The Minden City Council held a budget workshop Tuesday, July 15, to review the sixth draft of the city’s upcoming fiscal plan. All council members were present, either in person or remotely.
Mayor Nick Cox opened the workshop by addressing items on the city’s “wish list,” beginning with a proposal to replace the 26-foot-wide neon sign at the Minden Light and Water building. Cox described the $12,000 project as nonessential but appealing. Councilman Michael Roy suggested budgeting for it with the possibility of seeking grant funding.
The council also discussed a maintenance contract for the police department. Mayor Cox proposed the city cover half of the estimated $50,000 cost, with the Safety Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) funding the remainder. The increased legal and administrative workload from STEP has also led to the need for the police department to hire an attorney.
Cox said a general salary increase will not be considered this year. “I’m leery of increasing a liability that never would go away when everybody is already getting a 2% cost-of-living increase,” he said. “I just don’t think that this is the year to do that.”
Minden Fire Chief Brian Williams submitted a request to add three firefighters to the department, citing an increase in structure fires and a drop in volunteer response. “We’re having too many structure fire calls that require a lot of personnel,” Williams said. “With volunteers being down and response being down as well, at some point, firefighter safety is an issue.”
Cox noted that while the fire department is nearing full staffing with a new recruit returning from the academy, the high number of mutual aid calls outside city limits is straining resources. “I’m going to say the unpopular thing,” said Cox. “We could cut your workload in half if we didn’t respond to mutual aid. Look, I’m for helping our neighbors, and that’s why I hadn’t said the unpopular thing yet. A lot of those calls are from outside the corporate city limits, and the City of Minden is paying for it.”
Additional concerns included a 43% rise in police telecom costs, largely attributed to in-vehicle tracking and internet services.
The street department also faced budget increases, particularly for uniforms. Cox explained this was due to an unresolved lease contract. “We didn’t find out until we found out, and then we were in a pickle,” he said. “It was a mess.”
To assist the department, Cox requested three part-time positions be reinstated, primarily for litter pickup. “I feel like the street department is doing a much better job with a much smaller crew,” said Cox. “If you would add these part timers, it would be mainly to pick up trash, and Lord knows we’ve got enough of it.”
The council also budgeted $1.5 million for street overlays, with Cox identifying Industrial Drive as a priority.
In the parks department, funding was approved to replace one zero-turn mower annually.
Devin Martin, representing the Kisatchie Crusher Gravel Bike Race, gave a short presentation about the inaugural event scheduled for September 6 in Minden. He requested $3,000 for trail preparation. “Three thousand would go a long way to getting the trails ready for this event,” Martin said. Councilman Buddy Myles supported the request. “There’s no telling what this might turn into,” he said. “I think it’s worth a shot.” The council approved adding the funding to the budget.
The workshop also highlighted ongoing cost reductions through department consolidations. “That’s been a significant savings for the city,” said Cox.
An update was given on the line crew’s project along I-20, with utility poles currently still on order.
The current budget draft will be available to the public beginning Wednesday, July 16. A final vote on the budget is scheduled for August 4.