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2008 October - Fall Newsletter City of Scandia Scandia Community/ Senior Center 14727 209th St. N. Scandia, MN 55073 • December 14, Lucia Dagen at Gammelgården • December 16, 7 p.m. City Council Budget Adoption Hearing • December 25, Christmas Day—Office Closed January • January 1, New Years Day— Office Closed • January 6, City Council Swearing-In • January 19, Martin Luther King Day— Of- fice Closed February • February 7, Vinterfest • February 16, President’s Day— Office Closed • February 28, Fireball 2009 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 7, 7:30 p.m.., Comprehensive Plan Hearing Continued • October 12, Lion’s Pancake Breakfast • October 13, Columbus Day— Office Closed • October 14, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Fire Depart- ment Open House November • November 1, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Open for Absentee Voting for General Election • November 4, Election Day • November 11, Veteran’s Day— Office Closed • November 20, Lutfisk & Meatball Dinner, Elim Church • November 21, Turkey Bingo • November 27 & 28, Thanksgiving Holiday— Office Closed December • December 1, 7 p.m. Truth in Taxation Hear- ing • December 13, Lion’s Community Breakfast Community Calendar, October 2008—March, 2009 Dedicated to Rural Community Values We’re on the web! www.ci.scandia.mn.us Household Scandia, MN 55073 City Council: Dennis Seefeldt, Mayor 651 433-5999 Dolores Peterson 651 433-2229 Pete Crum 651 433-5034 Donnette Yehle 651 433-3602 Mike Harnetty 651 433-4883 Regular Council Meeting: Third Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. Council/Planning Commission Meeting: First Tuesday, 7:00/7:30 p.m. City Staff: Anne Hurlburt, Administrator Brenda Eklund, Deputy Clerk Colleen Firkus, Treasurer John Morrison, Public Works Supervisor Steve Thorp, Building Official David Hebert, Attorney Hebert & Welch PA Paul Hornby, Engineer, Bonestroo Sherri Buss, Planner, TKDA, Inc City Office: Phone: 651 433-2274 Fax: 651 433-5112 E-mail: mail@ci.scandia.mn.us Hours: Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to Noon & 1p.m. to 4 p.m. PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID Scandia, MN 55073 PERMIT #6 While the City’s property tax rate and levy will go up many individual property tax payers may see decreases in their city tax bills, the Council heard in work sessions on the proposed 2009 budget this fall. The 2009 preliminary tax levy of $1,860,892 was approved by the Council in September. This is a maximum, “not to exceed” number that will be finalized in December. Scandia must comply with a state limit that holds the base levy to a maximum inflationary increase of 3.9% for most spending. Factoring in a 16.3% increase in the debt service levy (needed to pay for road pro- jects from previous years) and increases in po- lice and fire personnel costs (which are all con- sidered “special levies”) the total levy would increase by 9.23% compared to the 2008 tax levy of $1,703,589. Individual city property taxes are determined by complex relationships of property values, gov- ernment spending, rules on property tax classifi- cations, state aids and other factors. Between the 2007 and 2008 property value assessments, the median market value of Scandia properties decreased 11.5%. Preliminary calculations show that city taxes on properties with the median value change will remain flat or slightly decrease (less than 1%.) Properties that decreased in value more than the median would show a big- ger decrease, and vice versa. Expenses are Up, Other Revenues are Down—Just as our household budgets are buf- feted by the surge in fuel, utility, health care and insurance costs, so is the city’s budget. Many of the contracted services the city uses, from re- fuse disposal to police, have passed along cost increases higher than the inflationary increase allowed by the state. At the same time costs are up, revenues from sources other than property taxes are down. Flat city tax bills projected for many properties— Council Begins 2009 Budget Talks Inside this issue: Remember to vote on Tuesday, November 4 2 New Comprehen- sive Plan Nears Adoption 3 Pavement Plan Inventories Road Needs 3 Short Takes/ Announcements 3 Community Calendar 4 A TWICE-YEARLY PUBLICATION FOR RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF SCANDIA, MINNESOTA October, 2008 Volume 2, Issue 2 Interest earnings are down, and permit fees remain low due to the construction slow-down. Scandia’s small allocation of state aid was elimi- nated for 2009. Fees for service (such as rental fees for the Community Center) contribute only modestly to city coffers. State Mandates and Budget Trends—City budgets are also affected by mandates from the state and federal governments, big and small. The 2009 operating budget will be hit for the first time with expenses for implementing the new 800 