As the Rushford Village Council begins pondering the 2025 budget and levy, service costs are increasing, some at unexpected rates.
City Clerk Mary Miner presented a new Rushford Ambulance Service contract to the council at the August 6 meeting. The annual service was $4,100 last time, according to Miner. The new rate is $7,900. While the increase may have come with some sticker shock, no one on the council voted to oppose it.
“Every meeting we go to it comes up with funding,” said Miner. “But, we still have an ambulance and should be grateful. It is what it is.”
“We don’t have a choice in the matter,” said Mayor Dennis Overland. He suggested the ambulance service host something similar to the mill rate meetings held by the fire department to provide updates and discuss funding with the cities and townships where it provides services. “A little transparency would be nice.”
Another cost increase, although expected, was Animal Control Officer Robert Brand. The current rate is $175 per month, increasing to $250. Capture rates will now also be $30 across the board. The last increase prior was in July 2021.
“He’s talked about this for well over a year,” said Miner referencing the increases in insurance, traps, and other related costs that Brand is incurring. The council approved the changes unanimously, effective August 1.
Other items the council discussed for future budget needs highlighted the completion of the electrical and new overhead doors for the maintenance shed project, street chip sealing, and other maintenance, the possibility of a part-time worker, lift station generator, and a new truck for the Public Works Department, and the annual review of insurance, wage steps, and cost of living increases for city employees.
A quote for the maintenance shed was $11,387 for the overhead doors, up from $10,520 earlier this year. At a February meeting, the electrical quote from NES was $13,000. Councilor Mike Ebner plans to meet with NES to break down the quote. The village allocated $30,000 for the project this year.
“I’d like to look at what was allocated and leftover,” said Ebner. “It’s all depending upon where the rest of our budget is for this year. As we’ve seen, the longer we wait, this stuff is all going up. Food for thought is all it is.”
City Engineering Derek Olinger of Bolton & Menk is urging the council not to postpone road maintenance again this year. There are roads he believes will no longer benefit from chip sealing. The council previously estimated costs at $60,000. The council would like Olinger to look at the priority list of projects to put together a bid package for road work.
The village previously looked at getting a new gasoline 450 commercial truck. Public Works Supervisor Chiglo provided ballpark prices of $102,000 with a brand new plow, sander, and complete package from one dealer. A diesel 450 is an additional $10,000-12,000. These prices are another $5,000 if you look at a 2025 model. It’s unclear how long it would take to get a new truck. Trucks over one ton are backed up in production 3-4 years from order date.
As for the village sewer system, Ebner is working on getting an estimate from NES for a single-phase generator to power the lift station pumps in case of outages. There is natural gas present, but there are no cost estimates for hookup. It’s estimated a generator could cost $10,000-12,000 to accommodate the drawdown from the pumps.
“If we ever want to think about an automatic generator down there with the problems we’ve had, it should be part of the sewer study,” he said.
There are no details yet of potential wage steps, cost of living increases, and insurance for city employees, nor has there been more talk about hiring a new part-time Public Works employee and how they’ll all play into the budget.
“There’s those variables that we need to decide,” cautioned Miner.
The village is expecting to get just $67,196 in Local Government Aid in 2025, which it relies on for assistance from the state. Last year, that number was $75,216.
The village also hopes for further Small Cities Assistance Funding. In 2024, it received $28,499 from the state. Minnesota is working to generate funds in a Transportation Advancement Account (TAA), generated by a tax started in July 2023 on auto parts. The state will divide funds between the number of eligible cities with two payouts per year. The number of eligible cities may fluctuate. The state designated the funds for road maintenance and repair.
The village is meeting with Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives in the coming weeks to discuss the June 21 flooding damage. It includes damage to Gilbertson Road, Benson Lane, and additional road washing and downed trees. Funding will ease the burden of repair work costs.
The village levy was $535,000 last year and it will be the starting point for this year.
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