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2014 October - Fall Newsletter CITY OF SCANDIA October  October 7, Fire Department Open House  October 12, Lions Pancake Breakfast  October 13, Columbus Day Ob-served— Office Closed  October 31, Safe Halloween at the Fire Hall November  November 4, Election Day, 7 a.m.- 8 p.m.  November 11, Veteran’s Day Observed—Office Closed  November 20, Lutefisk & Meatball Dinner, Elim Church  November 21, Turkey Bingo, 7 p.m.  November 27 & 28, Thanksgiving Holiday—Office Closed December  December 3, 6:30 p.m. Public Meeting, 2015 City Budget and Tax Levy  December 13, Lion’s Community Breakfast  December 14, Lucia Dagen , Gammelgarden  December 16, 7 p.m., Budget Adoption Hearing  December 25, Christmas Day—Office Closed January  January 1, New Year’s Day—Office Closed  January 19, Martin Luther King Day— Office Closed February  February 6-7, Vinterfest  February 7, Lions Pancake Breakfast  February 16, President’s Day— Office Closed  February 28, Fireball 2015 March  March 8, Daylight Savings Time Begins For more information and a City meeting calendar, see: www.ci.scandia.mn.us. For Gammelgården events, see: http://www.gammelgardenmuseum.org. Dedicated to Rural Community Values Household Scandia, MN 55073 City of Scandia Scandia Community/ Senior Center 14727 209th St. N. Scandia, MN 55073 Phone: 651.433.2274 Fax: 651.433.5112 E-mail: mail@ci.scandia.mn.us Hours: Mon. thru Fri. 9 to Noon & 1 to 4 (except Tues. open City Council: Randall Simonson, Mayor 651.538.4320 Dan Lee 651.433.4309 Chris Ness 651.707.5689 Jim Schneider 651.433.3692 Sally Swanson 612.501.1504 Regular Council Meeting: Third Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Council Work Session: First Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. Planning Commission: First Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. City Staff: Kristina Handt, Administrator Brenda Eklund, Deputy Clerk Colleen Firkus, Treasurer Tim Kieffer, Public Works Director Mike Hinz, Fire Chief Nick Vivian, Attorney Eckberg Lammers Ryan Goodman, Engineer Bolton & Menk Sherri Buss, Planner, TKDA PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Scandia, MN 55073 PERMIT #6 Like us on Facebook for the Most Up-to-Date Information Roads, Roads, Roads How would you like to see road improvements funded? OCTOBER 2014 VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2 CITY OF SCANDIA Inside this issue: 2015 Budget Draft Available 2 Election Day, November 4, 2014 2 Why Should You Recycle? 2 Free, Fun Family Events 3 Be Disaster Aware 3 Short Takes 3 Community Calendar 4 Like many other communities, Scandia’s main challenge is finding the funds necessary to maintain City infrastruc- ture such as its nearly 75 miles of roadway. The cost to maintain roads can vary from a few dollars per lineal foot for patching, crack filling, and seal coating to $150 per lineal foot or more for full-depth reconstructions. The City has been budgeting about $300,000 annually for patching, crack filling, and seal coating. Unfortunately, according to the 2008 Pavement Management Plan, nearly 40% of the roads in Scandia were rated at a 6 or below and, therefore, require greater work such as a mill and overlay, reclamation or full-depth recon- struction. Roughly $10 million worth of road projects have been identified for the next 5 years. While the City Council has begun to set funds aside specifically for road projects, it is not at the level needed to fund these im- provements. As the Council struggles to find a way to fund the needed road improvements, they would like to hear back from the community. Currently, there are three financing options available for roads: general tax levy, special assess- ments, and franchise fees. Funding $500,000 per year will allow the City to tackle significant reclamation work every other year. The annual $500,000 goal is used only as an example to illustrate the different funding mecha- nisms below. Financing roads through the general tax levy spreads the cost over all taxable property in the City. Increasing the tax levy to the Local Road Improvement Fund by an additional $150,000 over the draft budget would result in a 7.5% levy increase. The Council could consider smaller increases over a couple years to reach that level. The City’s current special assessment policy would assess properties abutting the road improved by a full-depth reclamation in an amount equal to 30% of the cost. This would allow the City to borrow for the remaining funds and spread the cost over multiple years so as to minimize the impact on the tax levy. Under state law, the City must assess at least 20% of the cost in order to be able to borrow without a referendum. Cities cannot charge an amount greater than the amount the improvement will increase the value of the property. It may be difficult to find a $15,000 increase in value after a road is fully reconstructed, which is the estimated assessment for some roads in the 5 year plan. Please check your preferred method for funding road improvements below: __ General Tax Levy __ Special Assessments __ Franchise Fees Lastly, the City could charge a franchise fee to the gas and electric utility com- panies in exchange for their being allowed to place their infrastructure in the public right of way. The utility companies then charge back the fee to their customers each month. The City may explore monthly fees in the $7-$9 range in order to raise $150,000 annually for roads. Please complete the survey below and return it to the City office or online at www.ci.scandia.mn.us. Results will be reviewed by the Council in December. A twice-yearly publication for residents of the City of Scandia, Minnesota 2015 Budget Draft Available Mayor: Sally J. Swanson, Dan Lee, Randall F. Simon- son Council member: Darrin Gould, Robert Pilz, Mi- chael White, Jim Schnei- der, Bob Hegland, Dustin Hegland Absentee Ballots are Available Now— You may vote by absentee ballot if you are unable to vote in person on Election Day. Absentee ballots are not available at the city office. You may vote in person at any Washington County Service Center or at the Government Center in Stillwater. Vote during regular busi- ness hours Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Satur- day before the election. Registering to Vote— If you were previously regis- tered to vote in Scandia, and have voted at least once during the last four years, you are already reg- istered. If you moved since you voted last, even if it is just to a new address within the city, you must update your registration. When you register to vote on Election Day, please be prepared to show proof of residency. Election Day is Tuesday, November 4th Minnesotans will go to the polls to elect a new Gover- nor, Senator, Members of Congress and state repre- sentatives on November 4. All Scandia residents vote at the Community Center Hall, 14727 209th Street North. Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. Scandia will also choose a Mayor and two City Council members. The Mayor serves a two-year term, and the Council members will serve four-year terms, all commencing on January 5, 2015 (the first Monday of the new year.) Candidates for city offic- es are— Page 2 CITY OF SCANDIA For more election in- formation including links to downloadable registration and ab- sentee ballot applica- tion forms, please see the City website at www.ci.scandia.mn.us and click on “Election Information” on the home page. Why Should You Recycle? Scandia became a MN GreenStep City this spring. Help us reach our sustainability goals. Did you know recycling your junk mail can save up to seven trees per year? Every glass bottle recycled saves enough energy to light a 100-watt light bulb for 4 hours. It takes 75% less energy to recycle steel than to produce steel from iron ore. Recycling saves energy, ben- efits our economy, and protects our natural resources. More items can be recycled now, and we ex- pect to see more recycling oppor- tunities in the future. By reducing waste and increasing your recy- cling, you could also save a little green yourself by utilizing a smaller trash can from your gar- bage collector. The City of Scandia contracts with SRC to provide recycling services to every residence FREE of charge, even if you use a different garbage hauler. In 2012, Scandia had the lowest ranking in Wash- ington County for recycling par- ticipation at only 274 lbs. per household. Call SRC at 651.464.2321 TODAY to get your free recycling container. The City Council held three workshops in August and September to begin preparing the 2015 Budget. On September 3, 2014 the Council certified the prelimi- nary maximum property tax levy payable in 2015 at $2,217,509. This is an increase of $46,435 or 2.14% compared to taxes payable in 2014. The Council continues to focus on roads and growing the Local Road Improvement Fund (LRIF). The tax levy for this fund increased by nearly $220,000 compared to last year. 2015 will also see the first expense from this newly created fund. Quinnell Avenue is proposed to be reclaimed in conjunction with the Log House Landing Improvements. Quinnell Avenue will be funded in part by the LRIF and in part by County turn back funds. The Council will hold a public hearing on the 2015 budget on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. The hearing will take place in the Council chambers at the Community Center, 14727 209th Street North. The draft budget is available at the City Office or City website. Annual Open House— Tuesday, October 7, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Join the Scandia Fire and Rescue Department for their annual Open House at the Scandia Fire Hall, 15040 Scandia Trail. Bring the kids and learn about fire safety, see the fire trucks and other equipment, and meet your neighbors for some fun and food. Safe Halloween Party— Friday, October 31, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This is a fun event for all ages at the Scandia Fire Hall. Activities will in- clude a large bonfire, games, hot dogs & hot chocolate. Co-sponsors are the Scandia Marine Lions Club, Elim Lutheran Church, Helke Tree Ser- vice and Country Rentals. Free, Fun Family Events Short Takes Be Disaster Aware, Take Action to Prepare Page 3 VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2 Vinterfest 2015— Friday, February 6, and Saturday, February 7. Mark your calendar for our annual community celebra- tion. This year’s theme is “Celebrate the Saami Rein- deer Herders of Scandinavia.” Details will be announced on our website. Be sure to visit www.ci.scandia.mn.us. September was National Prepared- ness Month! So….what does that mean? National Preparedness Month aims to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to all types of emer- gencies, including natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, and bliz- zards as well as lengthy power outag- es. With children back in school and fresh beginnings on everyone’s mind, now is a perfect time to take stock in how prepared is your family and home. There are many ways to be prepared! One inexpensive way is to create a Communication Plan. Even if you are not directly impacted by a disaster, nearby events can cre- ate issues with cell phone usage and loved ones may not be able to reach you to see if you are safe and well. A Communication Plan should include relevant school contact information, medical contacts, and insurance in- formation as well. For more information on Family Com- munication Plans, please visit: http://www.ready.gov/emergency- planning-checklists Washington County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management Looking for ways to deter or prevent crime at your residence? There are many simple, easy and fairly inex- pensive ways to do so. The Sheriff’s Office can conduct a no cost survey of your home and give you ideas. Simp- ly call 651.430.7889 to set up an appointment. Make Sure Public Safety Officers Can Find You When You Need Them— Is your address clearly marked at the street? If not, public safety officials (police, fire, EMS) may be delayed in reaching you when it matters most. Please make sure your address is marked on your mailbox and/or at the end of your driveway. The Fire Chief also reminds folks to trim the trees along their driveways to allow for fire trucks to access your property. Every second counts in an emergency. Snow is Coming… is Your Mailbox Ready? Before you know it the snow will be falling. Now is a good time to look at your mailbox and landscaping within the right-of-way. If your mailbox is in need of repair, consider replacing the post with a swing-arm style support. Detailed specifications are available on the City’s website or at https:// www.usps.com/manage/know-mailbox-guidelines.htm, which shows the proper installa- tion for a mailbox. Staff will be driving their routes and noting which mailboxes are not to specifications. The homeowner will be responsible for damaged mailboxes that are not to code. Landscaping along the road is another thing to consider. Obstacles may get buried after several snowfalls. Make sure no obstructions are in the right of way that a plow driver might hit when pushing back wing rows. Lastly, make sure not to deposit snow or ice within the right of way. It creates a hazard for traffic and City staff; and it is against the law. Your cooperation will be greatly ap- preciated and make plowing the roads easier and safer.