The Sherburne County Auditor/Treasurer’s office just released the list of the top taxpayers in the county for 2019, and utility companies are at the top of the list again.    

 

Right at the top is Northern States Power Company (NSP) with a taxable market value  of $482,017,900.

 

Southern MN Municipal Power is next at $204,272,200.

 

Great River Energy is third with a market value of $42,629,200.

 

Rounding out the top 10 are JPM Capital Corp. ($18,242,500), Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Comp. ($17,650,600), Minnegasco Property Accounting ($15,364,000 and $13,750,300), NSP again at $12,843,500, Target Corp. ($12,653,800) and BRE Retail Residual Owner 5 ($11,828,900).

 

 

In April, the county auditor/treasurer’s department also released a list of actual tax rates for 2019. Of 25 taxing authorities, including seven school districts, only five are showing higher tax rates for 2019.

 

The county’s  tax rate for 2019 is falling from 49.356% to 47.928%. And the regional rail levy was eliminated when the county implemented the local option transportation sales tax this year. Last year’s rail levy was 1.501%.

 

The City of Big Lake has one of the biggest rate reductions - from 55.643% to 50.898%.

 

Clear Lake City, which has the highest tax rate in the county, also has a big cut - from 84.330% to 81.104%.

 

 

Becker Twp. is reducing its rate from 17.918% to 17.199%.

 

Clear Lake Twp. is also cutting its rate from 20.851% to 19.722%.

 

Orrock Twp. has a slight decrease from 27.609% to 26.992%, as does Palmer Twp., from 18.778% to 17.857% and Santiago Twp.  - 20.102% to 19.239%.

 

Big Lake Twp. is one of the jurisdictions with a rate hike - from 19.797% to 20.720%. The others are Haven Twp. (15.941% to 17.452%), Blue Hill Twp. (14.946% to 18.189%) and East St. Cloud (48.195% to 49.994%).

 

The remaining five jurisdictions have tax rate decreases: Baldwin Twp. - 24.405% to 21.226%; Livonia Twp. - 24.674% to 21.971%; Elk River 46.011% to 45.907%; Princeton - 71.907% to 69.782% and Zimmerman - 45.656% to 44.578%.

 

Six of seven school districts will also have lower tax rates in 2019: Dist. 51 Foley (49.753% to 31.823%); Dist. 477 Princeton  (31.746%% to 30.481%); Dist. 726 Becker (22.683% to 22.562%); Dist. 727 Big Lake (42.994% to 42.767%); Dist. 728 Elk River (36.137% to 32.865%) and Dist. 742 St. Cloud (28.967% to 27.796%).

 

Dist. 882 in Monticello will see an increase from 15.621% to 16.972%.

 

Actual taxes assessed depends on market value and any other local taxing authorities. Those were listed on tax statements, which were mailed out in November.