BLUE EARTH– The Blue Earth City Council held a combination of four meetings and public hearings during a three hour period on Monday night.

Besides its regular meeting, the council also held a budget work session, a public hearing on the proposed 2025 street/utility project and also held its annual Truth in Taxation public meeting.

After the public hearing on the 2025 Linton Street project came to a close, the council voted to proceed with the project which is estimated to be at a cost of $3.39 million, with $752,686 being assessed to the local property owners in the project area.

However, the council voted to not include the far west block of Eighth Street in the project after city engineer Ben Rosol said it had been determined to be better that this block not be included in this project at this time, and be added to a project in the future.

Rosol said that would knock off approximately $375,000 from the project’s estimated cost.

At the Truth in Taxation public meeting, which ran for an hour and a half, mayor Rick Scholtes gave a presentation of the proposed budget and levy and resulting property tax increase.

The amount presented for 2025 was a property tax levy of $2,450,000, which was an increase of 24.56 percent over the current 2024 tax levy of $1,967,000.

Several local business owners were at the Truth in Taxation public meeting to question large increases in their proposed property taxes.

A lot of the increase was due to the hike in the estimated market value of their buildings, mayor Scholtes explained. The business owners said they were aware of that, but still felt the hike in the city of Blue Earth portion of their property taxes was out of line.

In the end, council member John Huisman made a motion to delay making a final decision on the amount of the levy until the next City Council meeting on Dec. 16.

“I think we need time to take another close look at the 2025 budget and see if there are areas we can cut,” he said.

The motion passed.

During the regular meeting on Monday night the council:

— Passed motions to accept the first readings of two new ordinances and one ordinance change. They dealt with a new zoning ordinance, new cannabis ordinance and one renaming of an ordinance section that will now contain both alcohol and cannabis ordinances.

— Passed six motions that had to do with canceling a purchase of two lots in the Prairie View Addition, and instead have the sale of just one of the two lots.

— Passed a motion that adopted the city fee schedule for 2025. Many of the fees the city charges were increased from the current 2024 schedule.

— Passed a motion that decertified a TIF (Tax Increment Financing) District that dealt with the property that once was the site of Coleman Hall in Blue Earth.

— Passed a motion that allowed the Blue Earth Fire Department to proceed with the purchase of a new Jaws of Life rescue equipment.

— Passed a motion to appoint Ryan Milbrandt to the city’s Economic Development Authority board.