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2011 October - Fall Newsletter City of Scandia Scandia Community/ Senior Center 14727 209th St. N. Scandia, MN 55073 Community Calendar, October 2011—March, 2012 Dedicated to Rural Community Values We’re on the web!www.ci.scandia.mn.us and Facebook Household Scandia, MN 55073 City Council: Randall Simonson, Mayor 330 294-0263 Connie Amos 612 759-3610 Chris Ness 651 707-5689 Jim Schneider 651 433-3692 Sally Swanson 651 433-3010 Regular Council Meeting: Third Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Council Work Session: Second Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. Planning Commission: First Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. City Staff: Anne Hurlburt, Administrator Brenda Eklund, Deputy Clerk Colleen Firkus, Treasurer Steve Thorp, Building Official/ Maintenance Supervisor Jim Finnegan, Fire Chief David Hebert, Attorney Hebert & Welch PA Ryan Goodman, Engineer Stantec Sherri Buss, Planner TKDA Inc. PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Scandia, MN 55073 PERMIT #6 Hearing December 25, Christmas Day December 26, Christmas Holiday Observed— Office Closed January January 1, New Year’s Day January 2, New Year’s Holiday Observed—Office Closed January 16, Martin Luther King Day— Office Closed February February 4, Vinterfest February 12, Lion’s Pancake Breakfast February 20, President’s Day— Office Closed February 25, Fireball 2012 March March 11, Daylight Savings Time Begins For more information and a city meeting calendar, see the website, http://www.ci.scandia.mn.us. For Gammelgården events, see: http://www.gammelgardenmuseum.htm. October October 9, Lion’s Pancake Breakfast October 10, Columbus Day Observed— Office Closed October 11, Fire Department Open House October 31, Safe Halloween at the Fire Hall November November 5, Swedish Sausage Making—Gammelgården November 11, Veteran’s Day Observed—Office Closed November 17, Lutfisk & Meatball Dinner, Elim Church November 18, Turkey Bingo November 24 & 25, Thanksgiving Holiday—Office Closed December December 10, Lion’s Community Breakfast December 11, Lucia Dagen at Gammelgården December 13, 6:30 p.m. Public Meeting, 2012 City Budget and Tax Levy December 21, 7 p.m., Budget Adoption At their September 13 meeting, the City Council took the first steps toward adopting the budget and tax levy for 2012. The Council set the maximum, "not to exceed" tax levy at $2,055,174, a 2% increase from 2011. The final budget and levy will be set in December, when the tax levy could be reduced but may not be increased. The levy increase would be the smallest increase since 2003. In November, each property owner will receive a “Truth in Taxation” notice with their estimated 2012 property tax bill. Scandia will hold a public meeting on its 2012 budget and tax levy on Tues-day, December 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Center. The budget and tax levy will be final-ized after the adoption hearing, likely at the December 20 regular City Council meeting. As currently drafted, the 2012 General Fund operating budget would decrease compared to 2011. The Public Works Department would be the only area showing an increase (about 20%) due to the addition of a full-time Maintenance Superintendent position, additional seasonal road mainte-nance help, and the purchase of a skid loader. This new piece of equipment will allow staff to accomplish more road repairs and other small projects without contracting or renting equipment. The draft budget includes a planned increase in debt service to pay for the recent replacements of the fire rescue truck and a dump truck/snow plow combination. Improvements will be made to the Uptown Sewer System, which serves the village area of Scandia including the Community Center. The cost of the sewer improvements would be financed initially with an inter-fund loan and eventually be paid by the system’s users. The Council has scheduled an additional work session for Tuesday, October 25 (6:30 p.m. at the Community Center) to continue honing the 2012 budget. As part of their budget review, the Council also considered recommendations from the Capital Improvement Committee for the five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) covering the years 2012 through 2016. The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the CIP at its Novem-ber 1 (7:00 p.m.) meeting. When homeowners receive their estimated property tax bills in Novem-ber, they will notice that the state Homestead Credit has been replaced by a new “Homestead Market Value Exclusion” for taxes payable in 2012. The change was part of the tax bill that ended the July state government shutdown. The state will no longer be paying a part of the property tax by reimbursing local taxing jurisdictions. Owners of homesteaded property valued at less than $404,000 will still see a reduction in their taxes, through an exclusion of a portion of the prop-erty’s market value from taxes. The bottom line will yield a smaller reduction than the old credit. As a result of this change, the taxable market value of the city will be reduced— in Scandia, this is estimated to be about 3% of the city’s total market value. Even without any change in city spend-ing, the tax rate would need to increase to generate the same amount of revenue. While this is happening across the entire state, the affect on each community will be different depending upon the size and make-up of the tax base. There are calls for the legislature to revisit the homestead credit in 2012. 