At the October 7 meeting, the Rushford Village City Clerk Mary Miner sought council suggestions for budget reductions. To bring the 2026 levy and budget down to 7.5% from the preliminary 14.5% increase, Miner indicated the council would need to reduce $40,000 from the proposed budget.
Councilor Bob Hart, echoed by Councilor Travis Link, suggested reducing or eliminating the Community Economic Development Associates (CEDA) contract. The cost is estimated to be $12,000-14,000 annually. Mayor Dennis Overland cautioned that utilizing CEDA on an as needed basis comes at a higher cost.
The only immediate cut by the council was the generator for the Village hall/maintenance shop. Following a recent Fillmore County Hazard Mitigation meeting, there is a potential for a grant for the generator, which is estimated to cost $30,000. There is no grant currently open for this need, but Miner will place the village on a list in case a suitable grant becomes available.
“I’m just spitballing here, but if we got rid of both of those, we’d be down to 7.5%,” noted Link.
Hart also asked whether the previous discussion of purchasing a new trailer and tools for the Public Works Department could be cut back. Councilor Mike Ebner asked that this be left in the budget for now and estimated a new trailer could be purchased for $3,200.
Miner also tossed in consideration of the garbage contract with Harter’s Quick Clean Up Service. The village has three years of a five-year contract remaining, but Miner noted the contract price is now up over $100,000.
“Maybe we need to come up with ways to do something there,” she suggested. “I don’t know if we send something out in a survey?”
Discussion continued with the idea of possibly removing rural (gravel road) garbage pickups. It was noted that the areas near the city of Rushford, including south Rushford, would definitely continue with the service. Overland reminded the council that the reason the village provides the service to rural areas was to curb garbage dumping in village ditches. Zoning Administrator Jon Pettit added that for some, including himself, garbage pickup is the only service provided by the village to its residents.
“It’s one thing I thought of. It’s a big ticket,” added Miner. “Let’s keep thinking. We’ve got a little bit of time. I don’t want to get to the last minute and scramble.”
In other news, the council unanimously voted to not allow rental of the village hall on council meeting nights. Miner indicated two past requests for this. Concerns about noise and the need for the space should residents turn out en masse for a council meeting topic were the biggest reasons why the council voted against the usage.
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