At their last meeting of the year, St. Louis County Board officials voted to approve the 2017 budget - totaling $387,159,183;  that figure includes an 8.5% tax levy increase to property owners.

One of the major drivers for the increase was an increase in spending for children and family services.  According to County Administrator Kevin Gray, three significant costs drove the budget higher:  increased Health and Human Service impacts, costs of record numbers of children in out-of-home placements, and rising instances of people with mental health, substance abuse and addiction issues.

In addition to the spotlighted areas, the St. Louis County budget will also see higher numbers due to escalating healthcare costs for employees.

It should be noted that even thought the levy for 2017 is seeing am 8.5% increase, that won't necessarily translate to a similar increase on taxpayers bills.  St. Louis County has seen growth in the property tax base - at a rate of 8%.  That means that a property owner who's property value has remained the same will only see a slight increase in their actual property tax bill.

To learn more about the budget and see the actual numbers, click here.

 

 

 

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