2010-09-24 Friday NewsComprehensive Plan Update
David, John and Jake attended the Metropolitan Council Community
Development Committee meeting on Monday, as the committee
reviewed the city's 2030 Comprehensive Land Use Plan Update.
!Ak A • ♦ A ♦ A Met Council staff has been very helpful in making sure all the details
are correct and recommended approval of the update. The only
question the CDC had was regarding the reduction in acreage of
September 24, 2010 cemeteries. Jake explained how the reduction related to the Pilot
Knob Acquisition and the pending Lemay Shores Development. The
CDC unanimously approved the update, sending it to the full
Metropolitan Council for approval.
Dakota County and Scott County Collaborative
FDavid McKnight and Sandra Krebsbach attended a joint meeting of the Dakota
County High Performance Partnership (HiPP) and the Scott County Association of
R Leadership and Excellence (SCALE) on Tuesday afternoon at the Burnsville
Performing Arts Center. These two groups are made up of city and county
representatives from Dakota County and city, county, township and school district
representatives from Scott County. The purpose of the meeting was to present
strategies that each county uses in their joint groups, discuss the successes that
each group has had to date and provide an opportunity to meet other local
Dgovernment officials who are involved in a similar type of project in a neighboring
county. There were about 50 people in attendance and the meeting was well
A received by all of those in attendance. This meeting was in addition to the first
meeting of the HiPP "ReStart" that was held last Friday at Eagan City Hall. City staff
and council will continue to participate in the HiPP process for the benefit of Mendota
Y Heights and the county in general. As you recall the largest of the first round of HiPP
projects was the creation of the Dakota Communications Center which is located in
Absentee Voting is Underway
NAbsentee voting for the November 2, 2010 General Election started last Friday at city
hall. Residents who need to vote by absentee ballot can do so at city hall during
regular business hours. In addition, city hall will be open on Saturday, October 30,
E
2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and on Monday, November 1, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m. for absentee voting. If you have questions on the upcoming election please
Wcontact Nancy at city hall
Thank You to Fire and Police Departments
A number of officials at the city received nice thank you notes from Beth Jacob
representatives for the quick response to a vehicle fire that took place in front of their
property on Tuesday afternoon. It is always nice to hear thank you every now and
then for the work we perform and this one was very much appreciated by city staff.
Thank you to all of the fire and police department personnel who responded to the fire
and assisted our neighbors!
September 24, 2010
Par 3 Still Open for Business
Even with school starting and the arrival of fall weather, the Par 3 golf course is still open for
business. Residents should take advantage of beautiful fall weather and get out to our city
owned course before the weather closes the course for the winter. Great deals are in place and
the course is still in excellent condition. City staff members were supposed to play a round at the
course on Wednesday after work but the rain caused that event to be pushed to another day.
Thank you to the Par 3 staff for the work that they did again this year. Weather played a big
factor in the course management this year and our hats go off to Tom and his entire crew for
another successful season.
Thanks Joe
Airport Relations Commissioner Joe Hennessy submitted his resignation to the city council this
week. Joe has served on the ARC since 2008 and has been a very valuable member of this
committee. Thank you very much for your service to the community while sitting on the ARC
Joe. Your time, effort and contributions have been valued by all and will be sorely missed! Good
luck in your future endeavors.
Dates To Remember
Planning Commission Meeting 9-28-2010 7:00 p.m.
City Council Meeting 10-5-2010 7:00 p.m.
Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting 10-12-2010 6:30 p.m.
Airport Relations Commission Meeting 10-13-2010 7:00 p.m.
City Council Meeting 10-19-2010 7:00 p.m.
r
Attachments
The Pipeline, News Release from MNDOT, Just The Facts, Flyer about Drug "Take -Back" Day, Star-
Tribune.com Article "Cities take pains to keep tax rates flat"
September 24, 2010
NEWS
LETTER
The Pipeline
Public Works
Engineering
Code Enforcement September 24, 2010 \�
Public Works
The Parks Crew removed a fallen tree on the pedway in north Valley Park.
They repaired a wall in the women's restroom at Mendakota Park. Trees
were trimmed at the fire hall and the branches were hauled away.
