By Jeb Bladine • President / Publisher • May 9, 2025 TweetJeb Bladine: City council faces tough decisions on expendituresMcMinnville City Council — acting as governing body for both the city and its Urban Renewal Agency (URA) — faces some serious financial challenges in a series of upcoming meetings. Years of overspending went unchecked — spending that swallowed up city reserves, required major fee increases on utilities and local development, and prompted transfer of fire district responsibilities to increase city property taxes. Now, the council has to find $3 million in cuts for its 2025-26 budget. That city budgeting exercise takes immediate priority, but another potential financial misadventure is brewing in urban renewal financing. A somewhat new council was elected in 2024 to solve, not exacerbate, city financial problems.