Shakopee City Council Completes Heavy Lifting on 2013 Budget

The Shakopee City Council "got a lot of heavy lifting accomplished" Tuesday night at their budget workshop, according to Mayor Brad Tabke.

In a blog post, Tabke said the meeting was probably the most important meeting so far this year. He also mentioned his three goals for the 2013 city budget:

1. Remove as much unnecessary spending as possible
2. Fill gaps in staffing
3. Stabilize our debt service

The city's preliminary levy (total amount of property taxes paid by Shakopee residents and businesses) needs to be set by Sept. 15.

"Our city team did an amazing job of putting together a year over year budget with an increase of just $64,352 (.3 percent increase)," he said. "This number includes all negotiated staff wage increases (averaging about 2 percent) and a 15 percent increase in anticipated health insurance costs."

He also mentions that the majority of the council voted to add staff positions he called critical:

• Economic Development Director
• Crime Prevention Specialist
• Human Resources Technician
• Natural Resources Technician

Click here to read the full post and what the preliminary budget could mean for your taxes.