July 2024

Councilors began working this week to pare down a city budget for 2025 that will likely require a property tax increase greater than in recent years.The first draft of City Manager Bob Elston’s spending plan showed a nearly 10 percent hike in the tax levy, though Elston made clear at Tuesday’s council meeting he considered that only the starting point for discussion, and he expected council members to help him find places to cut and lower that increase over the next two months.Nonetheless, taxpayers can still expect a larger levy increase than in recent years, when the City Council “used up some funds” to help blunt the impact of inflation and limited tax increases to around 3 to 5 percent, Elston said.“It’s going to take more than 3 percent in ’25, I can promise you that,” he said.The preliminary budget reflected tax levy revenues of $1.9 million – about $168,000, or 9.7 percent, greater than the year before, Elston said.One rising cost reflected in the next spending plan is the city’s need to begin subsidizing its ambulance service.

Sleepy Eye’s Abigail Schwartz will compete to be the Minneapolis Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes later this month along with 45 other candidates from across Minnesota.Schwartz, the 2023 Miss Sleepy Eye, will participate in the Aquatennial Ambassador Organization Candidate Program July 22-28, with a schedule full of visits to Minneapolis sites, the Torchlight Parade and the coronation on July 27 at the University of Minnesota.A 2023 St.

In every even numbered year since 1990, Minnesota Farmfest has featured candidate forums for the Minnesota primary election races for Governor, U.S.

Walnut Grove, Minn.