City Council Meeting Date: July 15, 2025
To: Mayor & City Council
From: Ben Martig, City Administrator
Subject:
TITLE
Review the proposed 2026 Northfield Area Fire & Rescue Service Budget and Capital Equipment Plan and Related City of Northfield of Fire Department 2026 Contribution.
BODY
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council receives a presentation on the 2026 budget request from the Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service (NAFRS) with the proposed budget expenditures of $1,818,331 of which Northfield's financial contribution is $1,334,655.
Summary Report:
The City Council will review the budget request from NAFRS related to the 2026 Budget and Capital Equipment Plan. The contribution percentages for Northfield, Dundas, and the Rural Fire District have now been estimated and are noted below and attached (attachment 1).
Northfield's percentage is currently estimated at 73.40% in 2026, up from 72.99% in 2025. These percentages are set every other year and will be recalculated for 2026-2027 when all necessary data is received. The allocation percentages are determined using (1) number of calls, (2) population, and (3) estimated market value. As of this work session, only the number of calls is finalized. The other two numbers are pending. For the purpose of budget planning, last year's numbers were used for population and estimated market value. Once current numbers are available, NAFRS will set a final percent for each of the three partners. The final number is not expected to change significantly from this estimate though. Also, starting in 2026, Sciota Township is leaving the NAFRS Rural District. The estimated percents included here have been determined without Sciota Township. This is expected to have a minimal impact on the City's percentage.
A more detailed 2026 budget breakdown (attachment 2), the NAFRS 2026-2035 Capital Equipment Plan (attachment 3), and a NAFRS budget trend document (attachm...
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