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Costs for mandated services <br />relying more on property taxes <br />Washington County acts as both an administrative agency <br />of the state providing mandated services, and a local gov- <br />ernment, with the powers and authorities given to it by the <br />Legislature through statutes. <br />The county provides an array of services, including health <br />and human services, road construction and maintenance, <br />public safety, election administration, parks, libraries, solid <br />waste management, and property valuation and taxation. <br />County programs are funded through a combination of <br />state and federal grants and aids, local property taxes, and <br />fees for services. As the cost of providing mandated services <br />have increased, state and federal funding has not kept pace, <br />putting greater pressure on local property taxes. <br />In 2017, the county spent more than $116 million on ser- <br />vices required by the state or federal government, which <br />will increase by 6.7 percent in 2018, or by $4.6 million. The <br />growth is from increased service demand, program changes, <br />and the cost of wages and benefits for the employees who <br />provide these services. <br />More than $1.1 million in new county costs for 2018 are the <br />result of recent legislative changes related to child protec- <br />tion; out -of -home placement of children; the regional <br />treatment center and chemical dependency treatment costs; <br />an upgrade to the statewide public safety radio system; and <br />assessments for the elderly and developmentally disabled <br />(MnChoices). <br />How does the county spend <br />each dollar it receives? <br />Health & Human Services <br />Public Safety <br />Highway Construction & Maintenance <br />General Government <br />Debt Payments <br />Libraries & Recreation <br />■ Property & Taxation <br />■ Information Technology <br />a Other Capital Outlay <br />MONTHLY COSTS TO RESIDENTS IN 2018 <br />ba ,ud on a resident witl3 a home vakwd at 1525-7,000 <br />Health & Community Services <br />$17.98 <br />Public Safety <br />$14.26 <br />Highway Construction & <br />Maintenance <br />$1.1.16 <br />General Government <br />$5.58 <br />Libraries & Recreation <br />$3.72 <br />Debt Payments <br />$3.72 <br />Property & Taxation <br />$2.48 <br />Information Technology <br />$2.48 <br />Other Capital Outlay <br />$0.62 <br />TOTAL <br />$62.00 <br />Health & Human Services 29¢—PublicHealth and Environ- <br />ment provides health services, restaurant inspections, recycling, and <br />communicable disease control, while Community Services provides <br />public assistance and care for individuals economically unable to <br />provide for themselves, including income maintenance, social ser- <br />vice, and workforce programs. <br />Public Safety 23¢—These are costs related to the protection of <br />persons and property; combining Sheriff, Corrections, and Attorney. <br />Highway Construction & Maintenance 18¢—These are costs <br />for the maintenance and repair of local highways, streets and bridg- <br />es, and construction of additional roadways and lanes. <br />General Government 9¢—Expenditures include administrative <br />costs of county government, including Administration, Accounting <br />& Finance, Human Resources, county commissioners, and district <br />court expenses. <br />Debt Payments 6¢— This is principal and interest payments on <br />bonded debt. <br />Libraries $ Recreation 6¢—These are costs of Libraries and <br />Parks, and the.county's Land and Water Legacy Program. <br />Property & Taxation 4¢— Property records, motor vehicle licens- <br />ing, permits, taxation services, and elections costs are included here. <br />Information Technology 4¢— This is the cost of buying and <br />maintaining the technology used to manage the information pro- <br />cessed and stored by the county. <br />Other Capital Outlay 1 0—This consists of major capital improve- <br />ments to county facilities. <br />A great place to live, work and play... today and tomorrow <br />41 <br />