Rich cleaned and vacuumed the Mendota Heights Road lift station and the
sanitary sewer line was cleaned of grease. Pipe Services cleaned and
vacuumed the St. Thomas lift station. A new hour meter was put in at the
St. Thomas lift station for pump two. Root -X was applied in the sanitary
sewer line on Lexington Avenue, Marie Avenue, and William Court. Rich
picked up dumped tires on Glen Hill Road. He helped the Streets Crew
clean the catch basins on Marie Avenue, Maple Park Drive, Sylvandale Road,
First Avenue and Trail Road.
The Streets Crew cleaned leaves along the curb line with the tractor on
Marie Avenue from the 35E bridge to Dodd Road and along Valley Curve.
Tim and Cliff worked on the starter on truck 303. They cleaned storm
grates. Blacktop patching was completed on pot holes and man holes rings
on Victoria Curve, Glen Hill Road, Culligan Lane, Hunter Lane, Chippewa
Avenue and Eagle Ridge.
Engineering
Highway 55/Mendota Heights Road Intersection - The construction project is
underway with Bituminous Roadways installing temporary traffic signals at
the intersection. Residents should be aware of traffic revisions at this
intersection through the end of December.
2010 Reconstruction/Rehabilitation Project - Work for the 2010 portion of
the project is substantially complete with small, punch -list items remaining.
Remaining portions of wear course asphalt on Butler and Ivy Falls Park,
Spring Street, and Simard Street will be completed in the spring of 2011.
Assessment Hearing for the completed project will be held at Council at the
October 19th meeting.
Water Tower Rehabilitation - The contractor has stated they are on track for
a substantial completion of the water tower rehabilitation by Sep 30.
Weather prevented work on Thursday (Sep 23) and Friday (Sep 24), so
completion may slip into the first few days of October. 5 small change
orders were approved by Council at their Tuesday (Sep 21) meeting.
Nightly Closures of I-494 - Road work on Interstate I-494 between I -35E
and 60th Street will be continuing overnight on Sep 27th. I-494 will be
closed from 8:OOpm until 5:OOam. There will also be periodic mid-day lane
closures for utility work until the 27th. Dodd Road Ramps to I-494 are
anticipated to be closed during this period as well.
2011 Street Reconstruction Project (Wagon Wheel Trail) - Staff is
completing the Feasibility Report for the 2011 Street Reconstruction Project
and it is scheduled to be presented to Council at the October 5th meeting.
The project will reconstruct Wagon Wheel Trail from Lexington to Dodd Road
and will include the installation of storm sewer, curb & gutter, and an 8 -foot
bituminous trail along the length of the project.
Potential Crest of the Mississippi River - The abnormal summer/fall weather
continues in the metro area, and the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources has advised the City that the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers are
expected to have another high crest later next week (anticipated by
Thursday, Sep 30). The crest is expected to be approximately 1 -foot below
the spring crest, so flooding is not anticipated. City staff will be closely
monitoring the water levels and taking actions as appropriate.
80r,2o Minnesota Department of Transportation
a Metropolitan District
yr OP TS 1500 West County Road B2
Roseville, MN 55113
News Release
Sept. 17, 2010 Contact: J.P. Gillach
Work: 651-234-7503
For Immediate Release iames.gillachastate.mn.us
Nightly closures on eastbound 1-494 begin Sept. 20
Work takes place between 1-35E and 601h Street
Roseville, Minn. — Motorists can expect delays and detours on eastbound 1-494 when the
road closes overnight between 1-35E and 60th Street for resurfacing and restriping on four
evenings between Monday, Sept. 20 and Monday, Sept. 27.
The first three overnight closures will occur on Monday, Sept. 20, Tuesday, Sept. 21 and
Wednesday, Sept. 23. The fourth overnight closure is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 27. On
all four evenings, the road will close at 8 p.m. and reopen by 5 a.m. the following day.
Motorists are encouraged to find alternate routes or follow the posted detours.
Eastbound 1-494 motorists will be detoured north on 1-35E to eastbound Highway 110 and
back to eastbound 1-494.
The ramps from northbound Highway 149 and northbound 1-35E will also be closed.
Motorists will be detoured north to Highway 110 and back to eastbound 1-494.
The maintenance and preservation project will create a smoother driving surface and
preserve the road through 2014, when a major road improvement project is planned.
