The Crookston City Council members met Monday night in the City Hall council chambers.
The consent agenda included the approval of minutes from the August 28 council meeting. It also included approving bills and disbursements in the amount of $1,257,849.04.
Immediately following the City Council meeting, the Ways and Means Committee met in the City Hall council chambers and discussed preliminary budgets for the airport, administration/legal/election, and the Finance/Audit budgets.
AIRPORT BUDGET DISCUSSION
Crookston Municipal Airport manager Lowell Miller proposed the 2024 preliminary Airport budget, which estimated $370,924 in total expenditures. The budget also included an estimated $677,977 in total revenue to be gained in 2024.
The airport and the city have a flowage fee agreement where the town gains revenue from fuel that’s used for aircraft. “It’s actually a part of the lease we have, so the city gets ten cents per gallon for every gallon pumped,” said Miller. “This is to help maintain pumps and tanks.”
Miller also presented the local fund and shares allocated to the five-year capital improvement plan. A five-year airport fund matches the FAA and MN DOT contributions.
The five-year plan includes a six-unit hanger project to be done in 2025, costing 1.7 million dollars. The airport receives money from the FAA and MN DOT to relieve the project’s cost. The airport also plans on renewing snow removal equipment, with an estimated cost of $295,300. “Between MN DOT and the FAA, it summons five percent, some ten percent,” said Miller, “It really depends on what the project is because they fund certain items at different amounts. We try to budget the local share to match what that is.”
ADMINISTRATION BUDGET
City Administrator Corky Reynolds proposed the administration budget and where it stands in the preliminary stages for 2024, which saw the total budget estimation for $688,973. This budget consists of salaries for the Human Resources Coordinator, the city clerk, and the city administrator.
Reynolds stated there weren’t many changes brought upon the upcoming budget. “I have taken on several different individuals within the city under the administrative title,” said Reynolds, “I have the HR coordinator, I have the clerk, I have our administrative assistant, and I have my budget.” Along with the individuals Reynolds listed, he also has taken on the city attorney budget, and the city must pay the county yearly for doing the tax assessment billing for the city.
Reynolds also budgeted $7,000 for the city to conduct a new alcohol ordinance. Still, perhaps more significantly, the city will be looking to hire a new city administrator looking ahead to Reynolds’s retirement in 2024. “We are going to be proceeding with a new alcohol ordinance, which will cost a certain amount of money,” said Reynolds, “We are also anticipating hiring a new city administrator during or at the end of 2024, and if we hire a search firm, that will cost us money. So, we allocated money for that within the city administrator budget.”
FINANCE/AUDIT BUDGET
City Finance Director Audrey Passa brought to the board the budget status for the Finance/Audit department for 2024. This budget included a total amount of $455,504, with $278,987 going toward salaries. Passa also proposed the city consider hiring two applicants who may be titled accountants.
Click here to watch Monday’s City Council and Ways and Means meeting.
The next Ways and Means Committee will be on Monday, September 18, at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall council chambers.
