City's 2025 Budget Approved

At its December 17 meeting, the City Council approved the City’s 2025 budget and levy of and a property tax levy to invest in infrastructure, public safety, city-wide amenities, economic growth, development and staff recruitment and retention. The City Council also approved the Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA)’s 2025 budget of and property tax levy to aid in well-planned growth to help meet the community’s housing needs.

The final 2025 budget and levy (City and HRA) was approved with a 7.75 percent increase over 2024 with an estimated tax base growth of 7.2 percent. This results in a slightly lower tax rate for all property taxpayers (57.914 vs. 58.185).

The City’s online, interactive budget and budget presentations are available at www.owatonna.gov/Finance. For questions regarding property valuations, taxes or property tax relief options, please contact the County Assessor’s Office at 507.444.7435.

Reception Thanking Outgoing City Officials

The community is invited to attend a reception December 17 from 4:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. to honor Mayor Thomas A. Kuntz and City Council President Greg Schultz for their service as they approach the conclusion of their terms. After each of these City officials having served multiple terms, they decided not to run for re-election in the 2024 General Election.

The reception, held at the Owatonna Arts Center, 435 Garden View Lane, will provide community members an opportunity to thank Kuntz and Schultz for their years of service as an elected official for the City of Owatonna and recognize some of their accomplishments on significant projects that have been completed during their terms.

Owatonna City Council Approves Phase Two of Public Safety Facilities Planning Project

At its meeting on December 17, the Owatonna City Council approved the second phase of a facilities planning process for the City’s police and fire departments. 

Over the past year, the City conducted a detailed assessment of its public safety facilities. This assessment identified facility challenges and needs at the existing Fire and Police facilities and the scope of improvements needed to provide facilities that best serve community members now and into the future. 

“Ensuring public safety is the top priority for the City. We take the safety and well-being of our community members and first responders very seriously,” said Kris Busse, City Administrator. “Although Owatonna’s police and fire department facilities have served the community well, they are aging and no longer meet the needs of our police and fire departments and the essential services they provide.”

Both buildings lack appropriate and functional space for police and fire department operations. This includes essential needs like a dedicated fire equipment decontamination space, adequate and secure parking for vehicles, equipment and storage, secure holding areas to separate the public from individuals in custody and appropriate space for evidence processing. The facilities also lack training rooms and areas to support the health and well-being of first responders. Additionally, as both buildings age, they face increasing maintenance needs that impact operational efficiency and effective service delivery.

The City Council approved a $2,946,315 investment in phase two of the facilities planning process. This next phase will take place in 2025 and focus on project scope, site design and site investigation. As part of this process, the City will further evaluate and select an option to address the needs of the public safety facilities. Potential options include renovating existing facilities, building new facilities for each department or creating a new shared facility for the police and fire departments. 

“We are carefully considering the needs of our public safety facilities today and in the future to ensure sustainable and cost-effective solutions,” Busse said. 

The City of Owatonna is committed to providing the services and amenities that community members expect and deserve while using resources and taxpayer dollars efficiently. The public safety facilities project is part of the City’s Long Range Asset Plan, a multi-year effort to make thoughtful investments in the City’s more than 90 buildings and structures. For additional information about the plan, visit owatonna.gov.

Festive celebrations, flickering lights, and winter greens are hallmarks of the holiday season, but they also present fire risks that can quickly turn this festive time of year into a devastating one. Following a few simple tips will ensure a happy and fire-safe holiday season:

• Choose holiday decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.
• Keep lit candles away from decorations and other things that can burn.
• Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections.
• Test smoke alarms and tell guests about the home fire escape plan.
• Stay in the kitchen when cooking on the stovetop.
• Keep children and pets away from lit candles.
• Water Christmas trees every day. A dry tree can catch on fire easily.

More than one-third of home decoration fires are started by candles. Keep everyone safe - Blow out lit candles when leaving a room or going to bed. Visit owatonna.gov/fire for more information. 

Ice Safety and Aeration

Cold days are ideal for making ice on area lakes. However, that doesn’t always mean the ice is safe. Whether at Lake Chase, Lake Kohlmier or one of southern Minnesota’s many lakes, be aware of changing conditions.

Each winter, the Parks & Recreation Department applies for a permit with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to operate an aeration system on Lake Kohlmier. Aeration increases oxygen levels in the lake to help prevent winter fish kills.

Ice is never 100 percent safe. As a reminder from the DNR, your safety is your responsibility. Some safety tips to remember are as follows (source MN DNR website):

• Don’t judge the strength of ice just by its appearance, age, thickness, temperature or whether the ice is covered by snow. Other factors are the depth of the water below, the size of the lake, the chemistry of the water, currents, distribution of the load on the ice and climatic conditions.
• Open water areas can become larger within just a few hours during warm, windy days. This creates unpredictable and irregular thin ice areas.
• Ice seldom freezes uniformly. The DNR recommends checking ice thickness at least every 150 feet.
• New ice is usually stronger than old ice. Four inches of clear, newly formed ice may support one person on foot while a foot or more of old, partially thawed ice may not.
• Ice formed over flowing water and currents is often dangerous.
• The insulating effect of snow slows down the freezing process. The extra weight also reduces how much weight the ice sheet can support. Ice near shorelines can be weaker than ice further out.
• Schools of fish or flocks of waterfowl can also adversely affect the relative safety of ice. The movement of fish can bring warm water up from the bottom of the lake. This is sometimes the cause of snowmobiles and cars breaking through ice.

Please note these recommended minimum thickness guidelines for new, clear ice:

• 4” Ice fishing or other activities on foot
• 5”-7” Driving snowmobiles or ATVs
• 8”-12” Driving cars or small pick-ups
• 12”-15” Driving medium trucks 

DOUBLE these guidelines when traveling on white or snow ice.

Helpful Links

Stay Informed

• Events: Access calendars to view upcoming events.

• City News Releases: View news releases published by the City of Owatonna.

• Newsletters: The City of Owatonna publishes a weekly newsletter called Owatonna Update. Current and past newsletters are available here.

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• Spotlight Videos: Videos produced by the City of Owatonna.

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