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CITY OF LEXINGTON: Recognizes outgoing council member PAGE 2
YEAR IN REVIEW 2025 Before we say goodbye to 2025 and welcome in 2026, it is a tradition for the Quad Community Press to look back at some of the most memorable moments this past year. In 2025, pages were filled with a variety of news, government meetings, events, sports, businesses, the arts and much more. Some of the most memorable stories are the ones that featured local residents—Centennial Cougar athletes found success in their respective sports; the Circle Pines 75th anniversary celebration, Fete des Lacs and Blue Heron Days in Lino Lakes brought the community together for multiple weekends of summer fun; and many in the community had a very busy year. See pages 5-8 for a full recap of this year.
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Centerville sees an 8% increase to 2026 budget CLPD budget • $22,000 Planning & Zoning additional planner services from Bolton & Menk • $15,750 Election staffing • $17,546 miscellaneous expense changes such as the fire contract, public works and parks maintenance Revenue for 2026 must also total $166,297 to balance the budget. However, some of the earlier funding sources are no longer available, such as: • $65,000 in transfers from other funds from a one-time surplus used to help balance last year’s budget. This money is no longer available, and the city will have to cover that gap with a property tax increase • $7,200 in property rental; now the ambulance service is no longer using City Hall • $60,000 in building permits were not taken out • $3,200 revenue loss from other unrealized miscellaneous permits The $122,400 loss of nontax revenues combined with the $166,297 in increased expenses result in a tax levy increase of $288,697 needed to balance the budget. Property taxes contribute 91.75% of the
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city’s revenues. Licenses/fees contribute 3.6% and others less than 2.5%. As was noted earlier, LGA and fiscal disparities programs contribute nothing. The city’s largest expenses are public safety at 49.1%, running the government at 21.3% and public works at 16.2%. The good news for the city is that debt service levies have decreased every year, starting at $328,798 in 2022 and falling to $228,810 for 2026. The last year for the city to pay down its debt will be 2028, and in 2029 there will be no debt service levy, DeJong said. Following the truth in taxation presentation and hearing, the final 2026 budget will be adopted and certified to Anoka County by Dec. 30. Property taxes are due May 15, 2026, to complete this year’s financial cycle. Starting next year’s financial cycle will be the compilation of homes sold from October 2024 through September 2025, after which the assessor will set home values in January 2026. The Board of Equalization meeting will take place in May 2026 for residents to learn why their home values went up or down.
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Centerville will receive no outside help to keep next year’s budget increases low, so council members stepped in to give taxpayers shouldering the burden a modest break. For the past several years, the city has received no Local Government Aid, and it won’t this year either, said Finance Director Bruce DeJong during the city’s truth in taxation presentation. In addition, the city will pay into the fiscal disparities program but won’t receive any of the shared funds this year. The fiscal disparities program is a property tax base sharing program for the seven-county metro area that calls for a portion of growth in commercial, industrial and public utility property value to go into a tax base sharing pool. Hugo will receive $1.1 million from this program for 2026, but Centerville will receive nothing. In fact, Centerville’s participation in the program will raise the amount of taxes paid by local residents by $275,691 for 2026. After being reminded that the city could
not increase the preliminary 2026 budget and levy as certified to Anoka County this past fall, but could lower the budget, council voted 4-1 (Mayor Nancy Golden opposed) to lower the 2026 budget and levy slightly. Council members Linda Broussard Vickers and David Kubat worked to move money around in other funds to reduce the levy by $45,000, or 1%. Because of this small break given to its residents, the median value home of $364,950 (valued at $362,600 in 2025) received a $21 reduction in its city tax increase. That home will now pay $130 more in 2026 instead of $151 more, as originally planned. In 2025 that home paid $1,406 and in 2026 will pay $1,536 in city property taxes. This modest reduction notwithstanding, the city budget for 2026 adopted by the Centerville City Council increased by 8% to some $3.5 million. The total debt levy is $228,810, and the total canceled levy $22,690.85. The major drivers of the 8% budget increase are the result of the following increases in expenditures for 2026 that total $166,297: • $109,459 Police contract per adopted
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