by John McLoone

The Hastings City Council reviewed the city budget Monday night and will give its final adoption of the 2021spending plan at its Dec. 21 meeting.

The city council kicked off the budget process at a workshop in May and to give staff direction for the budget process. The Finance Committee reviewed the budget and department proposals in August.

“Between those meetings, departments prepared their budget requests for consideration,” City Administrator Dan Wietecha wrote in a memo to the council reviewed Monday. “Comprehensive information on revenues, expenses and department requests for capital, new initiatives and personnel were brought forward for discussion and explanation.”

The full council and Finance Committee provided further direction on the final levy and budget.

“At the Nov. 16 City Council Workshop, some smaller adjustments were made to the tax-supported spending,” Wietecha wrote. “The 2021 preliminary tax levy of $15,312,200 remained unchanged from September. In addition, two capital projects that were included in the State of Minnesota Bonding Bill; including them in the city’s budget does not impact the 2021 tax levy. These projects were renovation for City Hall Dome and pedestrian safety parts of the Trunk Highway 316 project.”

With increasing property valuation, the tax rate is expected to decline, meaning good news for taxpayers.

“The City Council has consistently shown a high sensitivity to how budget decisions impact the Hastings taxpayer,” Wietecha said.

The report states that the median value home in Hastings for 2021 is approximately $243,300 and would pay an estimated $1,309 in City property taxes.

The City Council held a Truth in Taxation hearing Monday.

“I would like to extend sincere appreciation to the Finance Committee as well as our staff for their work and involvement on the 2021 budget. This budget reflects a challenging and uncertain year. We continue to approach the budget process in a strategic and holistic manner – balancing many needs with limited resources. I am proud of our staff’s creativity and innovation in provided these services in alignment with Council policy goals,” said Wietecha.

With COVID-19 casting its pall over everything, it was a difficult year to budget.

“The recommended budget is the result of many meetings with our department staff and following Council direction to responsibly take care of our current assets. The recommended budget is balanced operationally,” said Wietecha. “Due to financial uncertainty within the state of Minnesota, due to the pandemic, this budget takes a prioritization and contingency approach to capital projects. To the extent that resources are available throughout the year, we will review and undertake priority…projects. This approach included revenues from Local Government Aid and potential use of fund balance.”

Recommended as part of the budget are:

•Phase 1 of Police and Fire emergency Response Radios.

•Using an internal loan for fire truck replacement.

•Purchase of two police squads.

•Economic development initiatives including marketing Hastings development sites, implementation of the Vermillion Street Corridor Plan and further COVID-19 relief programs.

Infrastructure improvements included the 15th Street Neighborhood Improvement Project, Hwy. 316, the City Hall Dome and continuation of the mill and overlay street program.

The report shows a variety of interesting items, including “2021 City of Hastings By the Numbers.”

2021 City of Hastings By the Numbers Budget Process 5 Open Meetings 1 Finance Committee Meeting 3 City Council Workshops See Final Budget Page 5 Final Budget

From Page 1

1 City Council Hearing

40 Weeks allocated to budget process Public Safety

30 Full-time Police Officers 15 Full-time Firefighter/ Paramedics

28 Paid-on-call Firefighter/ Paramedics

8 Fire Trucks

3 Ambulances

13 Marked Squad Cars

22 Body Worn Cameras for Hastings Police Parks and Recreation

420 Acres of Parks 30 Miles of Trails 22 Playgrounds 1 Dog Park

1 Rotary Pavilion and Performance Space

2 Sta Members Plan Recreation Opportunities Public Works

105 Miles of Streets Maintained

1,334 Fire Hydrants Maintained 2,416,000 Gallons of Water Used Daily Within Hastings

87 Miles of Water Mains Maintained 80 Miles of Sanitary Sewer Maintained