County Board sets preliminary levy at 11.98%

Service agreements, a loan request from the Colvill Fire Department for a fire truck, and the 2027 budget were among the agenda items discussed at the Sept. 22 Cook County Board of Commissioners meeting.

At the meeting, the commissioners approved setting the 2027 preliminary levy at a 11.98% increase from the previous year. The levy can decrease after the preliminary figure is set, but it cannot exceed 11.98%.

The commissioners were initially presented with two options that differed in their use of fund balance and the associated levy increase. The first option included using $1.58 million of fund balance, resulting in a proposed levy increase of 11.98%. The second option outlined used $1.87 million of fund balance, resulting in a proposed levy increase of 9.87%.

Cook County Auditor/Treasurer Braidy Powers presented the two options to the commissioners and described various budget challenges and factors considered in each option. Factors affecting the 2027 budget include ongoing state and federal human services mandates with limited funding, cost increases within the Highway Department, ensuring competitive wages to recruit and retain staff, inflationary impacts, the cost of maintaining county buildings, among others.

Another factor is rising healthcare costs, which Powers said rose nearly 8%. “We figure this is a good year when it only goes up 7.9%,” he said.

The commissioners also discussed using fund balance to moderate the levy and the reality and long-term sustainability of relying on those reserves to do so.

“We really need to consider how much we use this year so that we have that available for us in the next few years,” said County Administrator Kristen Trebil-Halbersma.

After some discussion, Commissioner Dave Mills proposed a third option for the board to consider that would reduce the amount the county would pull from the fund balance. His proposal was to use $1.25 million, resulting in a proposed preliminary levy increase of 14.37%.

Other factors weighing on the county’s budget, which the commissioners talked about during the meeting, include core services and non-mandated funded services. Overall, the non-mandated funding totals $2.5 million, or 16.2% of the proposed county levy.

Examples of non-mandated funding include the Cook County Airport, the Community Center building, the Minnesota Extension Service, the YMCA, the Parks Department, recycling, the PHHS Health Grants, and various others. See a full list in the graphic below:

A list of the non-mandated services and associated costs presented during the Sept. 22 meeting

Commissioner Deb White said she wanted more discussion among the board about the non-mandated services and the county’s ability to fund them. White also said she wants to solicit public input on which services are most valuable as the county considers potential cuts. She recommended the county hold town halls in each district before December, when the county sets the final levy, to gather public input.

“If the community really wants to talk to all of us, we need to give them an opportunity to do that. Whatever it takes for this go around,” said White. “In light of the economic circumstances of our world at this point and the price of gasoline, this is hitting home – it’s going to be really hard for our people to live here.”

Commissioner Ann Sullivan said that, in conversations with her District 4 constituents over the summer, she is hearing support for first looking at non-mandated services for potential cuts, rather than draining the fund balance. She said she supported holding town halls to gather additional input.

Mills responded by saying, “The reason we have these non-mandated expenses is because our community has valued them. I think it’s a fair question to ask: do they still value them? But I feel like they do, and I feel like that value is only increasing as times get harder.”

Another challenge facing the county this budgeting season is shifting costs for some services, particularly as federal or state funding is reduced and counties must cover a greater share of those expenses.

“I’m very concerned about the cost shifts that we continue to hear about from the federal government,” said Trebil-Halbersma during the meeting.

Examples of cost-shift programs or services that will impact the county in the next year or coming years are the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), various health and human services-related programs such as long-term services and supports, development of the county’s hazard mitigation plan, and several others.

After the discussion, Sullivan moved to approve the first option presented, which set the levy at 11.98%, followed by taking steps to gather community input on potential cuts to the budget or non-mandated services. Commissioner Ginny Storlie seconded. Commissioner Gary Gamble said he opposed the motion and read aloud a prepared statement. The motion passed 4-1, with Gamble voting against it.

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins spoke with County Administrator Kristen Trebil-Halbersma following the Sept. 22 board meeting to talk more in-depth about the budget process, non-mandated services, cost shifts between the federal government and counties, ongoing capital improvement projects, and a new county recycling initiative and survey. Audio is below.

Kalli Hawkins September 23, 2026