Henry Harrington

Anoka County's 2025 operating budget was approximately $390 million, with roughly 70% of operating expenditures going toward salaries and employee benefits. Personnel costs have grown substantially in recent years.

• 2022: $199.2 million
• 2023: $215.3 million
• 2024: $255.3 million
• 2025 proposed budget: $280.3 million

That represents an increase of approximately $81 million in just three years—more than a 40% increase from the 2022 level.

Some individual areas of county spending also deserve a closer look:

• Sheriff's Office: Approximately $57.2 million spent in 2025, about $2.5 million above its adopted budget.
• Information Technology: Approximately $9.7 million spent in 2025.
• Human Resources: Approximately $5.7 million spent in 2025.
• Emergency Communications: Approximately $13.4 million spent in 2025.
• Strategic Planning & Data Management: Approximately $1.2 million spent in 2025.
• County Administration: Approximately $1.15 million spent in 2025.

Not every increase represents waste, and some county expenses are funded partially or entirely through state, federal, or other outside revenue. But when personnel costs increase by approximately $81 million in three years, taxpayers deserve a clear explanation of what changed, which new positions and programs were added, and whether every increase is necessary.

Before asking taxpayers for more money, county government should be able to show where the money is going and demonstrate that existing dollars are being used efficiently.

Anoka County provides essential services that have to be funded. Cutting spending does not mean blindly cutting everything. It means separating what we need from what we want, demanding competitive prices, and being willing to say no when a project costs more than taxpayers should reasonably be expected to pay.

Start With Major Capital Projects

Some of the biggest opportunities for savings are not small office expenses — they are major construction projects.

The proposed jail and replacement parking ramp could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Rather than accepting continually increasing estimates, the County should reconsider the design, location, and necessity of every component of the project and determine whether the same essential function can be provided for substantially less.

The County should apply that same scrutiny to other major building and renovation projects. Government buildings need to be safe and functional. They do not need to be extravagant.

Question Expensive Renovations

Nearly $1 million has been planned for renovations involving Human Resources and Veterans Services office space. Before spending that kind of money renovating government offices, taxpayers deserve to know what work is actually necessary, why it costs so much, and whether a less expensive solution is available.

A government office does not need to be luxurious. It needs to allow county employees to do their jobs effectively and serve the public.

Control Personnel Costs

Personnel is one of the largest areas of county spending. County personnel costs increased from approximately $199.2 million in 2022 to approximately $280.3 million in the proposed 2025 budget — an increase of more than 40% in only three years.

That does not mean county employees should simply have their pay or benefits cut. It means the County should examine how much of that growth came from additional positions, administrative expansion, overtime, compensation increases, and new programs.

Vacant positions should be reviewed before automatically being filled, and new positions should have to demonstrate that they are actually necessary.

Demand More Oversight of Department Spending

County departments should not receive a budget and then effectively be handed a blank check. Large purchases, contracts, cost overruns, and significant departures from an adopted budget deserve scrutiny from the County Board.

That is particularly important when departments spend beyond their adopted budgets or make major purchases involving controversial technology. Supporting law enforcement, public works, human services, or any other county function does not mean abandoning financial oversight.

Make Contractors Justify Cost Increases

When a county construction project increases by tens of millions of dollars, saying that costs have gone up is not enough. Architects, engineers, consultants, and contractors working for taxpayers should be required to provide clear explanations showing exactly what changed and why.

If a project can no longer be completed at a reasonable price, the County should be willing to redesign it, rebid it, delay nonessential portions, or walk away.

Ask Basic Questions Before Spending

• Do we need it?
• Is this the County's responsibility?
• Is there a less expensive way to accomplish the same thing?
• Did we seek competitive bids?
• Why did the price increase?
• Can an existing building, employee, program, or piece of equipment do the job?
• Would this still look like a reasonable purchase if it were coming out of our own pockets?

My approach to the County budget is simple: government should live within its means, just like the rest of us who pay for it.

I will not support raising taxes simply because spending has increased. Before asking residents for more money, the County should first examine its own spending, eliminate unnecessary expenses, reconsider overly expensive projects, and demand better accountability from departments, contractors, consultants, and vendors.

I also believe Anoka County should aggressively pursue every available state and federal dollar when state or federal governments require the County to carry out programs, services, or mandates.

State and federal governments collect enormous amounts of taxpayer money and then frequently require counties to administer programs or meet requirements that consume local staff, facilities, and other County resources. When another level of government requires Anoka County to do something, I believe the County should fight to make sure that government provides the funding necessary to pay for it.

County taxpayers should not automatically be expected to pay higher property taxes simply because the state or federal government creates another requirement and leaves part of the bill behind.

I will push the County to identify unfunded and underfunded mandates, document their true cost to Anoka County taxpayers, pursue every grant, reimbursement, and funding source available, and work with state and federal officials to demand adequate funding for requirements they impose.

At the same time, County government must be willing to make difficult choices of its own. Not every program needs to grow every year. Not every vacant position needs to be filled. Not every proposed building needs to be built exactly as designed. And not every request for more money should be approved simply because it appears in a department budget.

My responsibility as Commissioner would be to protect essential County services while remembering where the money comes from in the first place.

I will look for spending cuts first, fight for state and federal funding when those governments place costs on Anoka County, and I will not vote to raise our taxes.