Jonathan Starr and Kyler Collom go live with a special edition Minot Talk Episode from The Dakotan, discussing the City of Minot's 2025 budget. They break down the budget by department and highlight significant changes. Key points include:
Budget Structure: The city manager Harold Stewart and finance director David Lakefield propose a budget with a $28 million increase, emphasizing transparency and making the information digestible for citizens.
Pay Plan Options: The podcast discusses different employee pay plan options: full raises, a hybrid model, and step increases. The hybrid plan, which accounts for market adjustments and cost-of-living increases, is favored by the city manager and HR director.
Property Taxes: The mill levy for property taxes will decrease, with the city maintaining the same amount of tax funds requested as in 2024, despite increased property values.
Police Staffing: The Minot Police Department has 15 open positions, and discussions cover the potential budget impact if all were filled, drawing on general fund cash reserves.
Firefighter Pay: Firefighters' pay includes automatic overtime due to their unique scheduling, and discussions on making long-term adjustments to ensure compliance with labor laws.
Consultants: There is an increase in budget allocations for consultants, with detailed explanations given for different departments like engineering and the airport. This raised concerns about transparency and the actual use of consultants.
Public Transport: The city plans to purchase a new hybrid electric bus, largely funded by federal grants. The discussion includes the potential benefits and costs of hybrid versus diesel buses and the importance of public transit for residents.
Future Budget Concerns: Concerns are raised about the sustainability of current budget practices, particularly regarding employee raises and maintaining reserves for future projects.
Overall, the Jonathan and Kyler emphasize the importance of public engagement and understanding of the budget process, encouraging citizens to participate in discussions and virtual sessions to ensure their voices are heard.
