2027 City Budget and Property Tax Survey

For a typical Northfield homeowner with a county-assessed home value of approximately $350,000, the two proposed 2027 property tax levy options currently under consideration are estimated to increase the City's portion of property taxes by approximately:

Option A: $8.53 per month (approximately 4.00%)
Option B: $13.08 per month (approximately 6.13%)

Proposed Staffing Changes

The proposed higher budget and tax levy includes several new or adjusted staff positions. For a typical Northfield homeowner with a county-assessed home value of approximately $350,000, these positions would represent an estimated $4.55 per month in additional City property taxes.

The estimated monthly impact of each position is:

• Public Works Mechanic — $0.82/month
• Public Works Operator — $0.82/month
• Public Works Operator — $0.82/month
• Police Lieutenant — $2.09/month

Public Works Mechanic

• There is currently a backlog of vehicle and equipment maintenance.
• Some repair work is currently outsourced and could be completed internally.
• The position would add capacity for maintenance and seasonal equipment preparation, including snow and ice operations.

Two Street and Park Operators

• There are currently about 135 open work orders, including about 50 that are more than one year old.
• Existing staff balance responding to work orders with ongoing daily street and park maintenance responsibilities.
• The positions would add capacity to address the work-order backlog and maintain streets, parks, and other public infrastructure.

Police Lieutenant

• Current supervisory capacity is limited relative to the department's operational needs.
• Command staff currently perform day-to-day operational management duties in addition to their broader leadership responsibilities.
• The position would add supervisory capacity and provide additional support for day-to-day police operations.

Reducing the proposed property tax increase to approximately 1%–3% for a typical Northfield homeowner with a county-assessed home value of approximately $350,000 would require approximately $745,000 in additional budget reductions.

Reductions of this size would likely require a combination of staffing and service reductions. For context, $745,000 is approximately equivalent to the total cost of five full-time positions, or about 4.5% of the City's full-time workforce.

Because many other areas of the City budget have limited capacity for further reductions, cuts of this magnitude would likely affect some of the City's larger service areas. Potential impacts could include reduced library hours and programming and changes to police staffing, response times, or coverage. The specific reductions would ultimately be determined through the City Council's budget deliberations.

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