak partly as a governor, but also as the father of teenage twins who grapple with this as a lot of parents do every single day.”

Under the law, AI chatbots will not be allowed to encourage or provide information on suicide or self-harm, including eating disorders. The companies behind these tools will be required to come up with a protocol for flagging conversations that reference self-harm and connecting users with mental health services.

The regulations come in the wake of several high-profile instances of teenage suicide following prolonged interactions with AI companions that showed warning signs. Many more AI users of all ages have reported mental health issues and psychosis after heavy use of the technology.

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Washington

Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid

Published

3 days ago

March 24, 2026

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Washington faces Utah, aims to stop 16-game skid

Washington Wizards (16-55, 14th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (21-51, 14th in the Western Conference)

Salt Lake City; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Washington heads into the matchup with Utah after losing 16 in a row.

The Jazz have gone 13-24 in home games. Utah ranks second in the Western Conference with 16.6 fast break points per game led by Lauri Markkanen averaging 3.3.

The Wizards are 5-29 in road games. Washington is 9-10 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 15.3 turnovers per game.

The Jazz score 117.4 points per game, 6.7 fewer points than the 124.1 the Wizards give up. The Wizards’ 46.1% shooting percentage from the field this season is 2.9 percentage points lower than the Jazz have allowed to their opponents (49.0%).

The teams square off for the second time this season. The Jazz won the last meeting 122-112 on March 6, with Ace Bailey scoring 32 points in the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kyle Filipowski is averaging 10.5 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Jazz. Brice Sensabaugh is averaging 19.9 points over the last 10 games.

Alex Sarr is averaging 16.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and two blocks for the Wizards. Will Riley is averaging 14.4 points over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 3-7, averaging 116.4 points, 43.3 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 9.9 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.7 points per game.

Wizards: 0-10, averaging 114.3 points, 37.4 rebounds, 24.5 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 130.6 points.

INJURIES: Jazz: Lauri Markkanen: out (hip), Isaiah Collier: out (hamstring), Keyonte George: out (leg), Cody Williams: out (shoulder), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder), Jusuf Nurkic: out for season (nose), Jaren Jackson Jr.: out for season (knee).

Wizards: Anthony Davis: out (finger), Tristan Vukcevic: day to day (back), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Alex Sarr: day to day (toe), Tre Johnson: day to day (foot), Kyshawn George: out (elbow), D’Angelo Russell: out (not injury related), Trae Young: out (quad).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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