BLUE EARTH– After several months of holding work sessions devoted to the 2025 budget and levy, the Blue Earth City Council voted to approve both the 2025 budget and levy during its meeting on Monday.

The council had first held a work session before the meeting devoted to another look at the budget and levy, with four different possible property tax levy increases, ranging from a high of 24.25 percent to a low of a 10 percent hike.

In the end the council voted to approve the levy increase at 17.05 percent. The amount of the levy is $2,308,000, which is $335,373 more than 2024’s levy amount of $1,967,000.

The City Council had also been studying a new Cannabis Ordinance for several months during work sessions and at council meetings.

At Monday night’s meeting the council had a second reading of the ordinance and then voted unanimously to approve the ordinance.

It also had to approve two other ordinances that had to do with the new Cannabis Ordinance.

In other business at the meeting, the council:

— Heard an update on the state legislature from state Representative Bjorn Olson.

Olson explained that while the state has a surplus this year, it will have a large deficit in the following years.

Olson was asked about LGA (Local Government Aid) and he said funding for cities and school districts remains a priority at the legislature.

— Approved a motion to cancel a purchase agreement to sell a lot on Prairie Rose Drive in the new Prairie View Addition.

City administrator Mary Athey said it was the party that first wanted to purchase two lots, then changed to one lot, and now did not want to buy the one lot.

— Voted to approve a Joint Powers Agreement between the Blue Earth Police Department and the South Central Minnesota Computer Consortium.

— Approved an agreement with Bolton and Menk for general engineering services.

— Approved an application for Deferment of Special Assessment Due to Undeveloped Parcel.

City engineer Ben Rosol explained that when the city is doing a street/utility project that it is common practice to stub in a water and sewer line to a vacant lot if the lot is large enough to have a home built on it sometime in the future.