Mower County Board approves preliminary 2021 tax levy of .5% at last regularly scheduled meeting

The Mower County Board of Commissioners approved the county’s preliminary tax levy for 2021 at their meeting Tuesday that was set at just .5% more than last year’s levy of $22,691,613.  

Mower County Administrator Trish Harren stated at the meeting that the county is hoping to bring that preliminary figure down even further, as far as perhaps a quarter of a percent.  A public meeting to discuss the county’s budget and levy for 2021 will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at the Mower County Board Room.  In other business at their last regularly scheduled meeting, the Mower County Board moved to allocate CARES Act funds to area schools with the purpose to provide gap funding for expenses related to providing distance learning and/or expenditures incurred while responding to COVID-19.

The grants themselves were based on a $35 per student formula and include all students who live in Mower County, even if attending a district outside the county. 

Private schools and institutions were included, and to qualify, schools had to have incurred expense and then provide invoices for reimbursement.  Austin Schools will be receiving $178,000, Grand Meadow will receive $15,540, Southland $13,722, Pacelli Catholic Schools will receive $11,445, LeRoy/Ostrander will receive $9,100, Hayfield $8,400, the Southern Minnesota Education Consortium will receive $4,970, Blooming Prairie $4,235, Sacred Heart in Adams will receive $4,100, Nexus-Gerard Family Healing will receive $2,975 and Hollandale Christian School will receive $1,120.