2012 Budget Takes Shape Inside this issue: Draft EIS Nears Completion 2 Grant Spurs Scandia Trail Planning 2 City Job and Vol-unteer Opportu-nities 2 Updated Subdivi-sion Regulations Adopted 3 Free, Fun, Family Fire Department Events 3 Short Takes/ Announcements 3 Community Calendar 4 A TWICE-YEARLY PUBLICATION FOR RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF SCANDIA, MINNESOTA October, 2011 Volume 5, Issue 2 Tax Bills Affected by Homestead Credit Change Draft EIS Nears Completion Grant Spurs Scandia Trail Planning Page 2 Did you know… Cross-country ski trails are groomed at William O’Brien State Park and Big Marine Park Reserve? Final EIS is prepared and distributed ac-cording to state rules City determines whether the EIS is ade-quate. Exact dates cannot be determined at this time, but the EIS process is expected to continue through the spring of 2012, and will depend upon the comments received during the review proc-ess. The decision on whether or not the Final EIS is adequate must be based on whether it addresses the potentially significant issues and alternatives raised in the January 19, 2010 EIS scoping deci-sion, whether it provides responses to substan-tive comments on the Draft EIS, and compliance with the environmental review rules and laws. Only after the EIS has been determined adequate may the city’s review of Tiller’s application for a Conditional Use Permit for the mine take place. Materials related to this project are available for review at the City of Scandia Office, 14727 209th St. N., during office hours (9:00 a.m. to Noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Fri-day and 9:00 a.m. to Noon and 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesdays) and on the City’s website http://www.ci.scandia.mn.us. Sign up for free e-mail updates when meetings are scheduled or infor-mation is added to the site. Contact City Ad-ministrator Anne Hurlburt for more information. At their June 21 meeting, the Scandia City Council adopted a new Comprehensive Trail Plan. The plan was developed this spring with the help of many Scandia residents who attended two "charettes." The draft was reviewed by the Park and Recreation Committee, which recommended City Council approval. Developing connections to and among Scandia parks and to regional trails are goals of the trail planning project, as well as identifying safe walking and biking routes to school and other key locations. The planning process was led by City Planner and land-scape architect Sherri Buss, TKDA, and was funded by a grant from the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) through the Washington County Department of Public Health. The city is also work-ing with the Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails, which provided input to the plan. They have se-cured a grant that will help provide signage for the main trail routes. A copy of the trail plan may be downloaded from the city website (www.ci.scandia.mn.us). The City of Scandia is currently advertising for the following paid positions: Maintenance Superintendent (Full-Time) Deadline: Tuesday, October 11, 4:00 p.m. Ice Rink Attendant (Part-Time, Seasonal) Deadline: Friday, October 28, 4:00 p.m. City application form required. For complete posi-tion descriptions and instructions on how to apply, see the “City Jobs” tab on the website, www.ci.scandia.mn.us. Resdidents are invited to apply to serve on the City’s Park and Recreation Committee, Planning Commission and Capital Improvement Committee. Citizen representatives to the Forest Lake Cable Commission and nominees to local watershed dis-trict boards are also needed. For descriptions of the various committees and an application form, please see the website. There are immediate open-ings on the Park and Recreation Committee. The Council will be reviewing applications for appoint-ments and reappointments in December and Janu-ary. PAC Meeting Wednesday, November 16 4:00 -7:00 p.m. The long-awaited Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Tiller Corporation’s pro-posed Zavoral Mining and Reclamation Project is nearing completion. The Project Advisory Com-mittee (PAC), composed of agency and commu-nity representatives advising the City Council about the EIS, is scheduled to review a preliminary draft at their next and final meeting, set for Wednesday, November 16, 2011 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Scandia Community Center. Tiller