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2003-08-22 Friday News The Friday News August 22, 2003 Construction of Skate Park Postponed Until Spring In April, the City Council awarded a contract to Custom Skate Park Concepts to build and install a Tier One Skate Park with ramps, jumps and obstacles at Roger’s Lake Park. The firm was unable to install the st equipment by July 1 and subsequently missed further deadlines. Staff recently learned that the company is no longer in business. Luckily, a purchase order had been issued, but no payments had been made to this firm. The Parks Commission recommended that the Council rescind the purchase order with Custom Skate Park Concepts and issue a new purchase order to an alternate firm, TruRide, Inc. TruRide submitted a proposal comparable to that of Custom Skate Park Concepts for Council consideration on Tuesday night. The City Council agreed to award the contract to TruRide, but voted to wait for installation until the Spring. Please see the attached article from the Star Tribune “Air apparent” on the skateboarding craze. Budget Workshop As part of its efforts to balance the state’s budget, the Legislature reduced the 2003 Local Government Aid (LGA) by $122 million from the amount that was certified to cities last July, and reduced 2004 LGA by an additional $27 million. In addition to the LGA reductions, the Legislature reduced the Market Value Homestead Credit (MVHC) reimbursement to cities by $20 million in 2003 and 2004. The LGA and MVHC reductions represent an approximate 25% cut in these programs for the 2004-2005 biennium. The loss to Mendota Heights is not as significant as that of other cities. We only receive $13,302 in LGA, as opposed to the millions of dollars other cities rely on. The City, however, receives $201,359 of Market Value Homestead Credit for a total loss in aid of $214,661. The Legislature re-imposed levy limits on cities with populations over 2,500. Covered cities will be allowed to increase their 2004 levy to replace up to 60% of the difference between the original certified 2003 LGA and MVHC reimbursement and the reduced 2004 LGA and MVHC reimbursement. The new levy limits provide no adjustment for inflation or household growth. Also, cities that did not “levy to their limit” for 2003 lose all of that unused levy authority for 2004. The City of Mendota Heights did not levy the maximum last year ($3,556,357) We are therefore limited to a levy of $3,334,655 which is the net general levy for 2003 plus the 60% we are allowed to levy back for lost aid. Each year, the City Council must adopt a preliminary budget and tax levy at their first meeting in September. th The levy is then certified to the County by September 15. Once the preliminary levy is adopted, it cannot be increased, but may be decreased. The process will be the same this year, with the County sending parcel specific tax statements to the residents in November. The budget will have to be finalized and adopted to be certified to the County by December 29th. We anticipate the Truth in Taxation meeting to be on December stnd 1, with the final adoption at the December 2 meeting. The City Council will be meeting on Tuesday night at 6:00 to discuss the 2004 budget. Village at Mendota Heights Featured on Dakota County Redevelopment Tour th On Friday, September 12 the “Village at Mendota Heights” will be featured in a redevelopment tour of “town center-like” projects in Dakota County. Planners, community development staff and other city officials will be taking a bus through Dakota County to see the various projects. I will be addressing the bus tour group at 9:45 AM on the village site. Our project is being featured along with Burnsville “Heart of the City”, “Cedar Grove” in Eagan and downtown Hastings. If you are interested in joining the tour, please contact Dan Rogness at Dakota County CDA at 651-675-4464. Cost for the event is $8.00 and includes lunch at Burnsville City Hall. Goose Proposal Denied On Tuesday, Mr. Timm requested that the City Council allow “off duty” Mendota Heights Police Officers to “scare and selectively kill” unwanted geese from certain areas in Mendota Heights, with the landowner’s permission (Mendakota Golf Course, Resurrection Cemetery etc.). Mr. Timm offered to provide funding for this operation (air horns, ammunition, processing, etc.) including salary/compensation for the officer’s time. The City Council respectfully declined the request. Police Chief Aschenbrener also commented that he did not believe that our Police officers are conservation officers and that this was not an appropriate use of their time. The Council commented that this needs to be a statewide effort or regional effort and will not be solved by the City of Mendota Heights alone. Met Council Makes TAB Appointments The Metropolitan Council appointed five individuals to serve as citizen members of the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) and Council member Peggy Leppik to fill the Met Council seat on TAB. Appointments for districts E, F, G & H are for two years and were necessitated by the expiration of terms. The appointment for district B was necessitated by a resignation and is for the remainder of the unfilled term. The Council has also voted to reappoint Donn Wiski as chair of the TAB. Wiski is a former Roseville City Council member and currently serves as the citizen representative for TAB District F, which consists of Metropolitan Council districts 13 and 14. Former Mendota Heights City Council member Jill Smith was appointed to Transportation Advisory Board District G (Council districts 13 &14) and will serve until January 2005. The other appointees, their districts and term expirations are as follows: Kent Warden- Orono- TAB District B (Council Districts 3 &4), Kris Sanda – Blaine – TAB District E (Council districts 9 &10), Donn Wiski – Vadnais Heights – TAB District F (Council districts 11 &12), Kendall Johnson – Apple Valley – TAB District H (Council districts 15 &16). City Opposes Flashing Lights on Highway 110 Removal The City recently learned that the advance warning flashing lights (AWF) on Dodd and 110 warning that the approaching light was about to change have recently disappeared. Public Works Director Jim Danielson learned that MnDOT has now removed the AWF at Delaware and Highway 110, as well as Dodd and Highway 110 as MnDOT does not feel they are warranted, nor do they meet the required spacing guidelines. MnDOT, however, has agreed to leave the flashing warning light at Delaware and Highway 110 until Delaware has been upgraded by the County next year. MnDOT currently has 50 of these warning lights metro-wide and they are planning to reduce the number to 25. At the request of the Mayor, we are sending a letter to MnDOT encouraging them to leave the flashing lights at Dodd and 110 in place. Final Thought “And the trouble is, if you don’t risk anything, you risk even more.” – Erica Jung Respectfully Submitted, Cari Lindberg Administrator Attachments: Pipeline, Just the Facts, Planning Commission agenda, Start Tribune article “Mendota Heights based Patterson Dental to pay $575 million for rehab firm,” Pioneer Press article “Air apparent,” Southwest Review articles “Local police to frustrate the Fast and Furious” and “Bob Brown, Dakota community leader, passes away August 8.”