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Issue 13 - Heights Highlights Fall 1988PAGE 1 OCTOBER, 1988 ISSUE 13 MAYOR AND COUNCIL CANDIDATES Your November 8th ballot will include City Mayor and Councilmember elections. Mayor Charles Mertensotto is unopposed in his bid for reelection to a second two-year term. There are four candidates, including incumbents Janet Blesener and Carl 'Buzz" Cummins, III, for the four -two year Council terms. The five candidates whose names will be included on the November ballot are profiled below. i. CHARLES E. MERTENSOTTO 2371 Rogers Avenue Mertensotto was elected Mayor in 1986. He served on the City Council from January, 1962 through May, 1969, and from June, 1976 through December, 1984. Mertensotto was a Dakota County Commissioner from May, 1969 through December, 1970 and a member of the Dakota County Library Board for 11 years, 7 1/2 years as Board President. An attorney with the St. Paul law firm of Rowland of Mertensotto, he received his law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in 1963. Prior to entering private practice, Mertensotto worked for Northwest Airlines as a materials and process engineer and as a senior development engineer at Univac. ind his wife Arlean have resided at their current address for 27 years, where they _dd three children. JANET B. BLESENER 1815 Twin Circle Drive Blesener was appointed to fill a vacan- cy on the City Council in April of 1984 and was elected to a four year Council term in November, 1984. She was a member of the Planning Commission from December, 1980 to April, 1984. Blesener's Council in- volvement has included membership on the Central Commercial Area Task Force, City Hall Design Sub -Committee, T.H. 13/Victoria Road Task Force and Park Referen- dum Sub -Commit- tees. Volunteer ef- forts include the Dakota County His- torical Society, parent support ac- tivities at Mendota Elementary School, and Girl Scouting. A registered architect, she is currently Presi- dent of Blesener Associates, an architec- r 1 design firm and an officer in Blesener Jers. Blesener, her husband Jack, and their two children have lived in Mendota Heights since 1977. CARL E. (BUZZ) CUMMINS, III 2312 Nashua Lane Cummins was elected to the City Coun- cil in 1984. As a member of the Council, he has represented Mendota Heights on the Metropolitan Council Task Force on the Future of the Airport. Cummins has been active on airport noise and park and recreation issues during his term on the Council. He was the founder of the Delaware Crossing Homeowners As- sociation and served as a member of the Highway 110/149 Task Force ` before his election to the Council. Cummins is presently Director of Government and Community Rela- tions for Minnegasco in Minneapolis. He previously practiced law for five years and served as Special Assistant to the Gover- nor from 1979 to 1982. A native of St. Paul, Cummins, his wife Judy, and their two children have lived at their present ad- dress for six years. BERNARD P. FRIEL 750 Mohican Lane Friel is Vice Chairman and General Counsel for HEAF Management Corpora- tion and HEMAR Corporation, two na- tional groups which help provide financing for post -secondary students. Formerly with the Briggs and Mor- gan law firm, much of his practice was _ devoted to local government. He was the City's bond coun- sel for 20 years, and is the City's repre- sentative to the Metro. Aircraft diltSound Abatement Council. He served on the District 197 School Board from 1967 to 1969, was a charter member and Director of the Men- dota Heights Jaycees, and has served on the Friendly Hills Civic Association and Dodge Nature Center Boards. He and his wife, Damaris, have lived at their current ad- dress for 31 years, where they raised three children. CHRISTINE KOCH 1152 Sylvandale Road Koch is currently a member of the St. Paul and National Boards of Realtors. A registered nurse, she has taught at Methodist Hospital School of Nursing and been involved in various institutional ser- vices. She has over a decade of community involvement includ- 'lAl ing the American IK � Cancer Society and St. Paul Junior League, participating in the introduction and implementation of the Omnibus Program for High Potential Students. Koch is Co -Chair of the annual Visitation Convent fund-raiser and member of their Capital Campaign Drive. Christine, her husband Greg, and their two children have lived in Mendota Heights for eleven years. PAGE 2 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES OCTOBER, 1988 MOVING TO CITY HALL! By the time you read this newsletter, we HOPE the new City Hall will be completed and ready for occupancy. City Offices will close at their present location at 12:00 noon, Thursday, November 10th, and will reopen in the new City Hall at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, November 14th. Be- cause of the move, the Planning Commission meeting of October 25th, and the City Coun- cil meeting of November 1st, will be held at the Mendota Heights Fire Station, 2121 Dodd