DEPARTMENT: Finance
FILE TYPE: Regular Action
TITLE
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Public Hearing To Receive Comments And Adoption Of Dakota County 2026 Fee Schedules
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PURPOSE/ACTION REQUESTED
Conduct a public hearing and adopt the 2026 Dakota County fee schedules.
SUMMARY
The County Manager recommends that the County Board adopt fee schedules for fiscal year 2026. Minn. Stat. ? 373.41 provides that the County Board may, after a public hearing, establish fees to be charged for services that are not governed by other statutes. Fee revenues provide an important revenue source for the County and help to support the cost of operations and offset the annual levy. The recommended fees are for services that are not governed by a more specific law and are proposed to take effect January 1, 2026, except for several Parks fees which will take effect in late 2025.
The Finance Department worked with all divisions to set fees to cover estimated costs of providing services, including overhead, with an inflationary rate increase of three percent. The projected inflationary increase is consistent with the overall budget planning framework that reflects higher labor costs for 2026. Some exceptions to this approach include:
* Fees established by law or rule; and
* Fees for services when it is difficult to determine the actual cost of service such as rental of campgrounds, facilities, and equipment. The recommendation for these types of fees or services are based upon market rates.
Many Community Services fees are set at the cost of services; however, the amount charged to clients is usually less due to the provision of a sliding fee schedule that is included in the Community Services policy.
The following are highlights of the 2026 fees:
* 10 new fees are being proposed for 2026
* 17 fees are being removed
* 36 fees had an increase over 5%
The recommended fee schedules were presented to the General Government and Policy Committee of the Whole meeting on October 7, 2025 (Attachment: 2026 Propose...
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