Mayor Kleis; Public Safety is Top Priority [PODCAST]

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis joined me on WJON today.  We talked about his proposed 2021 city budget.  The Mayor indicated that surveys and feedback that the city has received show that many people view public safety as their top priority.  He shares that thought which is why the city is increasing their financial commitment to public safety which includes the police department.  The Mayor says they don't have as much money planned for roads and infrastructure in 2021 due to Covid-19 but that doesn't mean they can't do some overlays on some roads.  He says mill and overlays are expensive which makes that tougher.  Listen below.

Kleis described this budget as the toughest budget he's proposed to the city council in his 15 years proposing budgets because of the financial loses due to Covid-19.  Mayor Kleis indicated that parks and recreation are still a priority with him.  He cited added parkland throughout the city and the opening of the new skate park as examples of his commitment to parks.  He also said the parks and trails are getting more use than normal due to Covid-19.

To see WJON's story about the 2021 Mayor's budget click here.