Parks & Rec., Library give budget presentations

At a council work session on Jan. 26, Library Director Faith Brehm and Parks and Rec. Director Jacob Oswald presented their proposed fiscal year 2027 budget to the Monticello city council.

City Administrator Russ Farnum presented to the council on the FY27 levy amounts, along with cemetery and airport revenues and expenses.

Farnum said the city’s total proposed levy for FY27 is just shy of $2.5 million, with a levy rate of $15.00, which is a 21-cent decrease from fiscal year 2026.

“That is the rate that the property tax must be to get that amount, based on property values,” Farnum said.

Farnum noted that the numbers are subject additional adjustments.

Presenting on the cemetery revenues and expenses, Farnum said the cemetery operations are funded by the general fund and a small county fund for veterans.

“The cemetery also generates revenue through lot sales, land rent and service fees,” Farnum added.

Farnum said the cemetery expenses didn’t see much change from last year and that a $40,000 additional expense for a replacement work truck has not yet been added to the budget.

For the airport, Farnum said it generates its own revenue and there’s no general fund support necessary.

The airport expenses for the FY27 are proposed at $163,050, which includes an increased pay for the airport manager and an FAA purchase portion of ag land ($10,000 for city match).

Farnum added that they will pay off an internal loan for that parcel (57.45-foot access strip to 190th Street) and details would be worked out with the FAA in the next 9-15 months.

Library

In Brehm’s presentation, she noted that the library has seen an increase in income from the front desk services in the last three fiscal years.

“These include things like faxes, copies and scans, but also income from the 3D printer we added in April,” Brehm said. “The printer itself has already earned over $700, and we expect that trend to continue, especially with summer coming.”

Brehm said that in fiscal year 2024, the average general fund contribution to libraries the same size as Monticello’s was $203,473. Brehm note that Monticello is still below that average number, even two fiscal years later.

For library salaries, Brehm proposed a 7% increase in director salary, and a 7% increase to full-time salaries as well.

Brehm said that janitorial services typically run just over $3,000 a year but said “our carpets are in desperate need a of a deep clean to help with their longevity. That will run somewhere in the $900 range.”

Brehm also noted a $500 decrease in the books line item.

“We’ve lowered books back down a bit,” Brehm said. “We’ve switched over to Amazon as our main distributor, and the discount we receive from them is a bit higher than our previous distributor.

Parks & Recreation

Starting with the Aquatic Center, Oswald pointed out notable changes in his FY27 budget presentation.

Notable changes on the pool’s expenses include: an increase of $1,000 for lifeguard reimbursement, a result of new staff and re-certifications; a decrease of $5,000 in repair and maintenance on equipment due to the updating of chemical feeders and filtration system; and a $20,000 increase in other capital equipment for an update to the umbrellas.

“As far as staffing, we’ll have to certify our staff and re-certify our returning guards, that’s what the $1,000 increase accounts for,” Oswald said. “The $5,000 decrease is what I call the ‘behind closed door updates,’ stuff that helps operate the pool more efficiently. The $20,000 increase is to update our umbrellas. The mechanical components of the umbrellas are starting to fail, so we’re looking at getting a more permanent structure that requires less putting up and down.”

From Oswald’s presentation, future aquatic center projects include replacing umbrellas, slide restoration and updating the water attractions.

On the parks and rec side, Oswald noted projected increases in part-time/seasonal staff and janitorial services.

“The increase accounts for season staff from May-August, as well as the 20 hour per week position moving to 32 hours per week,” Oswald commented. “We increased janitorial services $3,500, as it’s becoming challenging for our full-time and part-time staff to keep up with cleaning needs.”

As far as park improvements go, Oswald noted a $10,000 increase in Riverside Park improvements, a $10,000 decrease in field improvements, a $15,000 decrease in trail improvement and a $5,000 increase in holiday lights.

Oswald also talked about future Berndes Center projects.

Projects completed in fiscal year 2026 include the main entrance vestibule replacement and phase 1 of the kitchen remodel, which included the addition of a 10-burner/double oven stove that was purchased and donated by the Horse and Pony Camp.

Future Berndes Center projects include a fob system for enhanced door security, floor resurfacing and a second phase in the kitchen remodel.

“The fob system is kind of our next thing we want to get completed, it would really help from a staffing standpoint, and obviously a building security standpoint,” Oswald said. “We highlighted the floor resurfacing last year, but it’s definitely something we need to look at by maybe 2028. Phase two of the kitchen remodel would involve the sink/cleaning area.”

Oswald listed a storage shed, an update to the Berndes Center parking lot and new picnic tables as possible upcoming park expenditures.