Proposed tax increase 6.6%

By John McLoone

The Hastings City Council will hold a hearing on its proposed budget that includes a 6.6 percent increase in the tax levy.

The city council in September approved a preliminary city budget of $38 million, with a property levy to support it of $17,373,405.

The Truth in Taxation public hearing will be held at the 7 p.m. city council meeting. “The 2023 proposed budget and property tax levy strive to balance current community needs with future growth, minimize risks and enhance quality of life throughout the city,” said City Administrator Dan Wietecha. “The city is experiencing the effects of increased public safety calls for service that we need to step up and address. Meanwhile, high inflation is driving the costs of maintaining an aging city infrastructure, replacing end-of-life capital equipment, and employee recruitment and retention.”

According to the city budgeted requests included in the 2023 spending plan include:

•Four new firefighters/EMTs and one new police officer.

•One new building inspector.

•A new dump truck and a brush truck.

•Two new police department squad cars.

•Continued street, sewer and water utility projects as part of the city infrastructure plan.

•Improvements in basketball courts and ball fields.

•Reconstruction of the Hwy. 55 trail.

•Upgraded security to fend off cyber threats.

•Ensuring that city workers are paid market wages. The city is phasing in aspects of a salary and compensation plan it adopted this year that aligns Hastings wages with those of comparable and nearby communities.

The city portion of property taxes on a median value home in Hastings -$293,085 – would be $1,501, up $195 from a year ago.

The city’s levy increase is less than the average expected in other Dakota County cities of 7.2 percent.

City Administrator Dan Wietecha said the increase is necessary because of more needed city services, to keep the city’s aging infrastructure and because of inflation.

“The city has experienced the effects of increased public safety calls for service that we need to step up and address,” he said. “Meanwhile, high inflation is driving the costs of maintaining an aging city infrastructure, replacing end0of-life capital equipment and recruiting and retaining employees.”

Wietecha said emergency calls for service have doubled in the last decade.

“We need our fire staff to meet the growing demand,” he said.

Another building inspector is necessary because of the large amount of new development occurring in the city.

“The city is experiencing its largest housing commercial development boom in decades,” Wietecha said. “Building inspectors help to ensure that all of the new developments are built to safety standards.”

Investment in city streets and utilities saves money in the long-term, he said.

“We continue investing in these upgrades,” he said. “Extending the life of city streets, sewers, water towers and emergency alerting systems are all areas the city is directly responsible for maintaining. It costs less to maintain our infrastructure than it does to reconstruct it later.” The budget also includes $100,000 for the Community Investment Fund that was started this year for public partnership projects. Organizations are invited to apply for funding for projects that support arts, history and athletics – to name a few – that take place on city property.

“This was very popular, with numerous applications coming in this year,” he said.