Mesabi Metallics Says Its Paid Late Taxes To Nashwauk And Itasca County

NASHWAUK, Minn. — Mesabi Metallics says it’s paid off its tax debt to Itasca County and the city of Nashwauk.

The company says it also paid the penalties for the overdue taxes and paid its property taxes due this month “in advance.”

In July, city and county leaders held a news conference airing their frustrations that they had to publicly ask Mesabi Metallics to pay what was owed.

At the time, the county said the company still owed it $1.7 million in property taxes.

The city and county said the debt owed was starting to hurt municipal operations.

The mayor of Nashwauk said a financial consultant recommended the city stop infrastructure projects, while a county commissioner indicated the lack of funds could hurt its number of employees.

FOX21 reached out to representatives with Itasca County and the city of Nashwauk on Wednesday about this update but haven’t heard back.

Last year, Mesabi Metallics bought 3,200 acres in the city for a mining project, but the Minnesota DNR terminated its mineral leases.

The DNR said the company wasn’t able to prove it had $200 million immediately available in its accounts before its deadline.