The Crookston City Council Ways and Means Committee met on Monday to discuss erosion along Houston Avenue and the 2027 budget.
The first topic discussed was the current status of the Houston Avenue erosion project. Conversations about the erosion of the riverbank along Houston Avenue have been ongoing, as eight residential properties are in the affected area. The discussion, led by Interim City Administrator Darin Selzler, focused on how the city would fund the purchase and demolition of the affected properties to enable river stabilization, which could cost up to $2 million. “Last time I think we spoke to the council was roughly in April. At that point, we formed a steering committee. We’ve met a few times along the way, and we’ve also had multiple conversations as we go through this with our engineering firms, the state of Minnesota, the federal government, everybody in between that could possibly help fund this. And we’re just at a crossroad here, a point where something needs to be done. We’ve identified that. There’s no question that there’s an erosion issue over there. It’s just a matter of where the funds are going to come from.”
Two funding sources were discussed during the meeting. The first option would be to apply for a bond through the state of Minnesota, which would require a 50 percent match from the city. The second source is a Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant through FEMA with a 25 percent match. Both sources would require that the project be shovel-ready before an application could be submitted. Selzler estimated the cost to make the project shovel-ready would be between $100,000 and $150,000.
Committee member Dylane Klatt suggested holding off on any further decisions about moving forward with the project until the city could determine the approximate cost to taxpayers and provide funding projections based on receiving the BRIC grant, a state bond, or both. The committee agreed to get that data first before committing any city money toward the project.
The next topic for discussion was the first look at the fiscal year 2027 budget. Administrator Selzler and Finance Director Jon Roscoe decided to begin budget discussions in June to give the council more time to review the budget before any vote, rather than putting a full budget proposal in front of them at the last minute. “Last year was a time crunch, and we were kind of pushed right up against the fence and right up against the wire. This year, we’re taking an early start, as we should, and working through each budget slowly. Tonight, we did some of the budgets that are a little less in-depth. As we progress, we’ll be having a Ways and Means budget discussion at every council meeting moving forward, at least through September.”
The committee went over six expense sections of the budget: City Hall, Elections, Legal, Ordinance and Procedures, Professional Fees, and Audit.
CITY HALL EXPENSES
FY2026: $53,709
FY2027: $115,850
ELECTION EXPENSES
FY2026: $39,657
FY2027: $10,000
LEGAL EXPENSES
FY2026: $160,000
FY2027: $160,000
ORDINANCE AND PROCEDURES EXPENSES
FY2026: $15,300
FY2027: $4,000
PROFESSIONAL FEES
FY2026: $36,000
FY2027: $36,000
AUDIT EXPENSES
FY2026: $54,000
FY2027: $58,500
Several expense accounts remained unchanged, but city hall expenses increased due to a $50,000 estimate for replacing the flooring and carpeting on the building’s first floor. Some expenses decreased, including elections, due to the next budget ot being in an election year compared to 2026. Overall, the committee had very few questions about these first few accounts. Selzler commended Roscoe for jumping into the budget right away after starting with the city in January, making sure discussions could begin earlier than in previous years. “He hit the ground running. It’s like he’s been here for 10 years,” said Selzler. “So he has a really good understanding of the city budget and how audits and everything in between work. Having him here this year is going to be really helpful to kind of fine-tune the city budget.”
The next Ways and Means Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 6, immediately following the City Council meeting in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.
