Hastings City Council Worksession Budget Presentations - June 15, 2026

The Hastings City Council held a worksession on Monday, June 15, 2026, at 6:00 PM at the Hastings Municipal Airport. The meeting focused on budget presentations for the 2026-2027 fiscal year from the Information Technology, Parks and Recreation/Airport, and Development Services departments. The meeting was adjourned at 6:25 PM.

Consent Calendar

• The agenda for the June 15, 2026 worksession was adopted by a roll call vote of 5-0 (Ayes: Steve Huntley, Michael Anderson, Brad Consbruck, Brian Hoffman, Matt Fong; Absent: Larry Consbruck, Maggie Esch, Marc Rowan).

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public signed up to speak. However, Council President Huntley received an envelope from Hartland Peck Connection containing a proposed agreement. Since the item was not on the agenda, it could not be discussed, but copies were distributed to the council for potential placement on a future agenda.

Discussion Items

• Information Technology (IT) Department Budget – Director Erik Nielsen presented budget goals focused on reducing or maintaining the budget from 2025-2026, with no new personnel positions. The department is reducing three software packages: ABL software (saving $56,000 annually citywide), the Engage Hastings website (saving $18,000), and OMS utility software (saving $25,000). Staff are being reorganized to improve efficiency. Major projects for the upcoming budget include finishing the network redesign, completing the physical server refresh (previously approved by council, but hardware delayed until late August/September), updating virtual servers (approximately 70 virtual servers to be updated from Windows 2012/2018 to Windows 2025), and updating police and fire vehicle technology for increased network requirements. Councilmember Hoffman asked about the reduction of Engage Hastings software; Nielsen explained that the city website redesign will include similar project site functionality. Councilmember Fong asked about physical vs. virtual server projects; Nielsen clarified the physical servers host the virtual environment and both are being updated. Councilmember Anderson asked about AI; Nielsen reported that the new city website will feature an AI assistant capable of answering public questions in multiple languages. Internal AI policies and ongoing staff training are being developed to protect private data and address security risks.
• Parks and Recreation/Airport Budget – Director Jeff Hassenstab reported no new staff positions; the department is fully staffed except for one position left unfilled from the 2024-2025 budget. Minimum wage increases have significantly impacted part-time personnel costs, as the department employs approximately 200 seasonal workers, with wages rising from $10.50 to $15.00 per hour. Capital requests include: a 6-foot mower and a 15-foot mower replacement (the 2016 mower has 6,200 hours and is frequently in the shop); cemetery Phase 6 rotary surfacing (front entrance, $605,000, to be bid soon, with one smaller Phase 7 remaining); a columbarium (granite structure at the cemetery, currently 65% full, expected to reach 85% capacity by the time a new unit arrives; costs are recouped from customer fees); Aquacourt replacements (lounge chairs, playground netting, boiler for the main pool [22 years old, original], lazy river VFD controller, security cameras, and main pool sandblasting and repainting – funded from the Aquatic Center Fund); airport projects (apron project under contract, scheduled to start September; runway lighting project with $4 million FAA grant, 90% FAA-funded, city share up to 10% but possibly reduced by state funds; engineering fees for runway lighting, city portion 3% or about $16,000; jet hangar approved for $775,000; and sponsorship request for the 2027 air show). Parks & Recreation Sales Tax requests (25% of the half-cent sales tax, approximately $700,000–$800,000) include: Duncan Field turf project under contract; skate park renovation starting October 1; fitness court at Libs Park with a $30,000 grant; design work for new pickleball courts at Libs Park ($75,000 budgeted for design); ball field fencing and dugout improvements at Crozier Park; Carter Park restroom renovation design; and Highland Park playground replacement. Councilmember Hoffman asked about adding pickleball lines to the Hastings Utilities tennis courts; Hassenstab noted that tennis competition (St. Cecilia) uses the courts, and he would need to discuss with them. Councilmember Anderson asked if city staff engineers could complete the pickleball court design; Director of Engineering Lee Vrooman stated that similar projects have not been done in-house previously. Councilmember Fong confirmed that the cemetery Phase 6 is the largest phase at $605,000.
• Development Services Budget – Director Kevin Kubo reported three line-item changes: vehicle repair and maintenance doubled from $2,000 to $4,000 due to aging vehicles (a 2012 and a 2014 Chevy truck, one of which has cost nearly $2,000 in repairs this budget year); fuel costs increased from $5,000 to $6,000; and office equipment increased by $500. All other line items remain the same. Personnel costs will adjust based on future comparability decisions.

Key Outcomes

• No formal votes or decisions were taken on the budget presentations; the worksession served as a discussion forum for council members to ask questions and receive information. The items discussed will be considered in the upcoming budget adoption process. The Hartland Peck Connection document was received for placement on a future agenda.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 6:25 PM.