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<br />Changes & Cost Drivers <br />1. Personnel Cost/Labor Contract Negotiations <br />The largest cost driver for 2026 is personnel costs. The contract for 2026, according to the <br />attached memo received from the Sheriff’s Office, is viewed as an “adjustment year” or “catch- <br />up year” as employee compensation is brought in line with neighboring local governments <br />after a significant lag. The labor contracts approved for 2025, 2026, and 2027 included: Cost <br />of living adjustments, market adjustments, salary step changes, and faster progression through <br />each step. There were also county-wide class and compensation changes, which resulted in an <br />average increase of 5% to most county-wide titles. For the Contract Communities, this directly <br />impacted non-sworn staff (i.e., records, property/evidence, animal control, etc.). <br />2. Internal Service Fees <br />Internal service fees include county manager fees, property management (rent), information <br />services, workers' compensation, auto insurance, and tort liability. The 2026 proposed budget <br />is an increase of $49,567 or 5.28% from the 2025 budget. <br />3. Staffing Requests: No staffing increases were recommended <br /> <br />4. Delivery of Services <br />The 2026 budget estimate reflects a longstanding (nearly 70 years), proven cooperative shared <br />model that promotes economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. This allows each community to <br />receive high-quality, professional, and responsive law enforcement services at a fraction of the <br />cost of operating a police department. The average estimated cost per resident for Police <br />services in Ramsey County cities based on the 2025 current budget, excluding contract <br />communities, is $329.49, whereas the average cost for contracted communities is $176.53. <br />Little Canada’s cost for Police services per resident, based on the proposed 2026 budget, is <br />estimated at $234.05, an increase of $26.69 from 2025 or 12.87%. <br />A copy of the preliminary actual Budget and narrative from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office is <br />included with the packet. <br /> <br />Other Police Expenditures Budget Changes <br /> Dispatch 911 Service – 9.52% increase or $7,788 from last year’s budget. <br /> <br />B. Fire Department Contracted Services – 0.94% Levy Increase <br />Overall, there is approximately an 8.95% increase under contractual services for the Little <br />Canada Fire Department for the 2026 budget, a $46,527.43 increase in expenditures. This <br />increase includes the annual City portion to the Fire Relief Association Pension plan proposed at <br />$39,626, an increase of 6.14% from prior year. <br /> <br />The following budgeted categories have changed as follows: