The Crookston City Council met on Monday night inside the City Hall Council Chambers. The Main agenda included a resolution approving the city’s preliminary 2022 tax levy, a resolution approving 2020 Audited Financials with Brady, Martz and Associates, and a resolution approving a grant application for the American Rescue Grant Program.
One last item was added to the agenda, to approve a Community Development Director hiring for the City of Crookston, effective this Thursday, September 30.
CONSENT AGENDA
The Consent Agenda included approving the September 13 meeting minutes, a resolution approving City of Crookston bills and disbursements in the amount of $344,010.85, and a resolution approving a partial payment for local funded street improvements.
All items on the Consent Agenda were approved unanimously.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
City Administrator Amy Finch requested that the Council approve the hiring of Robert Barnes Jr. as the new City of Crookston Developmental Director effective Thursday, September 30. The board approved the request unanimously.
Finch talked about the hiring process and what made Barnes stand out. “He has a strong background in economic development and has a history of working with public boards,” said Finch. “He had a good sense of humor, prepared well for the interview, and understands some of the challenges we’re dealing with. He wants to help develop and guide the department, and this role will be a good fit for him.”
The Council asked a few questions about Barnes’s background and how many applicants were roughly received. Three applicants out of the pool were reviewed, and Barnes ended up being the best candidate for the job.
Barnes grew up in McIntosh, Minnesota, and recently moved back to McIntosh from Tennessee to be closer to family. He will plan on commuting from McIntosh to Crookston.
Barnes’s duties will include working with the CHEDA board and mainly focusing on economic development with projects and bringing business into Crookston. He will also be in the role of Executive Director for CHEDA and will report both to the CHEDA board and the City Administrator.
2022 TAX LEVY
The initial 2022 city tax levy has officially been approved to be set at 10% by the City Council. Finch talked about a few slight changes made to the tax levy since the last Ways and Means meeting. “We got some firmed up numbers on our projections for the city share on the housing abatements, and when we re-ran the numbers, it lowered the levy by $5,000,” said Finch. “The other change is the projection on how a 10% tax levy would affect a $200,000 residential household. We made a change in a calculation, and the estimate for that is now down by $471 per year.”
Neither of the changes affect the percentage that the tax levy will be set at but were instead for informational purposes. The illustrations and entire budget will be on the city’s website https://www.crookston.mn.us/ns/ once a final budget has been submitted and approved later in the year.
A public hearing will also be held for the budget on December 13, at 6:15 p.m., before a City Council meeting. Finch explained the timing of the meeting and why it’s necessary for the public. “Will present the budget in a format that may be more beneficial for the public on that day,” said Finch. We Will talk about tax dollars and how the budget is structured and answer any questions or concerns that people may have.”
The city will submit the preliminary tax levy and budget to Polk County on Thursday of this week.
2020 AUDITED FINANCIALS
Another item on the agenda was a resolution accepting the city’s 2020 audited financials from Brady, Martz and Associates. Kim Durbin from Brady, Martz and Associates attended the meeting to present what the financials looked like. The overall audit shows the numbers are strong.
The Total Fund Balance is at $12,046,522, while the General Fund Balance is $4,684,914. City of Crookston Finance Director Ryan Lindtwed talked about his thoughts on the numbers. “Our numbers look pretty comparative to years past; there aren’t many changes one way or another, which is a good thing,” said Lindtwed. “Another plus is that the city doesn’t have any debt.”
The full PDF file of the audit will be on the city’s website https://www.crookston.mn.us/ns/ under the department’s tab and by clicking on Finance. It will be available sometime later this week.
AMERICAN RESCUE GRANT PROGRAM
The last item on the agenda was the approval of a resolution for a grant application for the American Rescue Grant Program. “The grant is for the Crookston Municipal Airport,” said Finch. “We were notified we are eligible to receive $32,000 in funding for operations, personnel, cleaning, janitorial services, as well as a few smaller things. The airport commission approved this item at their meeting earlier this month, and it was before City Council to be approved tonight.”
The board approved the grant application unanimously.
The next City Council meeting will take place on Monday, October 11, at 7:00 p.m. inside the City Hall Council Chambers.
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