8.f Administrator's report
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: June 21, 2016
To: City Council
From: Neil Soltis, Administrator
Re: May report
ISO REVIEW OF BUILDING INSPECTION: Representatives of the Insurance Service Office met
with Chuck Preisler and myself on 5/24/2016 to evaluate our building code enforcement. The
last review of the building inspection program was completed in 2011. No report has been
issued based on the inspection
LOG HOUSE LANDING: The application for an Army Corps of Engineer permit for the Log House
Landing boat ramp project has been submitted. Largely due to the small area below the
ordinary high water mark that will be impacted, the DNR staff will conduct the mussel survey
and relocation if necessary. Work is continuing on the request for proposal documents with the
anticipation that the solicitations will be sent out in early July.
COUNTY HRA STORM SHELTER: The contract for the storm shelter at the Oakhill Cottages has
been awarded. The pre-cast shelters are scheduled for fabrication in June, foundation
installation in the 2nd week of July, and building installation in the 3rd week of July.
COUNTY HRA TO CDA: The effort to transition the Washington County HRA into a Community
Development Authority has been approved by the legislature and is awaiting the Governor’s
signature. After that the County Board will need to approve a resolution. The HRA is in the
process of selecting the new Economic Development Director.
COUNTY HRA COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING: The HRA held a meeting regarding their conducting
a countywide Housing Needs study that will provide resource information for the development
of the City’s comprehensive plan. That study is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2016.
WASTEWATER COMMITTEE: The Wastewater Committee will be meeting on July 23 to discuss
the issues related to the Bliss drain field and to review and comment on the 2017 operating
budgets and the 2017 – 2020 Capital Improvement Plan.
BUDGET: Work is continuing on the 2017 budget and capital improvement plan. Agenda items
for the budget will be on the agendas of the Planning Commission, Parks & Recreation
Committee, and EDA in July in anticipation of an initial discussion regarding the budget at the
August 3 Council work session.
ELECTION TRAINING – In order to be certified to conduct elections, I am in the process of taking
15 hours of training which is required before attending the required clerk certification training
at the County on June 28.
TILLER / ZAVORAL MINE: Tiller will be mobilizing to remove the berms in accordance with the
mine reclamation plan. The material will be used for final grading and topsoil placement. Full
mobilization is scheduled to begin in July.
ROAD PATCHING: The City crew has completed the patching work on Mallard, Ostrum,
Parkview, and 195th. Prefer Paving is scheduled to begin the contracted patching work on June
28. The patching work will begin on Old Marine Trail so the road will be ready for the Fat Cat
Triathlon. After Old Marine work is scheduled for 220th St., (in advance of the crackfilling and
seal coating project), Oakhill, Meadowbrook, and 199th St.
DITCH MOWING: Ditch mowing south of 97 and west of Olinda is complete. The mowing is
continuing south of 97 and working towards the River.
199TH STREET GUARDRAILS: Work has begun on replacing the rotted and displaced posts
supporting the guardrail cables on 199th St.
WIND IN THE PINES: Signage has been installed in Wind in the Pines to discourage trespassing
onto private property. Within a few days of installation Deputy Yetter reported that the signs
had been disturbed. An additional directional sign has been added to encourage park users to
stay on public property.
PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR: To date no application have been received for the Public Works
Director position.
MET COUNCIL POPULATION UPDATE: Following this report is a copy of the 2015 population
estimate for Scandia. Comments or questions regarding the population estimate are due by
June 24. Based on a review of building permit application, I don’t see anything unreasonable
about the estimate.
BOARD OF APPEALS AND EQUALIZATION TRAINING: The City needs to have at least 1 member
of the Board certified by taking an on-line training session. The sign-up for the training begins
on July 1. Information on the training is on a following page.
Memo
Date: March 2, 2016
To: Local and County Board Members
From: Jessi Glancey, State Program Administrator Principal
Subject: Board of Appeal and Equalization Training Update
Online Training Version I
Board of Appeal and Equalization (BAE) online training was launched on July 2, 2015. At that
time, all board members had the opportunity to register and take the training prior to the
February 1, 2016 compliance date.
In total, 554 board members completed the training statewide, which is the largest group of
trained members ever trained in the history of Board of Appeal and Equalization training. Thank
you to all of you that took the time to register and take the training. We hope your experience
with the training was a positive one. Online Training Version II
Online training will be available to all board members after July 1, 2016 and will remain
available until February 1, 2017. Anyone who completes the training between July 1, 2016 and
February 2, 2017 will be certified until July 1, 2020.
There will be an updated version of the online training due to feedback we received. Some
things you will notice include:
• There will be one training link instead of seven modules.
• It is also shorter than version one; it will now take a user 30-45 mins to complete.
• We are also working on resolving some of the technical issues that came up this past
year for some of our users.
Board members interested in taking the training need to complete the following steps:
1. Register to take the training by accessing the MN Department of Revenue website
• http://www.revenue.state.mn.us/local_gov/prop_tax_admin/Pages/lbaetraining.aspx
2. Watch for a confirmation email, with login information
3. Login to start the training within 30 days of receiving the confirmation email
4. Complete the training
5. Print/save completion certificate
600 N. Robert St., St. Paul, MN 55146 An equal opportunity employer
www.revenue.state.mn.us If you have a disability, we will provide this material in an alternate format
How do I register?
You can register starting June 27, 2016. We encourage all board members to use their own
email addresses when registering for the training, so that the system can create an accurate
user profile for you. More information about the registration process will be posted on the
website in June.
Be sure to check the website often for updates and additional information.
What if I have additional questions?
We will be offering a webinar for anyone who would like a live demonstration on how to
register, how to access the training, and some other basic technical tips. A webinar is a seminar
conducted over the internet. It is very easy to access, and all you would need is an internet
connection to view this webinar.
We are hoping to offer this webinar sometime in the fall of this year. We highly encourage that
board clerks view this webinar, therefore if a board member is struggling with accessing the
training, the clerk could assist them in most situations. More information about this webinar
will be announced as we get closer to scheduling the webinar. Summary
Key points to take away from this memo:
• Online training and registration will be launched on July 1, 2016
• Registration will open on June 27, 2016
• The training will be available until February 1, 2017
• Be sure to check the DOR website throughout the year for
updates/announcements/information
o http://www.revenue.state.mn.us/local_gov/prop_tax_admin/Pages/lbaetraining.aspx
• A live demonstration webinar will be offered this fall, stay tuned for more information
If you have any questions, please contact us via email at proptax.bae@state.mn.us.
600 N. Robert St., St. Paul, MN 55146 An equal opportunity employer
www.revenue.state.mn.us If you have a disability, we will provide this material in an alternate format