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Council reviews police budget; staff urges vehicle reserve and notes grant changes
Summary
City staff told Crookston council the police department’s preliminary 2026 budget reflects lower training reimbursements per officer, an anticipated state aid payment of about $214,000, and proposed reserves for vehicle replacement funded by reimbursed special-service fees.
City staff on Monday walked Crookston council members through the police department’s preliminary 2026 budget, emphasizing grant reimbursements, overtime accounting and a proposal to set aside reimbursed special-service fees for vehicle replacement.
Darren, a city staff member, said revenue lines include small fees such as dog and cat licenses and special vehicle permits and larger intergovernmental items including federal grants and training reimbursements. “Historically, we received about $950 per officer. However, there have been some legislative changes for 2026 and they reduced that amount to $890 per officer,” he said. Darren also said the budget anticipates $214,000 in state aid for pension reimbursement but noted the award amount will be finalized on Oct. 1.
Staff recommended reserving funds that are episodically reimbursed—such as mental-health transport reimbursements and task-force overtime—into a vehicle fund so those dollars could pay for squad cars and other fleet needs. “What I would like to do…is to reserve those funds into a vehicle fund and use those for purchasing vehicles in the future,” Darren said.
Council members pressed staff on overtime accounting and journal entries; staff acknowledged some entries need updating so reimbursements show against overtime lines. Darren said increased staffing has reduced overtime pressure compared with short-staffed years and promised an updated budget showing reimbursement entries before the preliminary levy discussion.
The council also reviewed contractual and IT costs: records-management mobile-CAD fees and other vendor changes have increased some departmental contract lines, and staff said approximately $30,000 remains to transfer from IT to operating departments to correct past entries.
On capital planning, staff estimated a fully equipped squad car upfit near $75,000 and noted recent market increases in vehicle pricing—roughly $50,000 per unit now compared with about $38,000 pre-COVID—urging steady annual set-asides for replacement rather than ad-hoc large purchases.
No formal vote was taken on the budget at the workshop; staff will return with updated journal entries and a revised preliminary budget for further council consideration.
