Property Taxes

Property taxes are being raised all over our state at an alarming rate. According to the State of Minnesota, in 2025 property taxes are increasing on average:

• 8.8% for cities
• 6.4% for counties
• 6.3% for townships
• 4.4% for schools

Ramsey County has the highest property tax rate in Minnesota at 1.47%, and Anoka is not far behind at 1.17%. The Anoka County Board just hiked the county rate by 16.86% for 2025 before a single city levy is added on. Do our roads feel 16.86% better than in 2024? What about our schools, water treatment facilities, and other services that taxes are supposed to fund? Ramsey County is also trying to raise property taxes by more than 17% over the next two years. We need to eliminate wasteful spending and fraud instead of squeezing homeowners.

County assessors are conflicted and may intentionally overestimate property values to drive up levies that fund their friends' projects. When the government decides what your property is worth so it can tax you, the incentive for abuse is obvious. We need a non-government, independent entity to determine property values for tax purposes, delivering accurate estimates, limiting collusion, and lowering bills for families. I support first-in-the-nation legislation that would tax properties at the lowest estimate from the prior ten years, smoothing short-term spikes and helping taxpayers budget with confidence.

State unfunded mandates and unaudited so-called non-profits also inflate our property taxes. The State of Minnesota shifts the costs of wasteful programs onto counties and cities, then forces taxpayers to foot the bill without transparency. After weeks of back-and-forth with Ramsey County through its property tax portal, I received a disturbing list showing the county handed out $38.4 million to 213 nonprofits and NGOs this year—yet audits are nowhere to be found. Anoka County, by contrast, spent roughly $600,000 on 20 NGOs. What is Ramsey County doing, and are these organizations ever reviewed or removed when they fail to deliver results?

I would vote to let counties and municipalities opt out of unfunded mandates, reset and audit all NGOs and nonprofits, and stop the state from passing costs to taxpayers. I also support expanding Homestead Market Value Exclusion qualifications and capping the property tax rate so Minnesotans can plan for the future instead of fearing the next levy spike.

Education

• In 2023, over half of Minnesota students failed to meet grade-level standards in math (54.5%), reading (just over 50%), and science (60.8%). Only 36% of 11th graders were proficient in math, and 52% of 10th graders in reading.
• The 2025 Kids Count Data Book reported 69% of fourth graders are not reading proficiently, and 66% are not proficient in math.
• Minnesota’s ranking in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s education quality index dropped from 6th to 19th in less than a decade.

In 2024, a state audit uncovered that the Minnesota Department of Education failed to adequately oversee a federal program designed to provide meals to children during the pandemic. The organization “Feeding Our Future” misappropriated $250 million that was meant for children from low-income families. Children were not fed. That is why I support free school lunches for low-income family students to ensure that no child goes hungry in Minnesota schools.

Democrats have also squandered millions of taxpayer dollars on unfunded mandates that impose their radical agenda and leave taxpayers to pay the bill. Recently, Democrats in St. Paul imposed over 80 new mandates on our schools, causing a budget shortfall of $280 million—money that could hire better teachers and expand true educational programs. I support allowing local school boards to waive unfunded mandates so each district can decide what their needs are and how they can pay for them. This frees up funds to improve reading and mathematics.

Public Safety

Minnesota needs to take law and order seriously—it starts with safe communities. There used to be a time in Minnesota where people were not afraid to keep their doors unlocked at night. Children could leave their bicycles outside overnight without fear of them being stolen by morning. Crime across our once great state has become out of control. Calls by the DFL to “defund the police” have led to disaster in cities outside our district. As your State Representative, I will ensure that our local law enforcement has the resources to protect our streets and keep us safe. Our cities and towns will not go the way Minneapolis went in 2020.

I zealously support our citizens’ right to defend themselves by exercising the Second Amendment. Currently, Minnesota has “duty to retreat” laws imposed by our state Supreme Court, not the legislature. As a result, many law-abiding citizens have gone to prison for defending themselves because they refused to cower to criminals threatening them. As your representative, I will propose stand-your-ground laws so that every law-abiding citizen can defend themselves from criminals without worrying about being charged with a crime afterwards.