The Washington County Board on Tuesday unanimously approved the property tax levy and budget for 2026. The $148.9 million levy represents a 6.95 percent increase over 2025 — the lowest county levy increase proposed in the metro area, according to county officials. That means the owner of a median- valued home ($423,700) that had a median increase in value (1.7 percent) will see a $41 increase in the county portion of property taxes for 2026, or a 4.2 percent increase from 2025, said County Administrator Kevin Corbid. Related Articles Ramsey County board sets 8.25% levy increase, reduced operating budget Dakota County approves 9.9% levy increase. Here’s what to know. The board also set a levy of $1.2 million for the Land and Water Legacy Program and $660,000 for the Washington County Regional Rail Authority, the same as in previous years. The 2026 budget approved by the board on Tuesday, also by a 5-0 vote, includes $300 million in operating expenses, $117.5 million in capital projects and $16.8 million in debt service. “It provides critical funding for mandated and core services that directly impact residents’ lives and support the community,” Corbid said. The budget includes cost shifts from the federal government to the county for existing mandated services; adjustments to employee compensation and increases to health care costs, and inflationary pressures on fuel, equipment and construction costs, he said. The difference between what the levy supports and what the budget calls for in revenue will be provided by funding from other sources, including state and federal reimbursements, grants and fees for services, he said. Capital investments The county plans for capital investments in 2026 include: $113.2 million for road and bridge projects; a $17 million makeover of the Park Grove Library in Cottage Grove; $1.3 million for the development of the new Central Yard Waste site in Afton; $1.8 million for improvements to county parks; and $200,000 for electric-vehicle charging stations. The budget also addresses waitlists and backlogs in human services due to growing service demands and lengthier assessment requirements, and maintains the same ratio of five employees per 1,000 residents, Corbid said. The county’s five-year capital improvement plan, which will oversee projects through 2030, was approved in a separate, 4-1 vote. Commissioner Michelle Clasen, who represents the Woodbury area, voted no. The plan includes more than $493.8 million in community investment — including a proposed $40 million bond sale in 2027 — across 105 projects or programs in the 2026-2030 timespan, Corbid said. It calls for 69 percent of the funds to be spent on roads and bridges, 27 percent on public facilities and 4 percent on parks and land. It also plans for the maintenance of 296 miles of county highway along with separated trails, intersections, signs, culverts and roundabouts. Funding sources for the capital improvement plan include intergovernmental revenue — meaning funds coming from other levels of government — as well as the county’s transportation tax, wheelage tax and bond proceeds. The five-year capital improvement plan includes more than $17.6 million in investments in the county’s parks and trails; Washington County maintains 4,800 acres of parkland, with 75 miles of trails and five beaches. Among the 16 planned projects: Hardwood Creek Regional Trail extension, Big Marine Park Reserve improvements, Lake Elmo Park Reserve facility improvements, Lake Elmo Park Reserve single-track trail and Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park lighted trails. Related Articles Woodbury school among many impacted by influenza outbreaks, will switch to online classes Tuesday special primary will pick DFL candidates for vacant MN House seats Oakdale: Open houses planned for police expansion, city hall remodel project Obituary: John McPherson, longtime West Lakeland Township board chair, ‘lived a gigantic life’ Mahtomedi woman dies after being struck by vehicle on I-94 The five-year plan also includes $132.2 million in investments for 21 public facilities projects and programs in the county, including Public Works South Shop maintenance facility construction; R.H. Stafford Library improvements; Park Grove Library remodel project; Central and South Yard Waste sites, and countywide facility improvements. County officials also have $343.8 million in planned investments for 68 road and bridge projects and programs across the county in the five-year plan. They include: County Highway 50 corridor studies and intersection improvements in Forest Lake; County Highway 27 corridor expansion project from Interstate 694 to County Highway 12 in Mahtomedi; Highway 36/Lake Elmo Avenue (County Highway 17) interchange project in Lake Elmo; County Highway 16 corridor safety and pavement preservation projects in Woodbury, and the County Road 19A to 100th Street realignment project in Cottage Grove. Clasen said Tuesday night that she voted against the measure because “even though Woodbury is a regional shopping mega that takes in non-resident traffic and generates sales revenue used to pay for most construction projects, most construction projects are outside of Woodbury.” “Woodbury’s number one concern continues to be traffic,” she said. “I look forward to the first-ever Washington County long-range plan that staff states should be finished in 2026 to see if capital improvement priorities include Woodbury.” ...read more read less