Dakota Times

City of Eagan issued the following announcement on Dec. 26.

City adopts budget focused on community priorities: public safety, local economy and natural environment 

Eagan is continually rated as one of the best communities to live in nationwide. The City invests in the community’s priorities such as public safety, the natural environment, and the local economy. The City is committed to maintaining award-winning service levels.  

On Tuesday, December 3 the City Council adopted the 2020 budget, and it will again reflect community priorities and standards. Specifically, efforts to not only maintain, but increase levels of service in public safety, invest in Eagan’s economy, through infrastructure and amenities, and ensure the City’s natural environment is sustained will result in a budget increase of $4,698,500 (12.3%) in 2020 and a 7.0 percent levy increase. The 2020 City budget will be $42,822,100. This results in a $5 a month property tax increase for the average value home ($314,000). 

2020 key staff additions include: 

• 20 public safety officers (18 firefighters and 2 members of the police department) to provide better public safety across the community 
• 1 forester to help fight Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) 
• 1 street maintenance worker to pave, maintain and plow streets  

Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire stated, “The City’s recipe for success isn’t a secret. We know through community engagement and input that Eagan residents’ number one priority is public safety. That’s why we continue to invest in it, including transitioning from a volunteer to a full-time fire department which has cut response times in half – from 14 to 7 minutes.”  

City Administrator Dave Osberg shared, “We take our jobs as stewards of taxpayer dollars very seriously. The decisions we have made have resulted in Eagan having the strongest financial rating of any large city in Minnesota. The 2020 budget investments will help us maintain top service levels and continue to be a successful city and a strong community.”     

Find details on the budget, the process, and truth and taxation statement at www.cityofeagan.com/budget. 

2018 Eagan Community Survey Results: 

The City’s efforts have led to 99% of Eagan residents rating Eagan as an excellent or good place to live. 97% of residents shared that they are getting fair to exceptional value of service for taxes paid. 

Residents rated Eagan in the following categories: 

• Quality of Life – 97% 
• Quality of Police Service – 94% 
• Quality of Fire Service – 97% 
• Overall feeling of safety in Eagan: 91% excellent or good 
• Feeling of safety in your neighborhood during the day: 98% feel safe 
• Feeling of safety in Eagan’s commercial areas during the day: 97% 
• Overall feeling of safety in Eagan from business owners: 98% excellent or good 

Awards and Honors: 

• We are #1. Eagan has the strongest financial rating of any large city in Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Center for Fiscal Excellence  
• Eagan was rated the top city in the nation for safety in 2017 and 2019 according to the national Voice of the People Awards 
• Moody’s comments accompanying the City’s 2018 Aaa Rating included: 
• “Sizeable, affluent tax base” 
• “Strong revenue raising flexibility” 
• “Strong operating reserves” 
• Standard & Poor’s comments accompanying the City’s 2018 AAA rating included: 
• “Very strong management with strong financial policies and practices” 
• “Very strong budgetary flexibility” 
• “Very strong liquidity” 
• “Strong debt and contingent liability profile” 

Original source can be found here.

Source: City of Eagan