At the November 4 Rushford Village meeting, the council broke down the budget worksheet bit by bit, looking for any possible cost savings in the coming year. In September, the council set the preliminary budget and property tax levy at $655,455. This represents a 14.5% increase from 2025. City Clerk Mary Miner and Treasurer Judy Graham laid out the proposed budget and will make any revisions, based on council suggestions.
Previously, the council had discussed at least three options to take expenditures down. They included holding off on the purchase of a $30,000 generator, ending or modifying the contract with Community Economic Development Associates, and removing proposed purchases for the Public Works Department. To get the budget down to a 7.51% increase, the village would need a new budget of $615,455. Likewise, a 6% increase, a $40,000 reduction, would be a new budget of $610,455.
Mayor Dennis Overland questioned staff on the current Certificate of Deposit (CD) standings planned for 2026. There is currently $106,000 proposed in CDs, including $25,000 for highway, streets, and roadways and $81,000 for Public Works vehicles including the truck and road grader. Overland suggested the city take down investment CDs by $20,000 as one cost savings measure. That plus the $30,000 generator would offer a cut of $50,000 to the budget. A $50,000 could bring the budget increase to somewhere between 4-6%, according to Miner.
“That would be much more palatable,” said Overland.
“We’re still up $56,000 more this year in investments. If we’re sticking with 5%, that sounds a lot better,” added Councilor Travis Link.
“I’m all in favor of doing what you’re talking about. I just want to know how things are allocated. I wanted to discuss other stuff. Are there smaller things we can do to save money?” asked Councilor Bob Hart. “I’m just trying to look at what we can do amongst ourselves.”
The council reviewed operational costs and potential savings. The areas discussed included whether or not the zoning administrator and legal counsel need to be at every council meeting. Further review included supplies, where increased postage has seen a significant jump, equipment, auditing and accounting, and professional services, contracts, and memberships.
The professional contract with CEDA seems to be talked about with every budget cycle. There’s currently $17,000 budgeted for 2026. The contract is annual and was budgeted at $16,000 for 2025. $15,962 has been paid year to date this year.
“I know you talked about that CEDA contract. Just throwing different options out there and what can be done,” said Councilor Link. He suggested the council pay on an as-needed basis, budgeting just $10,000 for next year. “I know that’s a game, right, because if you need them more it could be more than $10,000, but the amount of time you need them maybe it’s not. Maybe it is closer to $5,000 or $10,000. Just something to think about.”
Overland cautioned that not having an annual contract could add up.
“There are things that could be happening,” he said. “That $17,000 could be cheap, but yes, there’s some things we have to talk about.”
City staff will adjust the budget and levy down to $610,455 and recalculate projections.
In other news, the village received complaints about the approach at the intersection of Highway 30 and Ridgeview Road. Another issue sits at the intersection of Highway 16 and Cooperative Way, according to Councilor Rick Ruberg. Public Works Supervisor Darrin Dessner met with the Minnesota Department of Transportation and they will review the areas and address anything on their end.
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