Inside Carver County Government | Commissioner Lisa Anderson on Taxes, Growth & Getting Involved

Carver County Commissioner Lisa Anderson explains how your property taxes are calculated, why growth doesn’t automatically lower your tax bill, and how residents can influence local decisions before they’re made.

What does a Carver County Commissioner actually do? How are your property taxes calculated? And why doesn’t all that new construction in Chaska, Victoria, and Waconia automatically lower your tax bill?

Commissioner Lisa Anderson represents District 1 on the Carver County Board. She brings 13 years of school board experience and one year on the county board, and she’s refreshingly honest about what she’s learned about the “hidden layer” of government that affects your daily life.

In this conversation, we cover:

The two pieces of your property tax bill and how the 2026 levy affects the average Carver County home. Why Carver County’s 2.5% growth rate doesn’t fully offset rising costs. Minnesota’s property tax lag and why your 2025 remodel shows up on your 2027 bill. The state funding squeeze and what an $8 million cost shift could mean for 2027 taxes. Met Council’s role in controlling growth through sewer and water expansion. The Highway 5 widening project from Chanhassen to Victoria starting in 2026. How Highway 212’s expansion to Norwood Young America came together as a bipartisan effort. Orderly annexation and how cities like Victoria and Carver actually grow. Mental health services including First Street Center in Waconia. The new Chaska Library project and reimagining libraries as community spaces. How to get involved in county government before decisions get made.

Lisa describes county government as “a mile wide and a foot deep” compared to her school board days. Her memorable phrase: “The federal government makes their rules, the state government makes laws, the city makes their plans, and we just sort of have to deal with it. We take lemons and make lemonade.”

Whether you live in Chaska, Chanhassen, Victoria, Waconia, Carver, Cologne, Norwood Young America, Mayer, or anywhere in Carver County, this episode gives you the insider perspective on how local government actually works.

Guest: Lisa Anderson, Carver County Commissioner, District 1Host: Greg Anderson, RE/MAX Advisors West

The Living in Carver County Podcast: Insider conversations with the people who make Carver County the best place to live, work, and raise a family.

Connect with Greg:Substack: HelloIamGregAnderson.substack.comLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gregoryranderson