The Ramsey County board unanimously approved its 2026 tax levy and 2026-2027 operating budget Tuesday, both decreases from previously proposals.
The board passed an 8.25% 2026 tax levy – down from the proposed maximum tax levy of 9.75% – and a 2026 operating budget of $924,063,479 and 2027 operating budget of $962,473,868.
An earlier proposed operating budget for 2026 was $929.25 million and the 2027 proposed operating budget was $968.45 million.
The reductions come following budget shifts and reductions in levy-supported spending. Community members who shared their feedback and concerns with the budget helped shape it, county officials said.
Flexibility
Still, there were difficult tradeoffs, they said.
One of the reasons the most recent cuts were previously not brought forward was to provide the county some flexibility to do its work, said County Manager Ling Becker during a November board workshop.
Cost shifts to the county from the federal level have negatively impacted the county’s safety net, said District 6 Commissioner Mai Chong Xiong.
“This budget reflects the reality, and that the board has made intentional choices to reduce that impact as much as possible,” Chong Xiong said.
About 46% of the county’s budget is funded through property taxes and county officials have cited rising costs, limited revenue growth, increasing demand for services, as well as uncertainty on the federal and state level as budget pressures. County officials on Tuesday also cited increasing state and federal mandates for services that counties are required to provide.
Budget cuts
Budget cuts include reductions to state-mandated burial assistance funding for low-income residents for 2026, the Ramsey County Sheriff’s newly proposed community engagement funding, county contributions to Ramsey County Historical Society and other funds.
“And I just want to say … this is just spread across the enterprise, it’s things like cuts in IT, cuts in our CEO Next cohort that is going to be delayed, it’s cuts in some of the different staffing and programs and services,” said District 1 Commissioner Tara Jebens-Singh. “We heard folks who were feeling the pain about shifts in services that were happening within their staffing units, within their community. So those are very real. They weren’t taken light-heartedly.”
Nonprofits
County officials also addressed comments from residents on county spending with non-profit partners brought up during the county’s truth in taxation hearing on Dec. 11. That spending represented around 4% of the county budget in 2024 and is not the primary driver of cost increases, which largely come from cost shifts, personnel costs and increased service demands, according to Becker.
“Ramsey County does not provide unrestricted donations. It funds nonprofits through contracts to deliver specific, often state-mandated, services,” Becker said.
She added: “County staff conduct regular invoice reviews and ongoing performance monitoring to ensure that services are delivered as intended and funds are used appropriately. These efforts are aligned across departments and reviewed regularly to prevent fraud, waste and abuse. In addition, the county’s chief compliance and ethics officer who oversees the internal auditor provides independent oversight to strengthen accountability and to ensure consistent adherence to county policies and all legal requirements.”
For further information on county budget changes discussed on Tuesday, go to tinyurl.com/3sjr5uz2.
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