By Sara Quam
Rock County and the city of Luverne both finalized their 2002 budgets and levies Tuesday, Dec. 11.
The Rock County Board of Commissioners set the 2002 levy at 2.99 percent more than last year's. The final budget for the county is $3,455,242, but property taxpayers are responsible for $2,864,813.
Although the county set the budget and levy, some things are still unsure. Union negotiations aren't settled, and state money might not flow as freely as it has.
Administrator Kyle Oldre said, "Whatever happens at the state, I think the concern is there."
The board foresees the state setting levy limits for at least the next two years and doesnÕt want to under-budget. Instead, the board has worked on trimming where possible.
Ron Boyenga, who sits on the budget committee, cast the only vote against the levy.
The city of Luverne also passed its final levy and budget. It has a total governmental budget of almost $4.29 million - or $800,000 more than the 2001 budget. The city has a separate budget for operations such as utilities and the liquor store that get funds from user fees.
The Luverne City Council unanimously passed the levy, which is actually a slight decrease from last year's. The collectible dollar amount from city taxpayers is $550,933.
Both the city and county are heavily dependent on state aid as evidenced by how much of the budgets are actually collected from property taxes.