Photo by Kirsten Zoellner
For months now, the Rushford Village Council has poured over the budget and levy, including what to do with a proposed contract renewal from Community Economic Development Associates (CEDA). At the December 16 meeting, the council welcomed CEDA Community and Business Development Specialist Jayme Longmire and Regional Manager, Community Support Program, Laura Qualey.
Longmire began by discussing a 2026 proposal for services. It equates to eight hours every other week, at an annual cost of $16,000, billed quarterly.
Business development for the village is difficult with no defined business district. Longmire believes the village could dive into a market study to better understand needs. One potential area is data centers. She encouraged the village leadership to attend the meeting on December 18, along with other municipality leadership, business owners, and utility industry leadership. The non-biased presentation will cover the outlook for southern Minnesota regarding the divisive topic.
“It’s not going to be going away – the discussion about data centers and their need to be built. Our usage of AI, the cloud, and everything to do with that little device in your pocket.,” she stated .”It’s something we need to be prepared to have discussion about.”
“This forum is the second of three,” added Qualey. “Harmony is entertaining one right now. It’s coming to your area. We can’t pretend these things don’t exist. We want to protect our resources but that doesn’t mean a landowner wouldn’t be entertained by getting $75,000-100,000 an acre.”
“It can bring jobs. It can bring tax base to your city,” Longmire added, indicating the village could be a perfect candidate. “You can’t keep blinders on. You need to see what’s on the horizon.”
The village was encouraged not to form opinions and assumptions based on what’s heard, but take a step back and look at the whole picture.
Other potential goals included an opportunity to modify the existing Revolving Loan Fund to address infrastructure for future housing. Longmire indicated that has been pushed back and would instead like to revamp the current loan program application and guidelines for businesses. No new loans have been issued since 2015, despite more than $200,000 available in the program.
“How do I help move a program forward that’s essentially been laying dormant for the last 15 years?” she asked.
Longmire proposed taking the 2012 guidelines and the 9-page application and simplifying both to make it more appealing for business owners. The guidelines are not clear about how the program functions given how it’s written.
“There’s $200,000 sitting there. Is it going to go away? No, but it would be better if it was revolving and we were bringing in some interest,” she added.
As far as housing goals, the difficulty is finding land and working with current landowners and getting them to work cooperatively with the village. According to Longmire, a few developments would be beneficial, noting that 51% of the population is over 50 years old.
Another goal is creating a renewed collaboration between the village and the cities of Rushford and Peterson. Issues to discuss include water, sewer, and police services.
Following the presentation, the council deliberated whether or not to renew the contract.
“I know this is a tough one for everybody,” said Mayor Dennis Overland. “If things would have continued the way they were, it would have been harder to ask for a new contract. I’m excited about Jayme. She’s got some interesting viewpoints. She’s open to whatever we want and to send her in a direction.”
Councilors Bob Hart and Rick Ruberg expressed further concern over whether a new CEDA contract is worth the cost to the village, particularly now that the most recent comprehensive plan is complete. It has historically been the largest, most expensive project that the contract has covered.
“Are we wanting more now than we did in the past?” asked Hart. “We had a study done 10 years ago – our needs tend to be the same as they were then. I have a different opinion on what we need.”
Councilor Mike Ebner expressed excitement about the possibility of collaboration between the three cities.
“She’s done more research on Rushford Village than anyone else has done,” he said. “I think we can draw from her to try and get something going between the three communities. The possibility to open the door is there.”
“Why can’t we open the door ourselves?” rebutted Hart.
Past collaborative talks have ended with little traction and the hope is that a third party will not only revive talks but gain momentum. Further discussion indicated interest writing grants on behalf of the village and revamping the loan program as well. The council unanimously opted to approve the contract, which can end with 30 days’ notice from either party, with council review after the first quarter.
The council did include the contract in the budget and the final budget and levy were set at a 5.77% increase over 2025. Also included in the budget was a Cost of Living Adjustment of 3% for city employees.
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