Soon after the conclusions of the City Council meeting, the Ways and Means Committee met to discuss the budget for the Crookston Public Library, Fire Department, and Police Department.
CROOKSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
The committee first heard from the Crookston Public Library, where they heard from Finance Director Ryan Lindtwed and Public Library Director Chris Boike, who came forward with a need to budget for two major items, which were repairs to their roof and an improvement plan for the windows. Boike first explained that there were parts of the roof that needed repair as soon as possible, and they planned to ask their contractor to prepare specs for the entire roof and not just the damaged areas. Boike then came forward with an improvement plan for the windows and skylights in the library but only had a certain figure for the plan and not a list of bids of what it could cost to execute. “There was a fairly arbitrary figure of a certain amount per year for the next five years, and the council wanted more specificity than that. They actually wanted to get bids for windows so that they would have a better idea,” Interim City Administrator Charles “Corky” Reynolds explained. “I believe there was unanimity amongst the council that they want to address that and know what that number is, not just a number plugged in because they didn’t have anything else. The Library Director said she was willing to do that, so she was asked to get specific bids for the window replacement.” Lindtwed said that they would return with a proper budget for the Committee when Boike returned with an update on the budget.
CROOKSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT/EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
Crookston Fire Chief Tim Froeber approached the council to report that for Fire, everything is just about the same as last year, though gas and oil has gone up since last year. The committee then asked Froeber if there were any ways that he could help raise revenues for the city. Froeber replied that it was possible to do so, such as increasing fees for their inspections and doing more of a complete job in identifying who is renting properties, which he noted hadn’t changed in prices in five years but believes that they should in order to keep up with inflation. “The Council is looking at our city’s budget this year where we know costs are going to go up. So, they’re looking for reasonable ways to potentially increase revenues,” Interim Administrator Reynolds explained. “One of the ways is that we increase fees on items, and the Fire Chief indicated that it’s possible to increase inspection fees. It’s not a directive by any means, but what would an increase look like if it was a certain amount, and how would that generate revenues?” Chief Froeber explained that they plan to use their budget to purchase a new unit for their Fire pickup and other fire department utilities such as new radios due to the ones they currently have are close to not being serviced very soon. For the Emergency Management budget, Froeber requested purchasing signage on the river levees to help people distinguish where they are, as many people had walked on them without knowing it during the high-water event in the spring.
CROOKSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
Police Chief Darin Selzler approached the committee, saying that for the Intergovernmental revenue, they had been reimbursed 50% of every bulletproof vest they purchased, which they purchased three to four with an estimate of $3,000. They don’t get a lot of revenue as a department, with most of it coming in depending on things that happen in public, such as parking tickets, missing animals being returned, citations that they write, and other restitution acts.
Selzler reported that he hopes to add two Probation Officers by 2023, which would fully staff the law enforcement, which would reduce the need of overtime, and ease pressure on the officers, as over the past few years, while the city’s population has decreased, the amount of calls the department has received has increased. Selzler explained that the main thing he wanted for the year was the two Probation Officers, as he felt he could manage the year with the normal budget for everything else.
The Ways and Means Committee will hold another meeting on Tuesday, July 12, in the City Hall Council Chambers.
