Mower County’s maximum levy increase for 2016 is about half of 2015’s increase, but commissioners still vowed to try to lower the increase before the end of the year.

The county board voted 5-0 Tuesday to set its preliminary 2016 levy at $19.25 million, an increase of $635,700 or about 3.4 percent.

“We have until we set the final budget in December to adjust that down, we cannot raise it,” Commissioner Jerry Reinartz said.

A variety of shifts and expenses caused the levy changes. The county is set to add an additional four and half positions, including taking one jail position from part time to full time, and it includes an assistant county attorney who started earlier this year due to the office’s workload.

Commissioner Tim Gabrielson said a big part of the budget was gradually updating the county’s electronics and technology to avoid bigger costs in the future.

“Some things are out of our control, but this is something that we’re trying to be conservative on but not falling behind,” he said.

The county is also slated to give the Mower County Historical Society an additional $21,000 in 2016 for its budget, employee costs and other needs. Most of the other outside agencies that request money from the county did not ask for additional funding.

The budget also includes $230,000 for Pictometry aerial imaging technology that would be used in the Assessor’s Office, but it’s not necessarily a done deal.

“Even though it’s in the budget doesn’t mean it’s approved,” County Coordinator Craig Oscarson said.

The county can change the budget and lower the proposed levy increase before it approves the final budget in December, but it can’t increase the levy.

Other shifts benefited the county. For the 2015 levy, state shifts caused the county to have to make up for $323,000 less in County Program Aid, but the county is set to receive $218,898 more in aid in 2016.

The board is slated to get additional money from the the wind energy production tax credit, but likely not until 2017.

Next year, the county is estimated to see an $88,374 increase in money received through the state wind production tax credit, but the county is expecting an even larger increase in 2017. That’s when it will see the benefits of the first full year of the Pleasant Valley Wind Farm, which is expected to increase Mower’s wind production fund by $400,000. The credit is based on energy production, and the county currently uses the funds in the general budget to offset the levy.

From what he’s heard, Oscarson said many counties are looking at increases of 2 to 5 percent. Mower’s 2015 levy increased by 7 percent from $17.4 million in 2014 to 18.6 million.

The county’s annual truth in taxation meeting to discuss the proposed budget and levy is scheduled for 6:01 p.m. Dec. 1 in the county board room in the basement of the Mower County Government Center.

County levies

2011: $15.5 million

2012: $16.2 million

2013: $17.2 million

2014: $17.4 million

2015: $18.6 million

2016: $19.2 million*

—Based on preliminary numbers