Road. The first public meeting to be held in the new location will be the Council meet- ing of November 15th. The City Hall is located at, the northwest corner of the intersection of Highway 110 and Lexington Avenue. The address is 1101 Victoria Curve, zip code 55118; phone num- bers remain the same, 452-1850 for Administration and Engineering, and 452-1366 for Police. A gala dedication ceremony and community celebration is tentatively planned for Sun- day, January 15th. Mark your calendar now, and watch the local papers for more details. CITY DIRECTORY NEED SOME GOOD Council Members: Charles Mertensotto, Mayor Janet Blesener Carl Cummins, III John Hartmann Elizabeth Witt Staff Members Kevin Frazell, Administrator Kathleen Swanson, City Clerk James Danielson, Public Works Director Dennis Delmont, Police Chief John Maczko, Fire Chief Paul Berg, Code Enforcement Officer 454-3394 454-1811 454-6262 457-6435 454-2657 452-1850 452-1850 452-1086 452-1366 454-3266 452-1850 STUFF? As with any family who has been in one location for a while, moving time for the City is time to dispose of all the "stuff' that we can't take to our new facility, including desks, chairs, tables and miscellaneous items. A furniture auction at the current City office location (Dakota County State Bank Building, 750 S. Plaza Drive) is being planned for Saturday, November 12th. Watch the local papers for more details, and plan now to join us for the opportunity of a lifetime to pick up some chic and tren- dy office furniture at bargain basement prices! 1989 CITY BUDGET The City Council has adopted a 1989 General Fund budget of just over $2.3 mil- lion. Highlights of next year's budget in- clude increased efforts in the areas of snow plowing, crime investigation, and parks development and maintenance.By State and County mandate, the City will also be working with refuse haulers to implement a curbside recycling program. The popular boulevard tree planting program, begun this year, will continue as well. The total property tax levy for all City operations for 1989 will be $1,745,750, about 10.6% over 1988; other revenues in- clude State aids, user fees, etc. While at first glance, that may look like a sizeable in- crease, it closely parallels an assumed in- flation rate of 4%, and a growth in the num- ber of Mendota Heights households of over 5% for the past year. New construc- tion coming on the tax rolls this year will cover about an 8% increase, meaning exist- ing taxpayers will pick up only a 2 - 3% in- crease. Calculating the tax impact on any in- dividual property or class of properties has been made extremely difficult by the it sive changes in the property tax sys, enacted by the 1988 legislature (see related story), and by the property reassessments put in place by the Dakota County Asses- sor last spring. Both actions have the affect of shifting, to some extent, the tax burden between classes of property. The City tax rate will actually be down for 1989, but will be offset by the increases in assessor's market value for most properties. General- ly speaking, City staff estimates that upper - bracket homes ($200,000 and up) will see an increase in taxes payable of 2% or less, while most middle -value homes will ex- perience increases in the 2 - 5% range. There will be no increase in sewer rates. The Heights Highlites is a government newsletter distributed to residents to ac- quaint them of events or activities which af- fect Mendota Heights. All articles, layout and production, are done by City staff members. If you or someone you know is not receiving the newsletter, contact the City offices and the names and locations wil' " added to our distribution list. (452-185, PAGE 3 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES OCTOBER, 1988 114ENDOTA HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL JOINS IN CHALLENGE TO ,J88 PROPERTY TAX LEGISLATION The Mendota Heights City Council has joined with 66 other metropolitan area communities to mount a legal challenge to the property tax reform bill passed by the 1988 legislature. This action is based on the belief that Mendota Heights, like most sub- urban communities, was not treated fairly under the provisions of that bill, and that area home owners will experience drastic increases in their property tax bills over the next few years if the legislation is allowed to run its course. Property tax levels are determined not just by local spending decisions, but also by the amount of aid that cities, counties, and school districts receive from the State of Minnesota and the amount of homestead tax credit provided directly to the taxpayer. When the State first made the decision in the early 1970's to hold down property taxes with these aids and credits, the monies were distributed on a fairly simple (i.e. per capita) basis. In- creasingly, however, the legislature has amended the laws to target the distribution of State dollars on the basis of "need" and lity to pay." The 1988 tax reform bill L'—figs the targeting philosophy to its pin- nacle