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2016 October - Fall Newsletter CITY OF SCANDIA October  October 9, Lions Pancake Break-fast  October 10, Columbus Day Observed— Office Closed  October 11, Fire Department Open House  October 31, Safe Halloween at the Fire Hall November  November 8, General Election Day, 7 a.m.- 8 p.m.  November 11, Veterans Day Observed—Office Closed  November 17, Lutefisk & Meatball Dinner, Elim Church  November 18, Turkey Bingo, 7 p.m.  November 24 & 25, Thanksgiving Holiday—Office Closed December  December 7, 6:30 p.m. Public Hearing, 2017 City Budget and Tax Levy  December 10, Lions Community Breakfast  December 11, Lucia Dagen, Gammelgarden  December 20, 7 p.m., Budget Adoption Hearing  December 23 & 26, Christmas Holiday—Office Closed January  January 2, New Year’s Holiday-Office Closed  January 16, Martin Luther King Day— Office Closed  January 27 & 28, Vinterfest  January 28, Lions Pancake Breakfast February  February 20, Presidents’ Day— Office Closed  February 25, Fireball March  March 12, 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 a.m. to 4 p.m. City Council: Randall Simonson, Mayor 651.538.4320 Dan Lee 651.433.4309 Chris Ness 651.707.5689 Jim Schneider 651.433.3692 Bob Hegland 651.538.2129 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: Neil Soltis, Administrator Brenda Eklund, Deputy Clerk Colleen Firkus, Treasurer Director of Public Works Mike Hinz, Fire Chief Andy Pratt, 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 No Levy Increase Proposed for 2017 Budget OCTOBER 2016 VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2 CITY OF SCANDIA At its September 20, 2016 meeting, the City Council approved a preliminary levy of $2,257,871 or 0% increase over 2016. This is the maximum amount the levy could reach for 2017; however, the Council may decide to reduce it before final adoption in December. A public hearing on the budget will be Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. The City Council may discuss the budget at its October and November work sessions. The work sessions are open to the public. The Council continues to prioritize roads in the annual budget. The proposed tax levy for the Local Road Improvement Fund of $554,365 is slightly lower than the 2016 levy. The levy amount was lowered in order to provide funding for the City’s required update of its Comprehensive Plan. In 2016, the Local Road Improve- ment Fund was used for the reconstruction of 236th Street, 237th Street, Novak Avenue, and Oldfield Avenue N. The next scheduled road reconstruction project will be Old Marine Trail in 2018. Operations in most departments will remain roughly the same in 2017, with the exception of the funds budget- ed for the Comprehensive Plan. After factoring in the increase of $175,000 in the transfer to the Local Road Improvement Fund and the Comprehensive Plan, the General Fund spending would increase by $4,000 over 2016. On average, residential properties in Scandia will see a 0.6% decrease in value in 2017 compared to 2016. As a result, the proposed City portion of the 2017 tax levy would mean a house valued at $250,000 this year will see a decrease of roughly $16. The chart below shows how the proposed 2017 property tax levy would be used. A twice-yearly publication for residents of the City of Scandia, Minnesota Inside This Issue: 2040 Comprehensive Plan Election Day is November 8 Free, Fun Family Events at Scandia Fire Short Takes Community Calendar 2 3 3 3 4 Page 2 CITY OF SCANDIA Scandia’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan The City is currently seeking proposals to update the City’s Comprehensive Plan to be in alignment with the Metropolitan Council’s Thrive MSP 2040 Regional Devel- opment Plan. The City will be required to adopt the Plan, which updates the 2030 Plan that was adopted in 2009, by December 31, 2018. In essence, a Comprehensive Plan is an expression of the community’s vision for the future and a strategic map to reach that vision. The Plan provides a framework for future growth and development guided by recommen- dations related to specific goals and policies. A Comprehensive Plan serves as an important tool to guide future development of land to ensure a safe, pleasant, and economical environment for residential, commercial, industrial, and public activities. In addition, the long-range planning can help:  Preserve important natural resources, agricultural, and other open lands.  Create the opportunity for residents to participate in guiding a community’s future.  Identify issues, stay ahead of trends, and accommo- date change.  Ensure that growth makes the community better, not just bigger.  Foster sustainable economic development.  Provide an opportunity to consider future implica- tions of today’s decisions.  Protect property rights and values.  Enable other public and private agencies to plan their activities in harmony with the municipality's plans. The Plan provides specific action strategies to achieve long-term goals, objectives, and strategies against which future actions and policy decisions are measured. While the current plan retains some value, a new plan is needed to accurately reflect present and projected changes in community demographics, developments, aspirations, and characteristics. Significant changes in the City’s demographics that will impact the plan that have occurred since the adoption of the current plan are a 31% decrease in the number of residents under 15 and a 47% increase in the number of residents 60 and over. The chart below shows the population changes and the change in these key demographics. Free, Fun Family Events at the Scandia Fire Department Short Takes Page 3 VOLUME 10, ISSUE 2 Know What to Throw--Curbside recycling in single–sort carts is available to all Scandia residents at no cost through the City’s agreement with SRC. Contact SRC at 651.462.1099 for more information on curbside recycling. Containers of used motor must be placed next to the cart and not in the cart. Plastic shopping bags should be bun- dled together and not placed in loosely as they can get stuck in the sorting equipment. More information on recy- cling can be found in the “Growing Green Guide” on the City’s website. 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 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. Every second counts in an emergency. Snow is Coming… Is Your Mailbox Ready? Now is a good time to look at your mail- box 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 installation for a mailbox. Make sure no obstructions, including refuse containers 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. Vinterfest 2017 Jan. 27-28 Annual Open House— Tuesday, October 11, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Join the Scandia Fire 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, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. This is a fun event for all ages at the Scandia Fire Hall. Activities will include a large bonfire, games, hot dogs and hot chocolate. Voters will go to the polls to elect a new President, and Federal and State Representatives on November 8. All Scandia residents vote at the Community Center Hall, 14727 209th Street North. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 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 2, 2017. (The first Monday of the new year.) Candidates for City offices in the order they appear on the ballot are— Mayor: Randall F. Simonson, Christine Maefsky Council member: Steve Kronmiller, Chris Ness, Lisa Crum, Robert Pilz, Susan Rodsjo, Jan Hogle Absentee Ballots are Available Now— You may vote early by absentee ballot beginning September 23rd and up to November 7th. 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 business hours Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Saturday before the election. You may also request that a ballot be mailed to you. You may call Washington County Elections at 651-430-6175 to have an absentee ballot application mailed to you. Or voters may apply for an absentee ballot online through the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office (www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting). Registering to Vote— If you were previously registered to vote in Scandia, and have voted at least once during the last four years, you are already registered. If you moved since you voted last, even if it is just to a new address within the City, you must update your registration. For the November 8 General Election, voter pre-registration closes at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 18. After that date, you may register at the polls on election day or at the same time you cast an absentee ballot. When you register to vote on election day, please be prepared to show proof of residency. More information on registering to vote can be found on the Minnesota Secretary of State's website. For more election information including links to downloadable registration and absentee ballot application forms, please see the City website at www.ci.scandia.mn.us and click on “Election Information” on the home page. Election Day is Tuesday, November 8 Both Events at Scandia Fire Hall, 15040 Scandia Trail (Hwy 97)