Budget in Brief

Washington County is committed to sound fiscal management and financial reporting. Developing the annual county budget emphasizes providing sufficient funding for high-quality services and programs. The Budget-in-Brief is a condensed description of Washington County government and its budget. The county’s fiscal year runs January 1 through December 31.

Where the Money Comes From

Revenues for use by Washington County come from many different sources, affected by an array of outside agencies, including state and federal legislation and financial changes. County growth, historical and current trends, and potential legislative changes are considered when estimating county revenues.

2023 Major Revenue Sources $378,925,400

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image of Cottage Grove Service Center building

Property Taxes ($128.4M)

Amount collected from property owners to support the county budget ($126.5M), the Land & Water Legacy Program ($1.2M), and the Regional Rail budget ($660,000).

Other Financing Sources ($74.7M) 

Includes use of bond proceeds and planned use of fund balance.

Intergovernmental Revenues ($76.8M) 

Funds received from the state, federal, or cities governments for specific projects or programs.

Other Taxes ($46.3M) 

Consist of transportation sales tax, county environmental charges, wheelage tax, and other miscellaneous taxes.

Fees for Services ($21.3M) 

Revenues generated from charges for services the county provides.

Miscellaneous Revenues ($15.1M)

Revenues not accounted for in other categories, such as interest earnings on the county’s investments, rent revenues, collections, donations and contributions, and revenues received from fines and penalties imposed for statutory offenses.

County Program Aid ($11.3M) 

General purpose aid given to the county by the State of Minnesota and is intended to reduce property taxes for individual taxpayers.

Licenses & Permits ($5.0M)

Revenues from all businesses and occupations which are licensed to do business in the county.

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Where the Money goes

Washington County organizes its expenditures into categories based on the intended use of funds.

2023 Major Expenditure Categories $378,925,400

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Manning-36-Interchange transportation project

Streets & Highways ($97.2M)

Costs of maintenance and repair of local highways, streets, bridges, and road construction. Also includes capital road and bridge projects funded through bond proceeds.

Health & Community Services ($72.2M)

Costs of child protection, social services, community health, household hazardous waste, veterans’ services, job training, and food and medical care for people in need.

General Government ($68.6M)

Administrative costs of county government, including Administration, Accounting & Finance, Information Technology, Human Resources, Property Records & Taxation, and Building Services.

Public Safety ($64.3M)

Costs to protect persons and property, combining Sheriff, Corrections, and Attorney.

Other Capital Outlay ($40.3M)

Major capital improvements to county facilities, such as building upgrades, roof replacements, and cooling and heating.

Culture & Recreation ($21.2M) 

Operation costs of Libraries, Parks, and the county’s Land and Water Legacy Program.

Debt Service ($15.2M) 

Principal payments on bonded debt, as well as interest and fiscal charges.

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How Washington County compares

Washington County is part of the “7-County Metropolitan Area.” As provided by each county to the Minnesota State Auditor’s Office, the most recent data (in 2022), identifies Washington County as having one of the best rankings in the metro area, as well as statewide, in each of the following categories. Similar rankings are anticipated for 2023.

7-Metro-County-Map

Washington County 2023 Budget

Net Levy per Capita: $467

County Tax Rate: 23.625%

County Tax on Median House Value ($318,700): $919

Employees per 1,000 Population:  4.9

Net Levy excludes Regional Rail Authority and Land & Water Legacy Program levies. 
Per capita information is based on the most current estimated population  from 
Metropolitan Council for 2021 of 270,805.





2023 Certified Levy per Capita

Certified levy per capita 2022Source: Minnesota Inter-County Association, Comparison of 2023 Certified County Levies Per Capita.

2023 Tax Rate Ranges

2023 Tax Rate Changes. Washington County at 23.6%. When comparing tax rates, Washington County was the 2nd lowest in the metropolitan area.  This means that the same valued property in any metropolitan county, except Dakota, would pay more in county property tax than they do in Washington County.

Source: Washington County Property Records and Taxpayer Services (PRTS) Workshop Final Taxes Payable 2023 & Estimated Impact of Proposed 2024 Levy from PRTS.

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County Board of Commissioners

The Washington County Board of Commissioners consists of five commissioners elected from five districts on a non-partisan basis for staggered four-year terms. The County Administrator is appointed by the County Board.

District 1: Fran Miron

Email:  Fran.Miron@co.washington.mn.us | Phone:  651-430-6211  | Webpage

District 2: Stan Karwoski

Email:  Stan.Karwoski@co.washington.mn.us  | Phone:  651-430-6212 | Webpage

District 3: Gary Kriesel

Email:  Gary.Kriesel@co.washington.mn.us  | Phone:  651-430-6213 | Webpage

District 4: Karla Bigham 

Email:  Karla.Bigham@co.washington.mn.us  | Phone:  651-430-6214 | Webpage

District 5: Michelle Clasen

Email:  Michelle.Clasen@co.washington.mn.us  | Phone:  651-430-6215 | Webpage

County Administration

County Administrator: Kevin Corbid 

Email:  Kevin.Corbid@co.washington.mn.us  | Phone:  651-430-6002  

Deputy County Administrator: Jan Lucke 

Email:  Jan.Lucke@co.washington.mn.us  | Phone:  651-430-6003  

Deputy County Administrator: Jennifer Wagenius 

Email:  Jennifer.Wagenius@co.washington.mn.us  | 651-430-6007

More Information

Visit 2023 Washington County Budget for more information.

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