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Northfield City council reviews 2026 budget, flags staff and equipment cuts to meet levy limits
Summary
At a Feb. 12 budget workshop, City of Northfield finance staff reviewed the proposed 2026 budget and council members discussed cuts to comply with state levy limits, including potential staffing reductions, deferred equipment purchases and capital trade-offs; no votes were taken and no public comments were offered.
City of Northfield — City finance officials presented the proposed 2026 budget on Feb. 12 and urged council members to trim spending to comply with state levy restrictions and legal-budget requirements.
Chief Financial Officer Stollenwerk told the council the city’s surplus stands at about 15% of operating expenses and that Northfield’s credit rating is expected to remain around "AAA-." She said the state-capped appropriations increase is 2%, but the council introduced an ordinance raising the allowable increase to 3.5 percent. Stollenwerk noted expenses — notably health insurance, pension costs and utility rates — have outpaced that allowance and said council must reduce appropriations to produce a legal budget. She told members that a one-cent tax-rate change (.01) equals about $98,000 in revenue to the city.
Why it matters: council members said the city must balance fiscal stability with service…
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