There are more than 70 independent local governments in Hennepin County that have authority to levy a property tax. Except for school districts, each of these taxing districts goes through a budget process annually to decide:

  • What public services they will or must provide
  • How they plan to pay for those services

The services provided by school districts, and the funding of those services, are determined by state law or by referendum.

In most cases, not all the money needed can be raised from state aid, grants, fees or fines. The rest is raised through property taxes.

All property is located in more than one taxing district. For example, property can be in a county, city, school district and other special taxing districts. Your property tax statement is really seven to ten tax bills, consolidated into one statement.

Here are some common types of taxing districts and some of the services they provide:

Services by taxing districts
County City or Town School Districts Metropolitan Special Taxing Districts Other Special Taxing Districts
Social services Roads and streets K-12 education Transportation Regional parks
Public Health Police and fire Community education Regional sewer system Regional railroads
Roads and highways Parks and recreation   Mosquito control (public health) Museums
Libraries Libraries     Watershed management
Corrections Building safety     Public housing
Sheriff        
Environmental Services