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Goodhue County finance staff present proposed 2026—2030 capital plan; levy and expenditures shift after deferrals
Summary
County finance staff told the Committee of the Whole the proposed 2026 capital plan is roughly $5 million, reflecting about $388,000 higher expenditures versus the prior-year presentation and a levy increase driven partly by prior-year reserve use; staff said some projects were deferred to later years and facility assessments may change priorities.
Goodhue County finance staff presented a proposed 2026—2030 capital plan to the Committee of the Whole, saying the current proposed 2026 total is roughly $5,000,000 with a mix of decreases and increases compared with last year's figures.
"The total 26 capital plan expenditures are increasing approximately $388,000," Speaker 2 said, describing a complex comparison between the plan presented last year and the numbers now before the board. Staff also said the levy portion shown in the current materials is about $1,067,000 higher than the last-year presentation, a change they tied in part to the fact that the 2025 levy had been reduced by using reserve funds.
The presentation emphasized three drivers: lingering inflation on construction and equipment costs, departmental requests that were pushed to later years (which reduces 2026 expenditures on paper), and the county's prior use of reserve fund balance to lower the 2025 levy. Staff noted a discrepancy in the spoken figures: the presentation referenced both $625,000 and $627,000 as the reserve amount used in 2025; the county did not reconcile those two slightly different numbers during the meeting.
Staff walked the board through charts comparing 2025 actuals, last year's projection for 2026, and the newly proposed 2026 numbers. "After all of the updates that we received from all the different departments ... we've arrived at ... the proposed numbers," Speaker 4 said, noting that some large purchases and building projects were deferred to smooth the plan.
Funding sources for the plan include operating levy transfers (often tied to equipment purchases in Health and Human Services), state and federal grants (noted primarily in the Sheriff's Office for E-911/dispatch equipment), an annual $5,000 transfer from the Sheriff's Office budget toward squad-car costs, motor-pool fund balances and — potentially — reserve fund balance. Speaker 4 said staff was not assuming use of reserve balance for 2026 at the time of presentation.
The board discussed the trade-offs of delaying projects to reduce near-term levy pressure versus the risk of paying more later because of inflation. Multiple commissioners urged caution about pushing repairs too far out, particularly for building maintenance that could become costlier.
The Committee of the Whole did not take a vote at this session; staff said the capital plan will be refined through the budget process and brought back for board action before the final December approval.
