Jill Schramm/MDN Grounds work is conducted Wednesday around the Magic City Construction Center, under construction on park district property on North Hill. Special assessments related to the property are included in the district’s 2023 budget.

The owner of a $200,000 home would pay an additional $29.61 a year in property taxes to Minot Park District under a budget approved on first reading by the park board Tuesday.

The change includes no increase in property value, which many homeowners have experienced this past year.

Although no one appeared at Tuesday’s public hearing on the preliminary budget, park board member Mike Schmitt said he understands the concern in the community about rising taxes. However, he added that lowering the tax can be difficult.

“It’s just the cost of doing business, and that doesn’t make an excuse to raise taxes, but in this environment, that’s what is happening,” he said.

The tax increase is attributed in part to a $235,000 increase in salaries and $557,000 in new debt payments. The debt repayments relate to special assessments on paving at the outdoor recreation area and the district’s North Hill property where the Magic City Discovery Center sits. They also include payments on the recently constructed leopard exhibit at the zoo and South Hill softball complex renovations.

The proposed $15.4 million budget is up about $1 million from the current budget. It requires a property-tax levy of $11 million, up $1.27 million.

The park board set a meeting for Oct. 4 at 4 p.m. to take final action on the budget.