BLUE EARTH– The Blue Earth City Council discussed, but did not yet approve, Blue Earth’s 2022 property tax levy at their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday.

A bulk of the budgetary discussion took place at a 4:30 p.m. work session held prior to the regular meeting.

City administrator Mary Kennedy outlined the path which led the city to a proposed total levy of $1,795,033.64.

Though, mathematically, this comes to an increase of 4.1 percent over last year’s levy, mayor Rick Scholtes explained citizens will experience the effects of a 3.5 percent increase.

“It is really going to work out to be 4.1 percent when all is said and done, because we added $11,000 in property taxes for the new duplexes that were built,”  Scholtes clarified. “They weren’ t on the property tax rolls.”

“But, to taxpayers, it should be flat at 3.5 percent,” he added.

Kennedy explained a few details which contributed the final sum of $1,795,033.64.

She noted a union contract negotiation between Blue Earth and Law Enforcement Labor Services, which, upon its acceptance later in the meeting, would negotiate a five percent salary increase for the Blue Earth police.

She also noted a proposed starting wage of $20.51 an hour for part-time police department employees.

Kennedy explained additional tweaks include a routine three precent raise for Blue Earth’s CEDA contract, as well as an increase of $15,000 to the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA)’s demolition of property budget.

Finally, Kennedy clarified that American Rescue Plan (ARP) relief funds are not reflected anywhere in the proposed budget.

“That’s bonus money, basically,” Kennedy said, adding Blue Earth was fortunate to receive an additional amount of funding in ARP funds, which were reallocated by the state when several cities failed to apply for recovery funds.

The council decided to officially approve the proposed levy at their next regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Dec. 20.

Other business discussed by the Blue Earth City Council on Dec. 6 included:

— Where the sidewalk ends following Blue Earth s proposed street improvement projects for 2022. Based upon community feedback at a public hearing on Nov. 1, the council passed a motion to revise plans for next year’s sidewalk construction.

Accordingly, additional sidewalk will be laid on Fourth Street from Galbraith Street to Gorman Street, on Gorman Street from Seventh Street to Sixth Street, and on First Street from Moore Street to Galbraith Street.

— The Blue Earth Community Library’s prehistoric plans for the future. After some discussion, the council unanimously passed a motion permitting the Library Board to work with city attorney David Frundt to draft an agreement between the library and Jim Pollard, a local resident who plans to donate a sizeable dinosaur fossil exhibit to the library.

— A community show of support for pickleball. Several Blue Earth residents attended the city council meeting to express their desire for outdoor pickleball courts in Blue Earth.

Scholtes emphasized plans for Blue Earth’s future athletic facilities are still in early discussion. However, the council took the seeming popularity of the sport, and its potential to draw area residents into Blue Earth, into consideration.