Northfield City Council Meets Tonight to Discuss the Strategic Plan and Budget

By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net

The Northfield City Council on 1/21/2025. (Left to right): Councilor Davin Sokup, Councilor Brad Ness, Councilor Jessica Peterson White, Mayor Erica Zweifel, Councilor Kathleen Holmes, Councilor Peter Dahlen, and Councilor Chad Beumer. Picture credit: Logan Wells/KYMN News

The Northfield City Council meets tonight for a regular meeting. After the open public comment and consent agenda, the council will consider two items.

Strategic Plan Update

First up will be a strategic plan update; no action is expected. Instead, a report will be given, and a discussion about the items. The strategic plan is the city’s  3-year plan, passed this past spring, and includes the most immediate priorities that the council would like city staff to focus on. The plan is broken into four priorities: 

  1. Improve Financial Strength
  2. Increase Housing Availability
  3. Achieve Infrastructure Sustainability
  4. Enhance Service Delivery

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Then each priority has three desired outcomes, such as under housing, adding 50 single-family homes a year in Northfield, or under infrastructure, creating a flood-resistant community.

The one-page summary of the Northfield Strategic Plan. View a PDF copy here

Budget & Taxes Update:

The meeting will also include an extensive update on the city’s budget and tax levy. In September, the City Council approved a preliminary tax levy at 10.2% primarily to include Sunday library hours in the budget. In the new update, city staff have since lowered the budget to 9.9% but preserved library hours. 

The report is a 102-page-long document breaking down the department’s different budgets, looking at historical trends and long-term debt forecasts for the city. At their first meeting in November, the council is expected to receive additional information about the city’s budgets for infrastructure projects in the next five years. No formal action will be taken on by the Council at the meeting; instead, it’s an opportunity for each member to provide input and feedback on the budget. And on that note, now is also the time for all of you to provide feedback as well:

Speaking now in October and November has the most ability to enact change in the budget. The budget and tax levy for next year is set to be approved at the first City Council meeting in December. 

The public is welcome to attend in person or watch online. To watch online, go to northfieldmn.gov and click the “Agenda & Minutes” button in the middle of the home page. From there, find tonight’s meeting date to watch, as well as a copy of the agenda and other meeting documents.

Tonight’s meeting takes place at 6pm in the Council Chambers of the Northfield City Hall. 


Newscasts on KYMN air on weekdays at 6am, 7am, 8:30am, Noon, 3pm, and 5pm. If you miss it live, you can subscribe on your preferred podcast app:
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Do you have a news tip or press release? Send it to us email: Logan@kymnradio.net

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