Corporation is proposing to operate a gravel mine on a 114-acre site located east of State Highway 95 (St. Croix Trail) at State High-way 97 (Scandia Trail) owned by Dr. James Zavoral. The EIS, which is being prepared by city consultants AECOM, has been underway for the last 2 years. Tiller is required to pay all costs associated with the EIS. The next steps in the process, in summary, are: PAC comments on preliminary Draft EIS (November 16, 2011) Consultants finalize Draft EIS for submis-sion to City City distributes the Draft EIS for a public comment period City holds informational meeting on Draft EIS during public comment period After close of public comment period, City responds to all comments on Draft EIS City Job & Volunteer Opportunities Scandia needed to update its Development Code (all regula-tions concerning land use and development) due to the incor-poration of the city and adoption of a new Comprehensive Plan. The last chapter to be revised is Chapter 3, the Subdivision Regu-lations, which was adopted on September 20. Some features of the new ordi-nance include: procedures that tie in with the new Zoning Code adopted last fall; a simplified, administrative process for approving lot consolidations and lot line adjustments; updated park dedication requirements; and updated engineering guide-many Scandia residents, will be changing to a community library, to be staffed by volunteers. All interested residents are invited to a meeting of the Marine Li-brary Association (MarLA) on Tuesday, October 11 (7:00 p.m.) at the Marine City Hall. One-Stop-Shop— does your building project include electri-cal work? Electrical permits formerly issued by the state are now issued by the City of Scan-dia. Obtain your electrical per-mit at the same time you get your building permit. Check with the city office or electrical inspector Dave Kichler , 651 462-6829. Burning Permits— A (no-charge) burning permit is re-quired for open burning when there is no snow cover. In all cases, please notify the Wash-ington County Sheriff’s Office (651 439-9381) one hour before you burn. There may be re-strictions depending on Council Meetings Stream on the Web— Now all residents can watch City Council and Planning Commission meetings taped by Lakes Area Television, whether or not you have access cable channel 10. Go to www.latvten.com to access the videos. Call LATV at 651 464-1143 with questions. City Office Hours Change— starting in August, the city office will be open from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. every Tuesday, in addi-tion to the regular office hours of 9:00 a.m. to Noon and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The extended hours will give Scandia residents who commute to jobs outside the city during the regular work day a better opportunity to conduct city business face-to-face. Hours still don’t work for your schedule? Staff are avail-able by appointment. Marine Library— The Marine branch library, which serves weather, time-of-day or air-quality issues. See the city office for more information and for permits. Permits are also available at the Big Marine Lake Store (651 433-5043.) Attention snowbirds— Leaving town for the winter? Make sure to contact the Washington County Sheriff’s Department (651 439-9381) for free home-checks while you are away. CodeRED— Scandia is part-nering with Washington County on the new CodeRED emergency notification system. The system will be used to send critical communications, from evacuation notices to missing child alerts. To make sure you receive notifications, please register your address and phone numbers. Your contact information remains private and will only be used for community notifications. Updated Subdivision Regulations Adopted Short Takes Page 3 Volume 5, Issue 2 Annual Open House— Tuesday, October 11, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Join the Scandia Fire and Rescue Department for their annual Open House. 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—Monday, October 31, 2011 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM This is a fun event for all ages. Activities will include a large bonfire, games, hot dogs & hot chocolate. Co-sponsors are the Scandia Marine Lions Club, Elim Lutheran Church and Helke Tree Service. Both events: Scandia Fire Hall, 15040 Scandia Trail (Hwy 97.) Free, Fun Family Events at the Scandia Fire Department lines and specifications. A copy of the new Subdivision Regulations (Ordinance No. 128) is available for review at the City office during regular office hours, or can be downloaded from the city’s website. Please contact City Administrator Anne Hurl-burt with any questions (651 433-2274.) Free E-mail Alerts on Timely Topics Including the EIS, City Council meeting agendas and Park and Recreation programs can be deliv-ered to your mailbox! Visit www.ci.scandia.mn.us and click on “E-Mail Updates” to sign up. Click on the CodeRED logo on the city web site (www.ci.scandia.mn.us) to register.