Braham, Minn. — Republican-endorsed candidate for Minnesota State Auditor Nate George says Dakota County’s proposed double-digit property-tax increases, shrinking reserves, and service cuts should serve as a warning about the growing financial pressure facing local governments across Minnesota.
According to FOX 9, Dakota County leaders are considering property-tax increases of 16%, 19%, or 21%. Those options would cost homeowners an estimated $123, $145, or $167 more per home annually, respectively. Every option under consideration also includes reductions in county staffing and services.
FOX 9 reported that Dakota County’s fund balance has declined from approximately $130 million in 2014 to a projected $1.2 million in 2026. Potential reductions could affect libraries, parks, public health, crisis response, youth homeless outreach, and corrections officers.
County officials also pointed to pressures coming from outside county government. Dakota County Commissioner Laurie Halverson told FOX 9 that federal funding reductions and changes involving SNAP and Medicaid requirements created an unexpected $10 million in additional costs for the county.
“This is exactly the kind of warning Minnesotans cannot afford to ignore,” George said. “When a county is considering double-digit property-tax increases while simultaneously cutting staff and services and watching its reserves disappear, taxpayers deserve to know how we got here — and what can be done to prevent the same pattern elsewhere.”
George said Dakota County illustrates a broader problem facing local governments: counties, cities, school districts, and townships are increasingly expected to deliver essential services while navigating rising costs, changing mandates, and decisions made by higher levels of government.
“When costs are pushed downward, they do not disappear,” George said. “They eventually reach the property-tax payer. Local officials are left with a limited set of choices: raise taxes, cut services, draw down reserves, or postpone investments communities need.”
“The taxpayer ultimately pays the price regardless of political affiliation,” George continued. “Higher property taxes make homeownership and small-business ownership less affordable, and they hit seniors and working families especially hard. Minnesotans deserve an auditor who will follow these pressures all the way back to their source.”
George said the Office of the State Auditor already possesses important auditing, financial-analysis, investigative, and best-practices responsibilities, but he believes those tools should be used more aggressively to identify fiscal problems before they become crises.
“The State Auditor should not simply tell Minnesotans what happened after the damage is done,” George said. “The office should be an early-warning system for taxpayers. We should identify the laws, mandates, spending practices, and structural pressures driving local costs; expose waste, fraud, and mismanagement when the evidence supports it; compare what governments are paying for services; and give the governor, Legislature, local officials, and taxpayers useful information about how to fix the problem.”
George said his campaign would bring a local-government perspective and professional auditing and investigative experience to an office responsible for overseeing billions of dollars in public resources.
“Minnesota needs a State Auditor who understands that accountability is about more than producing reports,” George said. “It means asking why costs are rising, identifying where taxpayer dollars can be better protected, and giving local governments and legislators the information they need to make better decisions.”
“Dakota County is a warning,” George concluded. “Minnesota can wait until more communities are forced to choose between large tax increases, depleted reserves, and cuts to essential services — or we can start confronting the underlying fiscal pressures now. As State Auditor, that is exactly what I intend to do.”
On August 11th, Republican primary voters will choose who they want to serve as Minnesota’s next fiscal watchdog. George is asking voters to choose an auditor who will use the office to identify problems earlier, demand accountability, and put taxpayers first.
