2007-01-19 Friday News The Friday News
January 19, 2007
ANNUAL PARTY (RE)SET
The City’s Annual Staff and Commission Holiday Get-Together has been moved to February 23,
2007. As in years past, the party will be held at the Lilydale Pool and Yacht Club. Hor’ dourves
will be provided, as well as a cash bar.
PAR 3 REFERENDUM OPEN HOUSE
A purchase price has been negotiated on the Par 3 golf course; City Council took action at their
January 16 meeting to start the referendum process. An open house has been set for 7PM,
Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at City Hall. All citizens interested in the referendum are
encouraged to attend.
Staff will provide a brief presentation on the Dual-Track process regarding the course, some
basic facts on the referendum, and an outline on the role of the City and Citizen groups in the
process. Staff will also take questions from the audience; meeting space will be available to any
citizen groups that may be formed that evening. Council Members and Commissioners are
allowed to attend this meeting as citizens – we must be extremely cautious, as the City cannot
not endorse either side of this issue.
COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS
The Council named a total of five new commissioners this week. New to the Planning
Commission are Doug Hennes, Steve Norton and Pat Hinderscheid. New to the Parks and
Recreation Commission is Brian Hallman. New to the Airport Relations Commission is Ansis
Viksnins. We were fortunate to have a wealth of well-qualified and passionate applicants for
these positions! New commissioners will assume their duties in February meetings of each
commission.
NOISE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE (NOC)
After a full year of operations on runway 17/35, the NOC reviewed runway usage, comparing the
actual numbers to those that were projected in the Final Environmental Impact Statement for
runway 17/35. As has been noted by our Airport Relations Commission, Mendota Heights has
taken a significant share of departures off of the 12L runway – far more than were projected. In
fact, the opening of 17/35 has led to 12L taking a larger percentage of total departures than
before the new runway was added. After discussing runway use, the NOC voted to draft a letter
to the FAA, asking for an explanation as to why the actual numbers are so far off from the
projections.
MEDIA CLARIFICATIONS
There seems to be some confusion caused by a local article regarding the designation of an
Acting Mayor. While staff has been unable to track down the article, I’d like to set the record
straight for our Friday News readers. In case you are asked, City Council designated Council
Member Sandra Krebsbach as Acting Mayor, in the event that Mayor Huber is unable to attend a
Council Meeting.
Also, the attached article from the Pioneer Press cites $900,000 in the Par 3 referendum for
capital improvements – the correct number is $90,000 – Mayor Huber informed me that the
request for a correction notice has been made.
FIRE DEPARTMENT GRANT
Congratulations to the Mendota Heights Fire Department as the recipient of a Fiscal Year 2006
Assistance to Firefighters Grant from the US Department of Homeland Security. After
missing out on funding the last few years, MHFD was awarded $133,617 (our match is $7,033)
to replace Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (commonly referred to as SCBA), and a new
personal accountability system. This grant provides a much needed upgrade to equipment that
our firefighters must have in order to do their job. Chief Maczko called on friends in high
places, asking Senators Coleman and Dayton, as well as Representative McCollum to ask letters
of support for the grant. Keep safe out there, FD!
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
The League of Minnesota Cities provides legislative updates weekly. This week they reported
that House File 3, a DFL backed bill regarding property taxes has been in hearing, and House
republicans are about to introduce their own version of a property tax relief bill. Senator Dick
Day has introduced a bill to exempt some local government purchases from MN sales tax. Staff
will continue to monitor legislation that may have an impact upon Mendota Heights.
Respectfully submitted,
Jake Sedlacek
Assistant to the City Administrator
Attachments: Just the Facts, Pipeline, Planning Commission Agenda, Pioneer Press Article
“Voters will decide whether city should buy golf course” and an article from Business Briefs
regarding the Village of Mendota Heights.