For real-time traffic information anywhere in Minnesota, visit www.511 mn.orq or dial 5-1-1
An Equal Opportunity Employer
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The
Mendota
Heights
Police
Department
Support
Staff
Kim Henning
Sandie Ristine
Susan Donovan
Cathy Ransom
Becky Pentel
Police Officers
Jerry Murphy
Scott Patrick
John Larrive
Bobby Lambert
Tanner Spicer
Todd Rosse
Chad Willson
Jeff VonFeldt
Denise Urmann
Michael Shepard
Peyton Fleming
Jenny Fordham
School Resource
Officer
Steven Meyer
Investigations
Mario Reyes
Tanner Spicer
Sergeants
Neil Garlock
Brian Convery
Eric Petersen
Reserves
Randy Pentel
Gino Messina
Jesse Mettrner
Andrew Quinlan
Chief
Mike
Aschenbrener
9/23/2010
G
The DCC (MHPD's Communications Center) encourages the use
of 9-1-1 for any situation which requires the response of police,
fire or emergency medical personnel. This includes non-
emergency situations such as reporting a crime, a traffic situation
or suspicious activity. The dispatcher will ask questions to help
assure the proper level of response and assure that emergencies
receive the highest priority. 9-1-1 should not be used for
information -only purposes. By using the system you save time,
effort and create an event that ensures proper response by
MHPD. www.mn-dcc.org
2010 MS
MUD RUN
09/11/10
MHPD TEAM
"DIRTY PIGS"
(pictured leftto right)
Tanner Spicer
Kim Henning
Jerrod Spicer
Chad Willson
Imagine 2.5 grueling hours on a winding ATV trail — up and down
countless ravines, into hundreds of muddy bogs, swamps and
puddles, up and over many obstacles throughout, alongside 1500
other participants. Brutal — but FUN! The team, would like to
thank local businesses, family and friends who helped the team
raise $1500 toward an event total of over $200K in the fight
against MS. View the videos below shot via a participant's head
cam. Who's with us in 2011?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXFRw72rZsQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1 y49ckigWlg&feature=re1ated
-1-
9/23/2010
Missing License Plate Thursday 1940 hours
Caller requested a phone call from an on duty police officer about the license plate
that fell off his car. Officer Chad Willson spoke with the person who advised him that
the entire license plate bracket was missing from their car. The caller wondered if
the dealer should buy them new license plates.
Possible Drunk Driver Friday 1224 hours
Finally Friday: the Communication Center received a call about a drunk driver leaving
the SA after vomiting in the lot (yes it is half past noon). The caller was sure the man
was drunk. Officer John Larrive caught up with him at his residence in Mendota
Heights. The man had been drinking, did poorly on the SFST's and was given a PBT
which revealed a .064 BAC. Unfortunately, no driving conduct was witnessed.
Driver released.
AOA Crisis Friday 2156 hours
Officer Peyton Fleming responded to a request to help Dakota County Social
Services with a 72 hour health and welfare hold. They had received a call from an
out of state relative about an elderly resident who was acting very strangely on the
phone. After checking it was obvious that some type of medical issue had occurred
and the person could not care for themselves any longer. Officer Fleming worked
hard to convince the party to go to the hospital without success. Eventually they
were transported against there will to the hospital.
Warrant Service Saturday 0157 hours
O The absolute best time to serve a traffic warrant? On Friday afternoon or evening
— on a payday. Officer Denise Urmann stopped a car and soon learned the driver
liked to get tickets but didn't like to pay for them. A few minutes after the stop,
several warrant hits for DAS and no insurance were confirmed, totaling $450. The
man was soon a little poorer and his warrants were cleared up.
AOA Pursuit Saturday 2048 hours
Officer John Larrive and Sergeant Eric Petersen assisted Bloomington Police
Department with a pursuit that ended on Mendota Heights Road near Delaware. The
pursuit ended with a felony stop and three adults in custody.
Theft from Vehicle Sunday 1323 hours
Caller requested an Officer call her about a theft from her car. Victim reported to
Officer John Larrive that she parked at the trail access lot and while she was out
walking, someone smashed the window out of her car. Missing was a small pink bag
with nothing of value inside; however, the window will cost a few hundred dollars to
replace.
Assist Sunday 1756 hours
Mom and dad called about their 49 YOA son, who lives at home and has been drunk
for two days. They wanted him checked into detox. The parents were concerned he
would be upset that police had come to help. He has gone to detox in the past
_2_
9/23/2010
without incident. Officer Chad Willson responded to the home a short time later and
stood by as the son voluntarily went with his family to detox.
