Photo by Kirsten Zoellner
The December 3 Rushford Village City Council meeting started with a discussion with Community Economic Development Authority (CEDA) Community and Business Development Specialist Rebecca Charles. She stated she and city engineer Derek Olinger of Bolton & Menk met regarding the potential Safe Routes to School Project and grant.
At the last meeting, Olinger expressed concern with the project. While the Minnesota Department of Transportation grants would cover construction costs if approved, the engineering portion of the project would be the village’s responsibility and that cost is unknown.
“Ultimately, I made the mistake of not knowing exactly what was all going to be in that report prior to the application getting started for the infrastructure grant. They told us we would have everything that we need; everything would be supplied through that grant,” said Charles. “It does not include a number of things we were under the impression it did.
“There’s some preliminary work we need to get done. While the program is intended for you to go straight from this into the infrastructure grant, I don’t feel they gave you ample enough time to all the things lined up that we need to,” she continued.”
“The thing that surprised me at the last meeting was even the design stuff that we’d talked about the meeting before, it wasn’t what we talked about,” added Councilor Mike Ebner. “We would have to be responsible for all the maintenance on it, plus the maintenance on the snow removal, which all has added costs to this project that are unknown. That was a red flag to me.”
Ultimately, the village will push back the potential project until all costs are known and funding is determined. The council denied the resolution unanimously.
In other news, Charles informed the council that the village was awarded an additional $1,200 from the Southern Minnesota Initiative Fund (SMIF) Taylor Grants. The grants aim to support rural improvements and childcare needs. The village was previously awarded $10,000 for an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant Omni Spinner (merry-go-round) for the community center park. The additional funding will assist with replacing existing pea gravel with ADA-compliant mulch.
She also noted that the first draft of the update to the Comprehensive Plan will be presented at the January meeting.
A renewal of the CEDA contract was also discussed following Charles’ departure from the meeting. The 2025 annual not to exceed cost is $15,962, a 5% increase over the last contract.
“We’ve waited two years for a Comprehensive Plan that we still don’t have, so I’ll just say I don’t think we’re getting our money value to be a part of this program,” said Councilor Bob Hart. “It’s a great program, I just don’t know if it fits the city of Rushford Village.”
“There’s a lot of man-hours that go into that,” countered Mayor Dennis Overland. “I understand your frustration. I don’t like when things move slowly either. It’s probably our fault for not directing her on what her priorities should be. I’ve been wrestling with this the last week or so, especially with this meeting. I know what you’re saying.”
“The comp plan takes a while to do. In between we’ve asked her to do other things,” added Ebner. “I know exactly where you’re coming from. I really do.”
“It seems we’re always put in a situation where we have to keep growing to finish the projects she’s supposed to be doing,” said Councilor Rick Ruberg. “A year ago, she was kept on to do the Comprehensive Plan, so it’s taken a year and we still don’t got it.”
The Comprehensive Plan is updated every 10 years. The last time the village undertook the process itself, the cost was $22,000. A group of citizens did the legwork, followed by a public hearing and legal reviews. Before that, it was updated by the council and Planning & Zoning Board.
Ruberg further noted the council likely spends $150,000 over 10 years with the CEDA contract versus $22,000 for an update of the plan every 10 years.
“It took a ton of time,” recalled Zoning Administrator Jon Pettit. “The biggest problem was to find people. It was really brutal to get that going.”
“I dislike being held hostage to a plan,” noted Hart.
The council voted 4:1, with Hart opposed, to renew the contract. The council will direct Charles to work on specific areas that fall under one of the four categories covered in the contract. If the council determines the work is no longer needed, City Attorney Joe O’Koren noted the village can terminate the CEDA contract with 30 days’ notice.
In other board action, the council revisited the proposed budget for 2025. The council set the preliminary levy earlier this year at a 9% increase. The final levy amount will reduced from that and is set at the last meeting in December. The village is currently looking at a 6%-6.5% increase. One leaves the budget with a $314 difference between projected disbursements and receipts, while the other provides a tentative $2,361 cushion. City staff will know better by the next meeting how the year’s figures will likely end.
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