The Minden City Council continued work on the city’s proposed 2027 budget during its second budget workshop on July 8, with all council members present as officials reviewed department budgets, discussed long-term investments, and postponed a decision on employee pay raises until a future meeting.
Mayor Nick Cox said the administration’s goal has been to develop a budget that best serves the city’s needs while remaining financially responsible.
“We tried to make our best estimation of what would best serve the city,” Cox said.
Cox said the council’s priorities have evolved over the past several years. During the first years of the current administration, the focus was on replacing aging equipment and making long-term capital improvements. Those investments included purchasing a new fire truck, providing new vehicles for the police department, acquiring air tanks for firefighters, and strengthening the Public Works Department.
This year’s discussions, he said, are centered more on employee compensation.
While reviewing departmental requests, Cox said he did not support simply funding every item submitted by department heads.
“I’m not comfortable with across-the-board and fulfilling a lot of wishlists,” he said.
Cox said he and City Clerk Melaney Slack reviewed the departments’ requested purchases and identified a number of lower-cost items that could be purchased immediately using existing departmental budgets.
“You’ve got money right now, go buy what you need if you need it,” Cox said. “We took care of a lot of the wishlist that way.”
Cox also highlighted improvements at the Minden Airport, praising Airport Manager Molly Fowler for the facility’s recent performance.
“It’s actually making positive money rather than losing money,” Cox said.“She’s selling them a lot of fuel.”
He also credited previous efforts that positioned the airport for its current level of activity.
The workshop also included discussion of new human resources software being implemented to update the city’s personnel policy handbook. According to Cox, the software compares city policies with civil service rules, state law, and local policies while notifying staff when legal changes require handbook revisions.
“I think that can save untold amounts of money for liability and compliance purposes,” Cox said.
He said the software, combined with an influx of new city employees over the past several years, has contributed to the expansion of the Human Resources Department and its increased budget allocation.
Officials also discussed how grant funding is reflected in the proposed budget. Because future grant awards remain uncertain, the city elected not to include anticipated grants in the budget and instead plans to amend the budget later if grant funding is received.
Water utility expenses are projected to increase as the city brings a new 2 million-gallon storage tank online.
“We’ve got to project for more process,” Cox said, noting that chemical costs are expected to rise as water production increases.
Cox also discussed the city’s use of reserve funds, saying the city has been able to replenish reserves after drawing from them for major projects.
“Last year we were able to put money in the bank, because they built back up,” he said.
He pointed to the city’s investment in the REC Center enhancement project as a key component of its long-term economic strategy.
“That’s why the investment in the REC center is so significant. In my opinion, it’s our best shot at bringing outside sales tax into the city, so that number can continue to go up so that we can continue to provide the quality services we provide for the citizens,” Cox said. “And we’re trending upwards. Ever since we’ve been in office, that number has been trending up.”
Cox also said several federal grant applications remain under consideration.
“We’re getting through the lightning rounds on a lot of extremely game-changing and significant projects for this city,” he said.
Council members have not yet selected between the two remaining employee compensation proposals. Plan A would provide $1-per-hour raises for police officers and firefighters while giving all other employees a 4% raise. Plan C would provide a 4% raise to all city employees.
After reviewing the proposed budget, council members agreed they needed additional time before making a final decision. The council plans to hold another budget workshop in one to two weeks before presenting the proposed 2027 budget for public review.