The Blue Earth Community Library director, as well as the heads of all the major departments in the City of Blue Earth, including public works, Senior Center, fire and police departments and others, were at the recent work session of the City Council to discuss their budgets for the coming 2027 year.

The Blue Earth City Council held a special work session on Monday, Aug. 31 as a preliminary budget discussion for the 2027 budget. Several department heads were present to discuss their departments’ specific wants and needs for the 2027 budget, and a review of the council’s own desires for budgeting was also discussed.

“As a reminder to everyone, this document is a working draft,” city administrator Dawn Collins explained. “None of the numbers or estimates we are working with are final, and we are still missing some data for certain departments. All of this information is subject to change in later discussions.”

Blue Earth police chief Tom Fletcher presented the Police Department’s section of the budget first, requesting an increase to $20,000 for maintenance agreements and $7,500 in the capital fund for two new computers for the squad cars.

“Last year we budgeted $10,000 for maintenance agreements, and that amount really should be closer to $20,000,” Fletcher explained. “However, if I do get the $20,000 for maintenance agreements, I can take the $7,500 that I requested for the capital fund out of the equipment fund instead. I really don’t have much to ask for, especially since I didn’t take any raises.”

Next to present was Blue Earth fire chief Corey Survis, who cited several increases across the Fire Department’s budget that he’d like to see in 2027.

“We have some new guys in the fire department, and some of our older uniforms just don’t fit them, so I’m requesting an increase in funds in the clothing allowance to buy some new uniforms,” Survis shared. “Under the communications line item, we’re looking at adding a couple of tablets to two of our fire trucks, as well as some new pagers. Maintenance and repair costs have also gone up, as have fuel costs, so those have seen an increase as well.”

Survis went on to explain that the Fire Department’s ladder truck was currently out for repair in Rochester, and that a plan was in place to combine both the ladder truck and the rescue truck into one vehicle in the future.

“The cost for new trucks is astronomical right now, but even the necessary repairs, like the hydraulics on the ladder truck, are expensive,” Survis noted.

Public Works director Jamie Holland had a lot to share with the council, with multiple requests across the Public Works, Parks & Recreation, wastewater, and stormwater departments.

“I left the line item for the skating rink blank, although $15,000 is about what you’d expect for it once you purchased the plastic, put the rink up, and staffed it for the year,” Holland shared. “Last year we elected not to do it, which was a good thing, because we actually had a poor winter for it. We did get a few inquiries about why it was closed, and I told them that part of it was due to the budget cuts, and part was due to the weather we were having.”

Holland then went on to discuss the challenges that the Wastewater Treatment Plant was facing, as well as the ongoing issues with the pump repair for the stormwater system.

“Wastewater has been a challenge; we’ve got more and more testing requirements, and some operational challenges as well,” Holland explained. “Right now, we’re operating with essentially one intern and a paid operator who’s getting ready to retire. Our equipment is also reaching its life expectancy on both the stormwater and wastewater sides, and some of the companies that used to manufacture parts for us are either no longer producing them or have shut down.”

Fitness Center director Michelle Hall reported that there had been four leaks discovered in the Blue Earth Municipal Swimming Pool, and that the cost to repair those had been factored into the capital funds for the pool. She also noted that the Fitness Center needed its HVAC system replaced, and that there had been requests to install a second keycard access door from some of the regular Fitness Center users.

“The first door we would have unlocked earlier, and then people could come in and get information or sign up for courts or just come in out of the weather if they don’t have a membership,” Hall explained. “Then the second door would also have a keycard, for people with memberships to get in. The goal is to have an inside area where people can come in and wait for their classes to start, without having to stand outside in the snow or the rain.”

Blue Earth Community & Senior Center director Linda Jahnke made a request for funds to help repair the roof, but noted that the Senior Center had only used half of its budgeted funds for 2026.

“The only item we have requested for our capital fund for next year is $12,000 for roof repairs, as we have had issues with water coming into the building a few times with all of the rain this summer,” Jahnke explained. “Otherwise, I don’t have any other upcoming expenses for the Senior Center that I can think of.”

Blue Earth Community Library director Heidi Schutt shared that the cost of the library’s Traverse De Sioux membership might be going down in the future, and that the budget had been adjusted to reflect that change. She also presented the council with an updated draft of the Library Refresh Project proposal, noting that it had been factored into the capital fund for 2027.

“You applied for and received some grants for the Library Refresh Project, and they don’t have to be used immediately, but they do expire at a certain point,” council member Jacque Drew commented. “Can you talk about that?”

“One of the grants was for some technology for accessibility, and that money has been spent since we moved ahead and did that without the big project,” Schutt answered. “The other grant we got from the state of Minnesota, the Mary C. Murphy Library Construction Grant, which is also for accessibility. We applied, and are earmarked for about $91,500, so that would cover the restroom, replacing the back door of the library, and one other piece of the project. We now have five years to get the paperwork signed, which means that we have the funding lined up to pay for the project.”

Collins ended the discussion on the different departments by talking about the funding requested by the airport and the liquor store.

“The airport is looking to have some new flooring installed in their offices, as well as a sealant coat for the taxiway,” Collins reported. “For the liquor store, they’re looking at installing some new security cameras, as well as redoing the front entrance and updating their sign. They are also considering switching to a new Point of Sale service provider, which could potentially help reduce some of the existing credit card and check handling fees.”

The meeting concluded with some discussion about what the council’s own priorities were for the budgeting process. Council member Ann Hanna brought up that she wanted to pursue purchasing mosquito spraying equipment for the city to use, a suggestion which several other council members agreed with. Council member Stephanie Walters also noted that, with both of the referendum questions for Blue Earth Area Schools having passed in the August elections, safety precautions for students who did not ride the bus to school could be a priority to look into once construction on the new building was complete.