MHz public safety radio system. Com- pletion of the new Comprehensive Plan (itself a state mandate) will trigger a required update of development codes, causing expenses for plan- ning services to exceed those of the last two years. These are only two of the mandates directly affecting 2009 expenses. Increasing mandates have a significant affect on the city’s budget over time. Whether it’s new financial reporting requirements, hiring and safe- ty rules, emergency management, changing elec- tion laws, federal flood insurance program re- quirements, data practices and records reten- tion, or any other of the myriad rules under which city government operates, it requires staff and/or consultants to carry them out. This ex- plains 2009 Budget talks, continued on page 2 much of the increase in the City/Township’s budgets over the last few years. After modest levy increases from 2003 through 2007 (averaging about 6% per year) the 2008 actual and 2009 proposed levies have been higher (11.06 % and 9.23%, respectively) partly due to the need to add staff to meet many of these mandates. Smaller levy increases were also possible in previous years because of the use of reserve accounts to pay for road and drainage projects. Rather than levy additional taxes, borrow funds or assess property owners for more of the costs, the former township tapped reserve accounts. Those reserve accounts are no long- er available, and the city has been advised to build more reserves for cash flow and to fund future needs. Capital Projects Delayed— With the help of the Capital Improvements Committee, the City Council has begun to plan for the city’s long-term capital needs including replacement of major pieces of equipment such as snow plows and fire trucks. A major accomplishment this year was preparation of a pavement man- agement plan, which will help the city schedule its road maintenance projects (see separate article on page 3.) With the state levy limit in 2009 Budget Talks, continued... Remember to Vote on Tuesday, November 4 Page 2 Minnesotans will go to the polls to elect a new President, Vice President, Senator, Member of Congress and State Represent- atives on November 4. All Scandia resi- dents vote at the Community Center Hall, 14727 209th St. N. 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 mem- bers will serve four-year terms, all com- mencing on January 5, 2009 (the first Mon- day of the new year.) Candidates for city offices are: Mayor: Dennis D. Seefeldt Council member: Connie Amos, Michael C. Harnetty, Donnette S. Yehle and John Lindell For more election information, please see the city website at www.ci.scandia.mn.us and click on “Election Information” on the home page. Did you know… As of September 10, 2008, Scandia has 2,795 registered voters. The total population is 4,210. place for the next three years, funds for capital projects will be very limited. This year’s re- view of the capital plan resulted in some pro- jects being delayed. Paving of most of the re- maining gravel roads in the city (including Pilar Road, Old Marine Trail and 185th St.) which originally was planned to begin in 2009 has been pushed back to 2010/2011, at the earliest. Some planned equipment replacements have been delayed, and existing equipment (such as a dump truck/plow) will be kept for longer periods of time. Truth in Taxation Hearing Scheduled for December 1—In November, each property owner will receive a “Truth in Taxation” no- tice with their estimated 2009 property tax bill from each of the property taxing jurisdictions. The County, School District and City will each have their own “Truth in Taxation” hearings, at which citizens are invited to comment on the proposed property tax levy. Scandia’s hearing will be on Monday, Decem- ber 1 at 7:00 p.m. at the Community Center. If necessary, the hearing will be continued on December 8. After the “T in T” hearing, the levy can be reduced but cannot be raised be- yond the maximum levy certified in September. The final budget and tax levy will be finalized after the adoption hearing scheduled for Tues- *** Dates to Remember *** Friday, October 3 Absentee voting begins. Tuesday, October 14, 5:00 p.m. Last date to pre-register . After this date, register at the polls on Election Day Saturday, November 1, 10 a.m-3p.m City office open for absentee voting Monday, November 3, 5 p.m. Absentee voting closes Tuesday, November 4, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Election Day As this newsletter goes to press, the final steps to adoption of Scandia's new 2030 Comprehen- sive Plan are being taken. After working for over a year to draft the plan, the Comprehensive Plan Committee has turned the plan over to the Planning Commission for a formal public hearing. The hearing, opened on September 18 and continued on Tuesday, Octo- ber 7 (7:30 p.m.), will give Scandia citizens one more opportunity to comment and give their input. Depending