Suspicious Monday 0029 hours
Caller reported a number of kids near the mailbox that has been blown up repeatedly
this summer. Officer Shepard arrived on scene and found a number of young ladies
who were apparently very impacted by his presence as they turned over copious
amounts of toilet paper. Clear no damage done.
Theft Monday 0155 hours
While on patrol, Officer Mike Shepard spotted a vehicle in the commercial
construction at Hwy 110 and Dodd Road. While he watched, the occupants exited
the vehicle (with flashing lights), piled up items from the construction site, and then
loaded them onto their vehicle. When Officers made contact with the night time
shoppers, they told them they thought it would be okay if they took scrap from the
construction site. When asked why they didn't take it during the day they had no
answer. In their possession were tools marked with the logo of a local company. The
two were arrested and transported to the Dakota County Jail. Follow up to continue.
Car vs. Building Monday 0649 hours
Officer Urmann was dispatched to a property damage accident; when she arrived, the
driver (of the car) immediately said, "It's my fault, not the Toyota's." The driver had
stepped on the gas instead of the brake. No one was hurt, but both cars and the
building received minor damage.
AOA MHFD Tuesday 1556 hours
Officers Larrive, Patrick and Meyer responded to a work truck located in the
Synagogue parking lot, on fire. When Officer Larrive arrived he found the truck fully
engulfed in flames. A worker advised there was a full can of gasoline inside. The
company was apparently cranking out gutters so fast... the truck went up in flames.
MHFD arrived on scene moments later to extinguish the fire.
AOA Wednesday 1559 hours
Neighbor called to report that the house next door was standing open and no one was
around. Officer Bobby Lambert spoke with the neighbor who reported that the feds
had executed a warrant at the house earlier in the day. When they left, the resident's
sister was still at the house but she just left. Officer Lambert closed the doors and
cleared.
Saff- °.nd Sobe
Last weekend MHFD hosted a saturation patrol which result in numerous traffic stops
in the area. Officers wrote citations for speed, no insurance, seat belts and cleared
up several warrants. Great job by all 16 Officers working to make our roads safer.!
Ilan, a y^ar &flier
— 3 —
Unwanted and Expired
Medication Collection
September 25, 2010
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
What to Bring:
Expired or unused medication
Over-the-counter medications
Bring medications in original containers
Free, no ID required
Drug collection for household medicines only
(no hospitals, nursing homes, businesses)
Sharps will not be accepted
Dakota County Locations:
For more information call
Monica at 651-438-4440. Dakota County Northern Service Center
1 Mendota Road, West St. Paul 55118
Sponsored by. Burnsville City Hall & Police Department
Drug Enforcement Agency 100 Civic Parkway, Burnsville 55337
with support from
Dakota County Dakota County Government Center
• Sheriff's Office 1580 Highway 55, Hastings 55033
® Attorney's Office
Public Health Your expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs
® Environmental Management will be anonymously collected by knowledgeable staff
and then properly and safely destroyed.
Cities take pains to keep tax rates flat I StarTribune.com
L 41t11*q11d1'-111
Cities take pains to keep tax rates
flat
Southern suburbs had to finish crunching
numbers last week for their preliminary 2011
budgets, and several anticipate that they'll
need to increase taxes to deal with declining
revenue and state aid cuts.
Still, some were able to hold the line on
spending and actually lower property taxes.
All city councils had to vote to set maximum
tax levies -- the most they will permit
themselves to tax their citizens -- for the
coming year and submit them to the county
last week. The levies can be reduced by the
time councils approve their final budgets at
the end of the year.
Here's a look at what's going on in some
major Dakota County suburbs in a second
installment of a two-week roundup on next
year's taxes and budgets:
APPLE VALLEY
Apple Valley will cut its total tax take by
$140,000, which translates into a tiny drop
in the property tax bill for the typical home.
Specifically, said finance chief Ron Hedberg,
Advertisement
the owner of a median -valued home (now
worth $203,200, after taking a roughly 6
percent hit in its value for tax purposes) will
pay eight bucks less next year.
Page I of 4
Council member Ruth Grendahl, a staunch
fiscal conservative, was pleased by the "very
stable" budget, but she warned of the effects
of rising pension costs. "It's alarming how
much that part is increasing," she told fellow
council members. "I don't know how it can
be sustained."
Council colleagues and city staff noted that
workers are covered by a statewide plan, so
it isn't strictly under their control. But they
agreed that cities need to lobby the issue at
the Legislature.
