Taxpayers feel pain of city levy increase

Despite being sympathetic to citizens who can’t afford higher taxes, Cloquet city councilors unanimously passed an 11.23-percent property tax levy increase Tuesday, an increase of nearly $398,000 over last year’s levy.

“This is the cost for the level of service that we have right now,” said city administrator Tim Peterson. “If we want to decrease the level of service, that will lower the costs that we have presented in front of you, but this is what it costs to have what we have right now.”

Peterson focused much of his explanations Tuesday on the city’s general fund, which covers most of the c...