upon whether or not any changes are recommended, the City Council could approve the plan at the October 7 meet- ing or soon thereafter. The draft plan has already been submitted to surrounding local governments for their review and comment. The next step will be to submit the plan to the who made this possible, especially Mike White & Matt Rasmussen. Winter Rec Programs Planned— The Parks and Recre- ation Committee is planning a variety of winter programs includ- ing snow tubing at Trollhaugen (December), Saturday morning open-gym program at Scandia School, (January) and Vinterfest (February 7), The popular learn-to -skate and after-school hockey programs will also be offered. Watch the city website for details. Burning Permits— A (no- charge) burning permit is required for open burning when there is no snow cover. In all cases, please notify the Washington County Sheriff’s Office (651 439-9381) one hour before you burn. There may be restrictions depending on weather, time-of-day or air-quality issues. See the city office for more information and for permits. Attention snowbirds— Leaving town for the winter? Make sure to contact the Wash- ington County Sheriff’s Depart- ment (651 439-9381) for free home-checks while you are away. Do I really need a permit for that?— Protect your investment in your home. Building Official Steve Thorp is here to help you do the job right. It’s a buyer’s market, so don’t jeopardize a future sale or refinancing with improvements not up to code. It’s more costly to correct prob- lems later. Call Steve at 651 433- 2274, Ext. 102 with any questions. “New” Ice Rink will be ready for winter — The worn out and rotting boards have been replaced at the city ice rink with used boards salvaged from the city of Roseville. Final touches, including painting, will be completed soon. Many thanks to all the volunteers Exterior Storage— Scandia requires that all personal proper- ty be stored in a building or fully screened, with a few exceptions for licensed vehicles and recrea- tion equipment. No more than four passenger vehicles per dwelling unit are allowed on parcels less than 10 acres in size. No more than 2 items of recrea- tional equipment (such as camp- ers, boats, trailers etc.) may be stored in the side or rear yard on any lot. Signs— Permits are required for all signs, including temporary signs for garage sales and com- munity events. There’s no fee for temporary sign permits. No signs may be placed in any public rights-of-way, on any roof, or painted on walls or attached to utility poles. For more information on exte- rior storage and signs see the city website under “FAQs.” New Comprehensive Plan Nears Adoption Short Takes Page 3 Volume 2, Issue 2 Scandia has invested millions of dollars in paving gravel roads, and continued maintenance is neces- sary to preserve that investment. So concluded the Pavement Man- agement Plan completed this summer. City Engineer Paul Hornby presented the report to the City Council at a work ses- sion in July. The first step of the study was to complete a thorough inventory of the condition of all city streets. Each was given a numer- ical rating, and past maintenance was documented. Then recom- mendations were made on what type of maintenance (such as crack filling and seal coating, patching, mill and overlay or reconstruction) will be needed, and when. Asphalt streets deteriorate slow- ly during the first 10 years of their life cycle, but then tend to deteriorate more rapidly until they reach the end of their life cycle in 15 to 20 years unless there is proactive maintenance. The study recommended that the city increase spending on preven- tive maintenance, to save millions of dollars later by preventing streets from deteriorating to the point that more costly recon- struction is necessary. The plan provides a tool for spending maintenance dollars most efficiently and effectively. More study is still necessary to identify financing options. The Pavement Management Plan is available on the city web site, www.ci.scandia.mn.us, under “city services”, “streets.” Pavement Plan Inventories Road Needs Thank You! To the following peo- ple who spent the last year translating the community’s vision for Scandia into the new 2030 Comprehensive Plan: Dennis Seefeldt Michael Harnetty Thomas Krinke John Lindell Christine Maefsky Moose Malmquist Michele McNulty Chris Ness Kevin Nickelson Susan Rodsjo Karen Schik Peter Schwarz Michael White Greg Zauner ...and all the other Scandia citizens who contributed to the planning process. Metropolitan Council for the required review. Then the plan will come back to the Council for formal adoption. That should happen early in 2009, and then the process of implementing the plan will begin. The city has 9 months after adoption to bring its official controls (primarily zoning and subdivision regula- tions) into conformance. Reminder: Permits are required for all signs.