Mayor Mary Hamann -Roland said the point to
stress is that roughly 95 percent of
homeowners will see no change or a decline
in the city portion of their tax bill.
"I want to say 'thank you' to our employees
for their fiscal constraint," she said. "We
know it's a tough time out there."
Council member Tom Goodwin added, "I ani
willing to bet that we are leaving more
unused levy on the table" -- meaning the city
is further under its state -imposed cap on
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Cities take pains to keep tax rates flat I StarTribune.com
what it can tax -- "than any city in this area."
HASTINGS
In Hastings, the city's tax levy will drop, as
the City Council voted unanimously to
decrease the maximum levy by 2.7 percent,
or about $317,000, said Char Stark, city
finance director.
But the average homeowner won't probably
see any change in his or her tax statement
because of the decreasing value of their
homes, she said.
One of the reasons why council members
wanted to lower the levy was because of a
storm -water fee that was added to residents'
quarterly utility bills this year, Stark said.
"We didn't want to add our tax burden to our
citizens," she said.
Stark said that there have been discussions
of additional fees and city cuts but that
revenue -generating and spending options
haven't been fleshed out yet.
INVER GROVE HeighTS
City council members were pleased to
approve a preliminary maximum levy of
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Page 2 of 4
$15,475,796, which keeps the tax levy steady
from the year before.
"We've been pretty conservative with our
budgeting over the years," said Ann Lanoue,
finance director.
Residential property owners should see their
property taxes decrease, Lanoue said.
The city will need to spend some of its
reserves, but there shouldn't be reductions
in services, she said.
No city positions are scheduled to be
eliminated, but there won't be a wage
increase.
"We're basically kind of holding the line,"
Lanoue said.
ROSEMOUNT
Residents with median -value homes in
Rosemount will get a slight tax break next
year.
With about a 1.6 percent decrease in the
city's tax levy, average homeowners will see a
$64 reduction in the city portion of their tax
bill.
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Cities take pains to keep tax rates flat ( StarTribune.com
One of the reasons for the drop was
significant reductions in city debt for the
second straight year.
Also, the city did not have to prepare for a
drop in local government aid (LGA) from the
state.
"We haven't received LGA since 2003 so that
has been absorbed into our plans," said Jeff
May, finance director.
However, there will be about $90,000 in
reductions of services such as stray cat
licensing and putting down chemicals on
streets, May said.
In terms of spending cuts' impact on city
personnel, a full-time technician position
that is currently unfilled will be reduced to a
30 -hour -per -week position.
SOUTH ST. PAUL
Despite spending decreases, South St. Paul
will raise its maximum tax levy by 6.2
percent, a hike that would result in about a
$33 increase for the average homeowner.
The city normally gets the most local
government aid from the state of any city in
the county, but officials are being cautious
Advertisement
about state aid, which many believe is likely
to be slashed when the state balances its
budget.
Page 3 of 4
South St. Paul budgeted $1.2 million in local
government aid, which is about $1 million
less in aid than what was certified to be
provided by the state, said Josh Feldman,
finance director for the city.
This is the first year of the city's four-year
plan to wean itself off of state operational
aid, he said.
If the city were to give up all reliance on state
money, it would result in a 16 percent tax -
levy increase, Feldman said.
"To get to that point we are going to
continually need to look at the budget and
make it more of an ongoing process," he said.
South St. Paul plans to cut funding for capital
investments by about $150,000. The city
plans to decrease the number of people it
writes checks to: A community service
officer position and a special project
coordinator position will be eliminated.
WEST ST. PAUL
Preparing for the worst, West St. Paul built a
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Cities take pains to keep tax rates flat I StarTribune.com
budget which included $1 million less in state
aid than it was promised.
The city was certified to receive
approximately $1.5 million from the state,
said Finance Director Sandy Christensen at a
recent council meeting.
In a short meeting, the West St. Paul City
Council approved a maximum levy increase
of 5.9 percent, or about $550,000. It would
cost the owner of an average -valued home
about $4 more per month, Christensen said.
The city had several of the same challenges
that other cities dealt with while determining
their preliminary budgets. West St. Paul faced
a $1.4 million loss in state revenues and
declining property values.
Some ways in which the city was planning to
cut costs were to defer some maintenance
and purchases until later dates, reduce
discretionary spending in the general find by
2.7 percent and not fill several vacant
positions.
Staff writer David Peterson contributed to
this report. Nicole Norfleet • 612-673-4495
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