The Crookston Ways & Means Committee met after the City Council meeting on Monday night to discuss multiple items.
The first was a discussion about the Preliminary Tax Levy. Finance Director Ryan Lindtwed and Interim City Administrator Corky Reynolds gave them a summary of what would happen if there was a 25% increase to the tax levy. With all of the departments proposing their budgets over the past few weeks, and if all of the items in all of the proposals were approved by the city, it would be a 37% increase in the tax levy. Reynolds and Lindtwed had met with each department head to have them reduce their budgets to help lower the tax levy to 28% but then lowered it to 25%. He then asked them where they would be most comfortable with a tax levy increase, and they would try to work with the departments and help the city reach that. The council requested that they wished to know what would be cut to have it reach 25% or lower to see if it was a thing they wanted to be cut or not. “The result was a good discussion about the need to reduce expenditures, any possibility to increase revenues but focus on the fact that expenditures need to be reduced,” Reynolds explained. “We brought forth a potential levy of a 25% increase, knowing that the council would want us to look at it again, and they did. They said Take another look at how the departments evaluate their needs versus wants and we’re aware of that.” Reynolds explained that he would meet with the department heads in separate meetings and individually to see if they could reduce the “wants” to see its results on a proposed preliminary levee. The committee chose to table the discussion for a future meeting.
Requested Funds from Organizations
The committee then began discussing the requests of six organizations for City funds outside of their budget. However, Reynolds noted that this would raise the tax levee. The first was to the Golden Link in the amount of $78,000 for their general expenses, such as salaries and expenses. The next was for Tri-Valley in the amount of $14,500 for transportation coverage. The next request was from the Downtown Crookston Development Partnership (DCDP) for $40,000 for a Food Truck Festival, a Chalk it Up Festival, and purchase benches, waste receptacles, and signage. Next was the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), which requested $10,000 for the Valley Tech Park as Crookston’s part of their request to multiple cities and organizations. The Scruffy Tails Humane Society then requested $10,001 to renovate their kennels and add other areas to their building. Finally, the Wellness in the Woods Committee requested $5,000 for marketing and marketing assistance. The committee did not approve any of the requests yet but requested for Reynolds and Lindtwed to learn more about each organization’s request. “We were directed by the council to make further inquiry of each organization about the justification for these requests, why they are asking for the money, and how is it of benefit to the residents of the City of Crookston,” Reynolds explained.
The next City Council meeting will take place on Monday, September 19, at 5:30 p.m., inside the City Hall Council Chambers for a special council meeting.
