STURGIS, SD — The Sturgis City 2021 budget contained some surprises related to property values and taxation and sales tax receipts.
City Council approved the second reading of its 2021 budget that totals $21,896.287.
According to city officials, valuation of properties within the city of Sturgis will translate to a reduction in property taxes of 4.7% for Sturgis residents in 2021. The city had anticipated a total valuation of the city for property tax purposes to be about $475 million. That valuation came in at $485 million — a 2.1% increase.
According to Sturgis City Manager Daniel Ainslie, by next year, the city will have reduced its property tax rate by 21.5% since 2010.
Also boosting the bottom line are sales tax revenues that were higher than anticipated. The attendance at the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was double the number that was expected. Preliminary numbers from the South Dakota Department of Revenue show spending at the Rally was up this year.
In addition, sales at the municipally-owned Sturgis Liquor store are up 19.3 percent over 2019.
City projects planned for 2021 include sports field improvements, $150,000; road resurfacing, $100,000; community center and armory upgrades, $120,000; payment on the SVFD fire truck, $16,471.
