The Oak Grove City Council voted unanimously to approve its 2026 budget and property tax levy at its Dec. 8 meeting.
Karri Thorston of Abdo Financial Solutions said the budgeting process began in July with department head reviews and continued through the public hearing and final presentation in December.
The city’s general fund property tax levy increased by $308,980, or 10.85%, compared to the 2025 general fund levy. Thorston said interest earnings are budgeted conservatively in the 2026 budget.
Thorston said several general fund expenditures increased for 2026. Administration costs rose by $48,863 due to the addition of a new part-time position and coding changes. Election-related costs increased by $6,193 because 2026 is an election year, though the city budgeted some election expenses in 2025 to help level costs between years.
The budget also includes increased compensation for election judges, Thorston said.
Finance expenditures increased by $14,325 due to higher wages and benefits and accounting services. Planning and zoning expenditures rose by $61,278 due to the city’s 2050 comprehensive plan update, consulting planning services and additional code enforcement.
Computer services expenditures increased by $15,000 to replace computers and software, Thorston said.
Buildings and grounds expenditures decreased by $13,000 due to reduced repair and improvement costs. Police services expenditures increased by $72,149 because of a higher contract cost with Anoka County. Fire management expenditures increased by $22,123 due to wage and benefit increases, while also passing through a $10,000 increase in fire state aid.
Public works expenditures increased by $11,071 due to wages and benefits, Thorston said.
The public works budget totals $855,000 for 2026, while the public safety budget totals $528,890. The parks and recreation budget totals $135,960.
The city’s 2026 Capital Improvement Program totals $1,519,850, Thorston said.
Oak Grove’s overall property tax levy increased 4.95% from 2025. The city tax rate is 25.522%, while the total tax rate for residents — including county, school district and other taxing authorities — is 73.372%.
Thorston said Oak Grove has the fourth-lowest proposed tax rate in Anoka County, presenting a comparison chart to the council.
The estimated average market value of a home in Oak Grove for 2026 is $419,650. That home would see a $15 decrease in its average city tax bill, Thorston said, though the estimate does not account for changes in market value exclusions.
According to Thorston, 77.7% of the city’s revenue budget comes from taxes and special assessments. On the expenditure side, 46.3% of 2026 spending is allocated to public safety, 28.7% to general government and 22.4% to public works.
Mayor Weston Rolf said he would like to see the city budget smaller amounts annually for major expenses, such as comprehensive plan updates, rather than seeing large increases every 10 years.
“It’s kind of like what we’re doing with the elections, too — we’re off a little bit. It was always nice when we didn’t put anything towards elections,” Rolf said. “But then you have the big year, you had to do it, then it was always tough.”
Rolf also said mayor and City Council salaries have not changed for some time and will not change again.
Referring to $9,000 allocated to the Heartsafe program through charitable gambling funds, Rolf said he believes the amount continues to increase each year.
“I’m not going to vote against this budget, but I personally think that should be closer to like $7,000,” Rolf said. “When you have a four-plus-million-dollar budget, I’m not going to vote against it for $2,000, but that number is going to continue to increase.”