The August Minden City Council meeting saw the mayor and council making some big moves for the city including the passing of the annual budget, with no money having to be taken out of reserves this year, and the advertising of bids for some big projects including multiple improvement projects for roads throughout Minden as well as Phase 2 of the consolidated public works building.
Early into the meeting, the council voted unanimously to pass the budget, with Mayor Nick Cox sharing a few words on the work the council did to rein it in and get it to a point where it doesn’t pull from the city’s reserves.
“This is our new budget. The council worked very hard on getting the city a good solid budget, and I’m pleased to announce … if we adopt this budget, for the first time — not ever, but in a while — we have a budget that doesn’t pull out of our reserves,” said Mayor Nick Cox.
“I believe that is a testament that this council, and myself, are dedicated to running this city as best we can and using our resources wisely. I’m extremely proud of that and proud of the council.”
He also briefly listed out some of the items that were accounted for in the budget including six more patrol cars to add to the Minden Police Department’s fleet, updates to the city’s electrical infrastructure, the allocation of $2.5 million for street projects, along with updates to the recreation complex.
The council also voted to move forward with awarding the bid Phase 2 of the public works center. “We’re wrapping up Phase 1 of the public works control center. This is the Phase 2 that we’re working toward to consolidate all of public works into one location,” said Mayor Cox.
Next, the council voted to advertise for bids for street improvement projects that would take place within the 2024/2025 fiscal year starting in October. This includes East and West Street, Guy Miller Road, Jennifer Circle, Kitchens Court, Laurel Circle, Mignon Street, and Woodhaven Drive. Mayor Cox also stated that they were looking into doing Industrial Drive as well.
The Minden City Council meeting takes place on the first Monday of each month, starting at 6 PM at the Minden Civic Center. The meetings are open for the public to attend and, for those who wish to view the meeting live or after the fact, it is live-streamed on the City of Minden’s Facebook page and YouTube channel titled City of Minden – Feels Like Home.