By Bonnie Culverhouse

The first Monday in August should be V Day (Voting Day) for Minden City Council’s annual budget. A hearing will precede the vote in order for citizens to comment on the approximately $45 million that will be used to run the City for 2024-2025.

Minden Mayor Nick Cox said the budget will be reviewable by the public at Minden City Hall beginning some time next week.

Main Budget

After months of regular budget workshops, the council wrapped it up last week with general budget discussion on police and fire department changes.

Following the last budget workshop, Cox said Minden Police Department was at an 8 percent increase over the last fiscal year.

“We worked on it with the police chief and deputy chiefs, and we got it down to 5.19 percent,” Cox said. “I don’t know where else to cut them – that would require cutting them with things we’ve been obligated to do in the past.”

At this point, there is a $2,000 hiring incentive mandated by the state, which the city must fund.

Minden Fire Department has just over a 5 percent increase also.

“Last year, we undershot the over time for firefighters,” Cox said. “My recommendation is we set it right, then next year, it will be a small amount of increase.”

Wish Lists

Each department is allowed a “wish list” that is not included in the base budget. “Let’s go into this like we have $450,000 (to work with) before we get to zero,” Cox said.

Minden Police

Minden Police wished for one item: $200,000 to acquire 10 more vehicles. Currently, the line item for lease vehicles is $131,000.

“We ran some numbers with the chief and deputy chiefs, and on one hand, we want to be super financially responsible with the money,” Cox said. “On the other hand, we all know the value of public safety. We are all seeing the rewards of having police presence in our city.”

With that in mind, Plan B is to take the line item from $131,000 to $200,000 (an increase of $69,000), MPD could add six units to patrol, through Enterprise Car Rental. They would include maintenance plans, and old vehicles could be surplussed and sold.

“By leasing Admin cars and moving Admin cars that are patrol-rated (lights, sirens and cages) to the patrol unit, for $69,000 we can add six,” Cox said. “We’re not giving them 10 for $200,000, but we’re giving them six for $69,000.”

Chief Jared McIver said he is comfortable with the compromise.

“If y’all can help us out, we appreciate it,” McIver told the council.

Minden Fire

Minden Fire Department’s wishes include a new air compressor that will allow for firefighters to fill their own air tanks. Cost is around $33,000.

“We have a company coming to check on the air compressor we have right now to see if it can be turned up,” Fire Chief Brian Williams told the council. “It is adjustable, we just don’t have the capacity in the tanks … they need to be bigger.”

Currently, Minden Fire Department has 70 bottles that are taken elsewhere to be filled.

“They have to be filled after every fire call, but the number of bottles depends on the call,” Williams said. “It doesn’t really cost us anything to take them to be filled – just time and fuel.”

Williams has applied for two grants that are specifically to upgrade and repair the 15-year-old compressor owned by his department.

Editor’s note: Minden Recreation Department has a more extensive wish list, which will be addressed in Tuesday’s Webster Parish Journal.

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