COOK — The St. Louis County Board of Commissioners officially capped the 2027 maximum property tax levy increase at 6.25%, or $12.67 million, during its Tuesday meeting at the Cook Community Center.
The board will hold its final vote on both the 2027 budget and levy at its Dec. 15 meeting. The levy, set at approximately $215 million, is the portion of the budget funded through property taxes.
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The approved 6.25% levy hike represents less than half of the 12.4% increase in 2026, which raised the county levy to $202.7 million out of an overall $564.6 million budget.
County officials anticipate that a 7% growth in the property tax base will help soften the financial burden on individual property owners. Overall, the tax base benefited from a record-setting $337 million in new construction in 2026.
Because the levy is spread over an expanded tax base, the levy increase is unlikely to result in a 6.25% tax increase for every individual property owner.
Commissioners can reduce the levy as they continue working on the budget, but they cannot increase it.
As a whole, the county's estimated market value expanded by $1.89 billion. The most substantial gain occurred in residentia...