Oak Grove City Council Work Session meeting, August 25, 2025
Council Work SessionMonday, August 25, 2025
What happened
Council held a 2026 preliminary levy and budget work session, discussing levy increases, CIP items, staffing and seasonal positions, potential use of charitable gambling and ARPA funds, and cost-saving ideas; no formal motions were recorded.
What was on the agenda
2 items as recorded in the minutes, each with a short summary of what was at issue.
- Discussion only
12026 PRELIMINARY LEVY & BUDGET DISCUSSION
Council and staff reviewed the 2026 budget calendar, revenue and expenditure trends, and the preliminary property tax information from the County. The general fund levy and overall levy increases were discussed, along with major capital improvement plan (CIP) items for Public Works, Public Safety, and Parks and Recreation, and the Council expressed interest in keeping the levy increase at or below 5% while continuing to discuss certain proposed increases.
Council discussed seasonal staffing and the warming house attendant line in the budget. Council member Wylie suggested removing the warming house attendant position, and Mayor Rolf agreed; they discussed the pay rate and the proposed budgets, and the mayor summarized that the Council wanted to remove the warming house attendant and adjust the seasonal employee increase amount.
Council discussed using charitable gambling funds and other available funds to support the Fire Department and reduce the levy impact. Mayor Rolf suggested using $25,000 of charitable gambling funds and also using $50,000 in remaining funds (described in connection with prior ARPA and a 2025 transfer for the Sheriff’s contract) for the Fire Department, stating this would reduce the levy by $75,000.
Mayor Rolf raised the idea of using some charitable gambling funds to offset Planning and Zoning cost increases due to the Comprehensive Plan update and discussed saving $5,000–$15,000 per year for future comprehensive plans. Council member Tradewell asked whether the cost could be split across two years, and Administrator Wickham said that might be possible but cautioned against splitting in half due to first-year draft work and council engagement, also noting the City would be receiving Metropolitan Council grants to offset costs.
Council member West said he wanted more information before deciding on Public Safety’s request to purchase a new Chevy Tahoe and suggested changing the budget to $50,000 pending more information.
Council member Wylie said he would like to see how to cut costs in professional services. The Council discussed having the City Engineer and City Attorney attend meetings virtually or provide their updates earlier so they are not billed to stay for the entire meeting.
Work session discussion; no formal vote recorded in these minutes.
- 2026 preliminary levy
- 2026 budget
- CIP
- staffing
- charitable gambling funds
- ARPA funds
- public safety vehicle
- professional services cost control
- No action
2ADJOURNMENT
Adjourned (no motion text recorded).
- adjournment
Alternatives considered
Options the council weighed, and what happened to them. The record of the road not taken.
Warming house staffing
under studyRemove the warming house attendant position from the 2026 budget
Cost comparison: Warming house attendant proposed to be budgeted for $2,811 (total wages and benefits)
Why: Mayor agreed he was not interested in paying someone to sit at the warming house all day unless they could help Public Works; mayor summarized desired budget change.
Raised by Wylie
Seasonal employee funding level
under studyBudget an increase of $2,500 for the seasonal employee rather than the proposed increase of $5,127
Cost comparison: Proposed increase referenced as $5,127; Wylie suggested $2,500
Why: Mayor summarized the Council’s direction as removing warming house attendant and adjusting seasonal employee increase.
Raised by Wylie
Comprehensive Plan update funding
mentioned onlyUse charitable gambling funds to offset Planning and Zoning cost increases from the Comprehensive Plan update
Cost comparison: Mayor stated a goal to save $5,000-$15,000 a year for future Comprehensive Plans
Why: Raised as an option; no recorded action taken at this work session.
Raised by Rolf
Comprehensive Plan update funding
under studySplit Comprehensive Plan update costs between two years
Why: Administrator said it may be possible but suggested not splitting in half because drafts occur in the first year and due to council engagement.
Raised by Tradewell
Fire Department funding / levy reduction
mentioned onlyUse $50,000 in remaining funds (after Sheriff contract transfers) for Fire Department to reduce Fire levy
Cost comparison: Mayor stated levy would be reduced by $75,000 by using $50,000 plus $25,000 of charitable gambling funds
Why: Presented as a suggestion during discussion; no formal action recorded in these work session minutes.
Raised by Rolf
Public Safety vehicle request (Chevy Tahoe)
under studyChange the budget to $50,000 pending more information
Cost comparison: Suggested budget: $50,000
Why: West requested more information before making a decision.
Raised by West
Professional services costs
mentioned onlyHave the City Engineer and City Attorney attend meetings virtually
Why: Discussed as a way to cut costs so they are not billed to stay for the entire meeting.
Professional services costs
mentioned onlyHave the City Engineer and City Attorney provide updates earlier so they are not billed to stay for the entire meeting
Why: Discussed as a way to cut billed time at meetings.
Sources
Documents and recordings archived for this meeting, when available.
Agenda
Not in this archive
What was on the agenda.
Packet
Not in this archive
The supporting materials the board reviewed.
The summary on this page is AI-extracted and may need correction. The PDFs and the meeting recording are the official record. What do the trust labels mean?