Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Minnetonka budget kickoff outlines public-safety hires, drones program and preliminary levy projection
Summary
In a budget kickoff, staff presented a financial management plan and the public-safety master plan that proposes six full-time firefighters in 2027 (about $795,000), a $300,000-per-year drones first-responder lease moving into operations and an additional operator for extended real-time operations (placeholder ~$140,000); preliminary 2027 levy projection was presented at 6.84%.
Darren Nelson, Minnetonka's finance director, laid out the financial-management plan and public-safety master plan during the study-session budget kickoff and described how those initiatives feed into the 2027 levy forecast.
The lede: Nelson said the public-safety master plan implementation for 2027 includes hiring six full-time firefighters (initial briefing said ~ $800,000 but Nelson corrected the figure to $795,000) and budgeting for operational additions tied to the drone-first-responder program and expanded real-time-operations coverage.
Context: Staff explained that the first year of the drones program was paid from the capital-improvement program, while years two through 10 are expected to be budgeted in the police operational budget at about $300,000 annually. Nelson noted a placeholder of roughly $140,000 for an additional operator to cover extended hours in the real-time operations center.
Budget numbers and reserves: Staff reported a strong 2025 actual (about $4.1 million revenue over expenditures and roughly $3 million net after transfers) but cautioned that rising expenditures in 2026 increase fund-balance requirements. Preliminary 2027 levy projection presented was 6.84%; within that projection police and fire impacts were estimated at 2.08%.
Council reaction and next steps: Council members emphasized the public-safety priorities and asked for detail on operational timing, long-term cost drivers (health insurance, union contracts) and response-time impacts tied to station staffing. Staff said all projections are preliminary and subject to refinement as negotiations and insurance renewals are clarified.
Ending: Staff will bring refined assumptions and budget options in coming months as the council weighs tradeoffs among public safety, facilities and capital investments.
