Policing by the numbers: The SLMPD budget

South Lake Minnetonka Police Department (SLMPD) is governed by a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA), which dictates how the department is managed and funded. This is the biggest expense the four member cities face. The JPA follows good governance principles like shared decision-making, but falls short on transparency and accountability.

The JPA is run by the mayors of Excelsior, Greenwood, Shorewood, and Tonka Bay. The Coordinating Committee (CC) oversees:

• Major decisions on budgets, policing, technology, and policy across all four cities.
• Staffing, including new hires, the Drug Task Force position, and the 18th officer approved for 2027.
• Equipment and technology purchases such as body cameras and needed funding, policy approval for use of Flock, use of force, and evidence handling, etc.

There are no additional committee seats, council representation, or resident members. CC minutes reach city councils only if a mayor brings them forward, and have only been posted consistently on the SLMPD website starting mid-2025.

The Budget Process

Cities are on notice that 2027 brings a big increase.

The SLMPD chief drafts a budget, gets CC approval, and then brings it to councils for comment. Some Shorewood members recently asked pointed questions about reserves, the drug task force, and insurance costs. However, no council has rejected, amended, or delayed the adopted budget in the last 20 years. All four councils must approve the budget. If one doesn’t, funding stays at the prior year’s level.

SLMPD 2027 Budget: 12 Points to Know

1. 1. Total revenue requested: $4,410,220, up 15.6% ($595,550) from 2026’s $3,814,670.
   2. Total department expense: $4,856,013, up 15.0% ($632,614).
   3. A three-year formula reset shifts cost to Shorewood (49.71% → 52.08%); Excelsior’s share drops (27.96% → 24.18%).
   4. Shorewood’s payment jumps to $2,296,975 (+$421,564, +22.5%), the largest increase of the four cities.
   5. A 6% contract increase raises full-time officer salaries 13.2% ($286,307) to $2,456,196.
   6. Health insurance jumps 37.7% ($114,615) to $418,705, as family-plan share rises from 73% to 80% as the department strives to be competitive.
   7. Staffing is down 2 FTE over two years; the budget adds an 18th officer and fills the Drug Task Force position.
   8. Vehicle leases/capital costs nearly double (+83.4%, +$152,752) to $335,869.
   9. $110,000 for building repairs: $35,000 for the roof, $75,000 for an unrepairable EOC battery backup (shared with Excelsior Fire District).
   10. A new scheduling/policy/training software costing $19,537 for Year 1.
   11. A records management system ($130K–$250K, possibly 2028) and $67,778 for 12 replacement mobile radios.
   12. Non-city income is flat at $445,793 (-2.8%); liability/casualty insurance drops 13.1% ($31,215)-one of the few costs to fall.

What Each City Pays

The three-year adjustment reallocates each city’s share for 2027–2029 (Cost/household: SCA calculation, 2024 Metropolitan Council figures).

• About 75% of Shorewood’s increase is rising costs; 25% ($104,496) is reallocation.
• Tonka Bay is hit by both, the largest jump of any city.
• Greenwood and Excelsior households pay close to $500 more.

How SLMPD Compares

The Formula Ingredients

There are three factors that are baked into each city’s share:

1. Population (Met Council)

2. Tax Capacity

3. ICR (calls for service per SLMPD)

• Overall, population and tax capacity barely moved.
• Excelsior’s calls for service fell.
• Shorewood’s calls rose, decreasing Excelsior’s share to 24.18% and increasing Shorewood’s share to 52.08%.

Advantages of the JPA

• Four smaller cities jointly fund a full-service department instead of each maintaining its own.
• Officers move across all four communities as needed.
• A stable formula replaces annual renegotiation.
• Cities share public safety while keeping their own governments.
• One department reduces jurisdictional fragmentation.

Weaknesses of Coordinating Commitee Oversight

• No single body is clearly on the hook when something goes wrong.
• Residents elect city councils, not the CC leaving a gap between who governs and who voters can hold responsible.
• Consistent information sharing across cities relies on the word of the committee member/mayor with no reliable written record and leaving residents in the dark.
• Intergovernmental meetings are less visible than city council processes, making decisions harder to track.
• Differing ordinances among the 4 cities can create difficult enforcement issues.
• Cities differ in population, tax base, and service use, but governance doesn’t weigh influence to match-currently 1 vote per city, periodically creating tension over equal vs. proportional representation.

Summary

The SLMPD JPA follows good-governance principles: a formal governing body, equal representation, quorum requirements, and a shared funding formula. Its weaknesses are accountability and transparency. Governance sits with a four-mayor Coordinating Committee rather than residents directly, and meetings are light on documentation. The JPA sets few requirements for administrative assistance, public reporting or independent oversight. The result: strong cooperation and fiscal organization, but weak transparency and public participation and holes in best practices for management.

Sources:

• Shorewood Council packets, July 8, 2024 and July 27, 2026
• Metropolitan Council 2024 Population/Household Estimates
• Hennepin County Adjusted Net Tax Capacity
• City of Wayzata
• City of Minnetrista
• City of Orono
• City of Mendota Heights
• 2027 Recommended Budget Summary 
• SLMPD Reallocation Formula worksheet, 2027–2030