Staff reports
ROCHESTER - The City of Rochester on Friday released its final next-year budgets for the City, County, School District, Enterprise Funds, and Special Revenue Funds.
The City Manager originally proposed operating budgets for the City, County, and School District that were $175,168 below the tax cap allowance. The City Council made additional adjustments, resulting in an adopted City operating budget of $80,990,408 and an adopted School operating budget of $83,812,489. The adopted FY27 City operating budget includes the use of $5 million from the city's shrinking Unassigned Fund Balance, which reduces the amount to be raised through property taxes.
City Council approved the utilization of a debt service exception clause for the School Department, provided by City Charter 43a, Limitation of Budgetary Increase, Paragraph B. This clause allows debt service to be excluded from the Limitation of Budgetary Increase. The City Council approved this exception as a means to allow the School Department to restore the loss of 15 teaching positions.
The estimated 2026 tax rate increase is $0.63. The projected annual increase on the median assessed value is as follows:
- Single-family homes ($378,000): $238.00
- Condominiums ($246,000): $155.00
- Manufactured/mobile homes ($175,000): $110.00
The total property tax rate is now $16.93 per thousand, a 4.12 percent increase over last year's rate.
Meanwhile, the City Council also adopted the FY27 Capital Improvements Plan, totaling $24,488,100. This plan includes a range of capital improvement projects for the City, School District, Water Fund, Sewer Fund, and Tax Increment Financing Districts.
The City, County, and School District operating budgets are subject to an annual tax cap allowance.
First-issue property tax bills are estimated to be mailed on Wednesday, with a due date of July 10.
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