Linn County budget’s final public hearing is Monday

The public has its final chance Monday morning to weight in on Linn County's budget for the year starting July 1.

The public hearing on the proposed $129 million proposed budget leads off the agenda for the county supervisors' work session, set for 9 a.m. at Linn County West in the Westdale Mall.

Approved by supervisors last month, the plan raises the county's levy rate a nickel, to $6.12 per $1,000 of property valuation, to generate $57.2 million. The added 5 cents begins paying off bonds for flood recovery projects.

The planned levy rate would raise taxes on an urban home worth $200,000 by about $25. County taxes account for about 20 percent of a Cedar Rapids resident's tax bill.

The budget doesn't include funding for the county sheriff's office rescue division. Its $300,000 cost was cut during the budget-writing process, but Sheriff Brian Gardner has vowed to find a way to fund the program.