On December 15, 2020, the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners approved a temporary COVID-19 property tax hardship abatement policy for commercial/industrial property owners. The policy is intended to provide some relief to business owners having difficulty paying their 2020 property taxes due to COVID-19 impacts on their businesses. This will defer payment of some of the taxes and abate some of the penalties and interest to help those businesses recover.

Olmsted County’s 2021 budget was approved by the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners on December 15, 2020.

The 2021 budget for Olmsted County and the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) combined totals $263,995,510. Of this total, $111,330,443 is funded with county and HRA property taxes of $107,552,788 and $3,777,655, respectively. The remaining $152,665,057 of our budget comes from intergovernmental revenues, charges for services, transportation taxes, bond proceeds, reserves, interest income, and other miscellaneous sources.

The Olmsted County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution today stating that conversion therapy is a discredited practice that is unethical and harmful. The board also indicated support of a statewide ban on the controversial practice.

Conversion therapy is a widely discredited practice in which practitioners attempt to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity by employing psychological or spiritual interventions. The practice has been banned in 20 states and seven Minnesota cities.