Mount Vernon City finance director explains levy lid lift, 1% levy cap

Doug Valeski, director of finance for Mount Vernon City, said in a brief recorded message that the city's tax levy can increase by no more than 1% each year under law and that raising the levy by more than that requires voter approval through a levy lid lift.

Valeski framed the explainer as a short primer on how the levy works and why some tax increases require a public vote. "What is a levy lid lift? The City collects a set amount of money each year, known as the levy," he said. He used a numeric example to show the effect of the cap: "So, if we collect $100 this year, we can only collect $101 next year, at most." Valeski added that "the only way to increase the amount collected by more than the maximum of 1% is to ask the voters for their approval, which is known as the levy lid lift."

The remarks were delivered as a 60-second explainer aimed at answering common budget questions. No formal action, vote or ordinance was proposed or taken in the recorded segments provided.