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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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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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.

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

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

2023 Tax Rate Ranges

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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