The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday), approved the Fiscal Year 2020 County and Secondary Roads Budgets. The budget was approved following a public hearing, during which there were no comments. Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman said the budget calls for a county-wide increase in the property tax asking over FY2019 of four-cents per thousand dollars valuation, or $5.13, as opposed to $5.09 in the current year. The Rural Basic Levy is $3.95/$1,000, which is a decrease from $4.25 FY 2019.

The sub-total of County-wide/All Rural Services amounts to $9.08, as compared to $9.34 in FY 2019. Supervisor Steve Green clarified an otherwise confusing budget.

(He said basically, “The County portion rate-wise is down, but money-wise is up.”  Sunderman said the rate went down, because of new construction, or added new construction is for the wind turbines. “This is probably this is the last year that you’ll see the ability to go down on your levy rate and [at the same time] raise more taxes.”)