Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lakeville finance director reports steady Q1 revenues, permit growth and higher disposal costs
Summary
Finance Director Julie Stahl told the council that Q1 general fund revenues were about $2.14 million (roughly 4% of budget), license and permits rose to about $895,000, and the city absorbed higher Met Council disposal costs; building permits and charges for services also trended above last year.
Finance Director Julie Stahl presented Lakeville’s first‑quarter financial report on May 18, saying overall results are in line with expectations for Q1 and noting a number of encouraging trends.
Stahl said general fund revenues stood at about $2.14 million, approximately 4% of the annual budget in the first quarter, and emphasized that most property tax revenues arrive in June and December. She reported license and permit revenue at roughly $895,000 (up from about $618,000 in Q1 2025) and charges for services at about $655,000 year‑to‑date. Investment income recognized about $990,000 of interest earnings in the portfolio, offset by $519,000 in fair‑market‑value losses at the reporting point.
On building activity, Stahl said single‑family permits in the quarter were 63 versus 58 last year and townhome permits rose to 97 from 59; year‑to‑date permit volumes she read included 83 single‑family, 124 townhomes, 4 apartment projects (51 units) and 8 commercial permits. She noted a full quarter of SAFER grant revenue following the March 2025 firefighter hires contributed about $400,000 more than the comparable period a year earlier.
Stahl warned about rising utility and disposal costs: a 2026 Met Council MCES disposal increase of about 8.3% is a material input to sewer processing costs, which she said translates to roughly $6.0 million in cost to the city’s systems (as presented). She recommended monitoring gas and electric costs that have risen as well and noted expenditures overall remain under benchmark at roughly 20% of budget for the general fund.
Council members asked for permit valuation dollars rather than just counts; Stahl said the combined license-and-permit revenue figure (~$895,000) is already available and offered to provide a valuation breakout from the monthly building‑permit report.
Stahl closed by highlighting that permit activity and charges for services are up from 2025 and that planned utility rate adjustments and the Station Two construction program will factor into later quarters.
