Minnetonka City Council — Transcript
Monday, April 27, 2026
2027 Budget Development Process & Departmental Overviews
Public Works Operations & Infrastructure
Legal & Administrative Efficiencies
Financial Management & Assessing
Recreation & Community Development Updates
Public Safety Master Plan & Technology Integration
Votes (2)
Director Budget Presentations and 2027 Budget Development Process
City Manager Mike Funk provided an introduction to the city's overall budget structure and the detailed 2027 budget development schedule, emphasizing upcoming study sessions for different fund types and plans. Each department director then presented their specific departmental goals for 2026, outlined their outlook for 2027, identified key challenges facing their operations, and reviewed important performance measures. Common themes included managing rising costs, recruitment and retention challenges, adapting to new technologies, and ensuring efficient service delivery.
Public Safety Master Plan Update
Police Chief Scott Bordon and Fire Chief Kevin Fox provided an update on the 2022 Public Safety Master Plan (PSMP). For the Police Department, 8 of the recommended 14.5 FTEs have been implemented, with the remaining needs being addressed through technology and re-evaluated strategies, rather than additional sworn staff. The Drones as First Responders (DFR) program was highlighted as a significant success, enhancing safety and efficiency, and receiving an innovation award. The mental health response model is evolving with embedded social workers and future collaboration with the Fire Department. The Fire Department is focusing on light rail training, school partnerships for recruitment, and plans to onboard more firefighters and design new stations in the coming years, along with exploring paramedic integration.
Notable Quotes (12)
just to set the stage uh as our directors and and not only our directors but some of our assistant uh chiefs are here as well. So appreciate our staff uh getting prepared for tonight's discussion. Just to kick things off, you've seen this slide before, uh perhaps maybe newer to Amanda in terms of our overall city budget.
I'll want to learn staff will want to learn for you going into that budget kickoff your priorities. Um so really becoming prepared to that meeting to share with staff your thoughts about the budget, what goals you might have, what priorities you might have.
Andrew was skipping in this morning. Weight lifted off of his shoulders. I didn't get that news. You just made my whole day. Yes. So great news. So again, our staff was a little defeated because they have spent so many hours doing this, but we can breathe a little bit because we got a year
Uh I think the the thing I'm most proud of when we took over the marsh is it didn't it didn't seem to affect Willist. We still have 11,000 members, 350,000 visits.
Minnetonka has always been able to weather storms pretty well when they're permitting area. And so, you know, probably the last uh major issue we had was about 2008, but there still was activity happening in Minnetonka. It wasn't like we took, you know, took a total dive. We were still doing projects.
I look at my three boys. None of them could be a cop. Part of that I think I have I have solved every one of their problems and I think that's part of the problem
But really want to thank our directors for the work they put into preparing for this evening. Again, you get a sense of their commitment to excellence and really that's in the form of enhancing service delivery.
And if you recall at some of our prior uh study sessions, we held off on that request because we knew as fire started to transition full-time, how can we um transfer some of those responsibilities? We could have easily said, 'Hey, we need two cops that all going all they're going to do is mental health.'
I think if we could go back to 2022 and do the study over the technology wasn't quite there and I would I would have thought I would think at least that technology would have been brought into it.
In fact, Jason and Gareth presented at the state chief's conference last week and the state chiefs gave uh us the innovation award in 2026 for our DFR program. Um, remarkable.
And so someone comes and wants to ask questions about it, we know where to go. In fact, you can go right to our dashboard and you can see the flight pattern. And I think that's really really important.
So 18. I mean that those are those are numbers that are important because as you as you look at staffing needs the more that that now you know we now gota be careful right we can't just be doing it all the time but there are times when that drone can clear uh the call without an officer going on to it
Ordinances & Resolutions (48)
City's total budget for 2026, stated as $124 million.
Funds supported by property tax dollars (General, Special Revenue, Capital Project, Debt Service).
Type of governmental fund.
Type of governmental fund.
Type of governmental fund.
Type of governmental fund.
Funds supported by fees (e.g., water, sewer, Williston, Graves Bay Marina).
Schedule outlining study sessions and key dates leading to budget and levy adoption.
Survey results to be presented in May, feeding into budget kickoff.
To be discussed in June study session; includes projects at Williston and other facilities.
To be discussed in July study session.
Council action required on September 14th.
First agenda item of the study session, where department directors outline goals and challenges.
Comprehensive evaluation of police and fire services, initiated in 2022, with a 5-7 year implementation plan.
Goal for the Legal Department to create for SOPs and case type management.
Red Flag Law cases, increasing in volume, handled by Legal Department prosecutors.
State law equivalent of FOIA, focus of a new reference document goal for Legal Department.
Assessing division goal to track in their property data system.
Used by Assessing division to track property information.
New Logis-developed application being tested and implemented by Assessing.
Future multi-year project for the Finance Department.
Future multi-year project for the Finance Department, potentially integrated with ERP.
Agreement with fire relief association to be renewed.
Electronic system launched by Administration for employee reviews.
State law being tracked for organizational impact and cost by Administration.
Administration goal to enhance efficiencies through its features.
Administration goal to develop policies for artificial intelligence use.
Administration goal to develop for consistency across city boards and commissions.
Administration is exploring options for a new system.
Administration is advancing through continued outreach.
Administration goal to review and update, involving five unions.
Compliance requirement for digital accessibility, deadline moved to April 2027.
Administration is developing a comprehensive plan.
Contract with the City of Hopkins nearing its end, to be reviewed by Administration.
To be implemented for council ward seat elections next year.
One of four union contracts open this year for Administration.
New Fire Department protocol allowing crews to leave non-emergency medical scenes under specific criteria.
Implementation is a focus for Community Development in 2027.
Community Development will be diving into a rewrite after 2027.
Community Development will begin work on after zoning is complete in 2027.
Housing program set up by Community Development, already being accessed.
Community Development is exploring its use for business outreach and data.
New Police Department system going live in May, part of the Axon suite.
Police Department center consuming technology for real-time decision making.
Police Department's innovative drone deployment program, received an innovation award.
Gold standard training completed by police officers and ongoing for fire staff for mental health response.
Old permitting software being replaced by Community Development.
New permitting software being implemented by Community Development.