Hopkins Tax Bills to Be Smaller than Expected in 2013

The budget will grow .23 percent over 2012, while the tax levy will increase .49 percent.

The typical Hopkins homeowner will pay a few more dollars in city property taxes under the 2013 budget and levy the City Council approved Tuesday. A home that was valued at $225,000 in 2005—worth an average of $199,625 in 2012 because of declining values—would pay $1,244 in property taxes for 2013, $9 more than the same home would’ve paid a year earlier. “An average value home should not see much increase in the city portion of property taxes,” said Finance Director Christine Harkess. Overall, the general fund budget will grow by about $23,800 or .23 percent—from $10.56 million to $10.58 million. The tax levy —or the portion of the budget paid by local property taxes—is .49 percent bigger. Click on the PDF to the right to see the budget in…

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Dispatch Center Closure Limits Hopkins Budget to 1 Percent Increase

Officials expect the city to save nearly $333,000 in 2013 compared to what it otherwise would have had to pay.

With the impending closure of the city’s dispatch center and other expense controls, Hopkins residents should see the 2013 city budget increase in the neighborhood of 1 percent. Finance Director Christine Harkess estimates the city will save $332,887 next year compared to what the city would have had to pay if it had maintained its own dispatch center. That savings means a budget that is 1.26 percent bigger than 2012 under the current plan—instead of the 4.42 percent it would have been without the dispatch change. The levy—or the portion of the budget paid by local property taxes—would increase by 1.62 percent. Calculations are not yet available for how that would affect the average tax bill. By comparison, the 2012 budget grew 1.66 …

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Reasons to Participate

Reasons to Participate: Community Image, Police Work and Budgets

A weekly look at happenings in your local government.

Thank police officers for their work: Hopkins will swear in two Sergeants (Matthew Struck and Elizabeth White) and one police captain (Brent Johnson) at Tuesday’s council meeting. Shortly afterward, council members will say goodbye to retiring Reserve Officer Richard Brasket and retiring Reserve Captain Sue Rhodes. And in between, Police Officer Mike Johnson—who served in Afghanistan—will present the city with a flag. Congratulate Community Image Award winners: Last month, Hopkins announced the winners of its Community Image Awards—which honor owners “whose pride shines through their property.” The city will recognize the individuals and businesses at Tuesday’s council meeting. Find out more about the city’s budget: At a Nov. 22 work …

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Hopkins' Budget Gets a Bit Lighter

The council approved a levy that is a 2.07 percent increase over 2011.

Hopkins residents will pay a bit less in property taxes than initially expected following approval of a budget lower than originally planned. The preliminary levy that council members approved Tuesday is a 2.07 percent increase over the 2011 levy—down from the 2.43 percent increase first presented and the 2.3 percent increase broached August 5. The current proposal would result in a 2.14 percent spending increase over 2011. The taxes on a typical home are not yet available, in part because of delays created by the repeal of the market value homestead credit. Salary changes account for much of the reduction over the past month, Finance Director Christine Harkess said. Hopkins has five union contracts up for negotiation in the upcoming year…

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Hopkins Council Seeks to Rein In Spending

Members aren't satisfied with the projected 3.26 percent spending increase.

Hopkins council members plan to dig more aggressively into the city budget following news that 2012 expenses will be higher than planners initially thought. The latest budget changes were actually more mixed than the council’s reaction suggests. The bad news is that expenditures would grow by 3.26 percent instead of the original 2.96 percent. The good news is that the city would actually need to collect fewer taxes than originally expected. That’s because the city expects to take in more money as well as spend more money—sometimes as a result of the same service. For example, about $28,000 of the $31,000 in added expenses comes from contracting out electrical inspectors and upgrading the police department’s Enhanced 911 system. Both of …

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Hopkins Labors Under Heavy Equipment Costs

An account to pay for replacing equipment could be in the red by 2013.

Hopkins has more equipment than it can afford to replace, and that could lead to hard choices between higher taxes or fewer services. Advancing technology has led to an increasing array of equipment in the city inventory. Grants paid for much of that equipment, including laptops and video cameras in police cars and the Fire Department fitness center. But the city must pick up the tab when it’s time for those items to be replaced. “You can only push so many things back until, all of a sudden, the day of reckoning comes,” said Finance Director Christine Harkess. The source of the problem is what's called the equipment replacement fund. Hopkins created this fund in the late 1980s to level the cost of equipment purchases from year to year and …

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