At the August 19 meeting, the Rushford Village Council received an update regarding Fillmore County storm damage. City Clerk Mary Miner provided an update on the cost of tree cleanup following the derecho that hit the area on July 28. Councilor Mike Ebner noted there is a hope for some mitigation funding available for cleanup.
“These trees … we get wind, rain, and all this stuff just keeps slipping down the hill farther. It’s going to be just a continuing problem,” he said.
The council was quick to express appreciation for new Public Works/Maintenance Supervisor Darrin Dessner and Clerk Miner for their added hours and work following the storm.
“Darrin deserves an ‘atta boy’ for what he’s done for the last 10 days. He got thrown into a really hot fire,” stated Ebner. “I also think Mary deserves a pat on the back for a lot. It’s been tough. She’s been putting in a lot of hours.”
“We really appreciate you Mike, too, and all the work from this storm,” added Councilor Travis Link.
In other news, the council discussed the 2026 budget.
Miner noted that paid Family Medical Paid Leave is currently not in the budget. Large employers must pay 0.88% of the wage, but she believes the village will need to pay just .44%. Of that, the village will pay 50%, while they can pay more, while the employee pays the other 50%.
“We’re still figuring out who employees are. If you guys are going to have to pay that, if Planning & Zoning is going to need to pay it, or if it’s basically just full and part-time,” noted Miner, referencing an August 20 webinar that will hopefully provide some clarification. The new policy change goes into effect January 2026, but Miner stated she’d been reporting to the state for the last three quarters. The pay will begin in April 2026.
Mayor Dennis Overland questioned City Attorney Joe O’Koren about the possibility the state will postpone the new change again. However, O’Koren did not believe that would happen.
“Not postponing again, but I’ve heard a lot of confusion about it. I’ve had several conversations with the League (League of Minnesota Cities) on that,” replied O’Koren. “The big concern was emergency/volunteer personnel. You’ve got to treat them as employees, which is different than the other program they had last year. They thought there was a possibility that it will come to the legislature. They’ll probably review that.”
Councilor Bob Hart noticed several fairly substantial swings in budget line items since last year, including in Professional Services, Miscellaneous, and Membership, Capital Outlay, and Investments Purchased. Miner explained that it appears there’s a swing because the method of budgeting breakdowns has changed to provide greater clarity on spending. These include things like road maintenance engineering/contracts, purchases such as a generator for the community hall, and CDs for planned needs. Utilities Services had some sizable swings due to it now being broken out into maintenance shed and lights for specific areas around the village. The total amount hasn’t changed much, just the designation of where the money is spent.
In regards to the Equipment Fund, Ebner apprised the council that the new truck came in under budget. He would like the ability to use the funds that were budgeted to purchase additional items for the truck.
“It came in under budget, but we spent more for repairs, so yes and no,” cautioned Miner.
There are some Public Works and safety items that need to be purchased very soon. These include a chainsaw, since the department is currently using borrowed equipment, the spotlight/floodlight, a backup battery for department tools, and traffic cones. Additional road-related items the council must budget for include road signs and culvert markers.
Overland suggested the department put together a list of needed items to take to Rushford Hardware to see about local pricing. It was also suggested the village talk to Community Economic Development Associates’ consultant Jayme Longmire about possible grant funding for safety needs.
“Am I reading this right? We’re about 5.76% short of income versus expenses for the year?” asked Hart. As it currently sits, the difference from last year’s receipts to this year’s is just over $42,000. This is largely due to Local Government Aid and Small Cities Assist funding decreasing from the state, while disbursements have gone up.
The council must set the preliminary budget and tax levy next month. The amount can still be reduced between then and the final, set in December, but it cannot be increased after September.
Lastly, Overland alerted the council regarding a citizen complaint regarding speeding and loud music in the residential section of south Rushford. Fillmore County was called and is aware of the situation. To deter speeding, the village will move its speed sign.