Taxpayers could see big city tax increase

Cloquet city councilors set the 2025 preliminary tax levy at just over $3.9 million Tuesday, an 11.23 percent increase over the 2024 levy. Once a preliminary levy is approved, the figure can go down before it gets final approval in December, but it cannot be increased.

City administrator Tim Peterson said the reason behind the jump is easy to pinpoint: wages.

Salaries and benefits make up just over $6 million of the entire general fund budget of $9.5 million, he said. The total wage increases for next year are $460,000 and the proposed levy increase is $397,000. On a $200,000 home, an 11.23 pe...