Rochester City Council proposes tax levy raise

(ABC 6 News) — The Rochester City Council held a study session on Monday night, and one of the topics on the agenda was a raise to the tax levy.

This proposal would raise the levy from the 8.4% that was finalized last year to 10.35%.

Council member Patrick Keane says the increase is due to staffing cost increases, and he claims most of that is driven by public safety contracts which rose due to new contract settlements and competition for skilled law enforcement.

Another reason behind the increase according to Keane is the newly constructed Silver Lake pool. In addition, Keane also says the city council borrowed money for the new Parks Dept. HQ “that will need to be paid back.”

The Council will formally set the max levy for 2025 in September with the final budget being approved in December.