by attempting to equalize property tax rates around the State at approximate- ly 125 mills (Mendota Heights is currently at 92.5 mills). It proposes to accomplish this by eliminating the direct homestead tax credit and putting all State aid dollars into formulas of direct assistance to local governments. In the case of cities, the al- location formula for these monies assigns each municipality a revenue "need" based on a logarithmic formula related to city size, then subtracts from that the community's ability to "pay its own way" by applying a specified tax rate against the tax base available to the city. The difference between the two is the amount that the community receives in Local Government Aid. The formula determines that Men- dota Heights needs no Aid, although we are "grandfathered in" at about $27 per capita; as a comparison, some Minnesota cities are receiving over $200 per capita. While such a tax system may appear fair on the surface, the Mendota Heights City Council, like many suburban officials, feel that it contains numerous flaws that penal - rhe metropolitan area: 1. The logarith- need formula lacks any obvious ration- ale. Further, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and all cities outside the 7 -county metro area are determined to need an additional $190 per household, but no explanation is given for such a finding. 2. In increasing aids so that no area of the State has a property tax rate higher than 125 mills, no distinction is made between those communities that have a high tax rate because they can't raise needed revenue from a weak tax base, and those that have high taxes simply because their local officials choose to spend more money. 3. No recognition is given to the impact of homes costing more in the metropolitan area. The new tax bill sets target tax rates of 1% on the first $68,000 of value, 2.5% on value between $68,000 and $100,000, and 3.3% on all value over $100,000. Average homestead values in the non -metropolitan area are around $40,000 - $50,000 and stable, while in the metro area they are approaching $100,000 and growing steadily. The result is that metropolitan home owners pay a much greater net effective tax rate than residents of Greater Minnesota, and more of the metro area's future property tax growth will be ratcheted into the higher tax brack- ets. It has also been noted that 65% of State income and sales taxes already come from the metropolitan area, while less than 50% of property tax aids and credits return here. The '88 tax bill could cause that dif- ference to grow further. The Mendota Heights Council has provided financial as- sistance to the Municipal Legislative Com- mission and the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities in their con- stitutional challenge to the "disparity reduction aid" portion of the '88 tax bill. If the two groups are successful in overturn- ing this $63.2 million program, it is hoped that the 1989 legislature will redistribute the funds on a basis more beneficial to home owners in the suburban com- munities. The Council has also con- tributed funds to help develop a data base from which suburban lobbyists can better represent their constituents. A.R.R.T. IN THE PARK The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (A.R.R.T.) has been granted approval by the City Council to construct a national headquarters in the Mendota Heights Business Park. The A.R.R.T. is the national examining and certifying body for diagnostic radiog- raphers, nuclear medicine technologists and radiation therapy technologists. The Registry was founded in 1922 and has been headquartered in the Twin Cities since 1924. As of September 30th, there are 171,253 certificates in current good stand- ing, 3,386 of which are held by Min- nesotans. The building, to be located at 1255 Northland Drive, will be a two-story struc- ture containing 29,800 square feet. The project architects are Design Partnership LTD of Minneapolis. Groundbreaking ceremonies have been scheduled for Oc- tober 28th, and the ARRT staff plan on completion and occupancy of their new home on or about August 1, 1989. PAGE 6 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES OCTOBER,1988 PLAZA TO PUT A BETTER FACE FORWARD The Mendota Plaza Shopping Center is being revitalized to give it an updated image. Its new owner, Mr. Edward Paster of Paster Enterprises, has been working with the City Council for several months to design a facelift for the facility. Before granting permission to locate the new MGM Liquor Warehouse in the center, the Council required Mr. Paster to submit plans for improving the Plaza. These ap- proved plans include the immediate instal- lation of a new facia around most of the building and upgrading of store -fronts as vacancies are filled. When the center is full, an addition is planned to be added to the south. PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF! Public safety response time can be criti- cal in an emergency. Proper identification of your structure, whether occupied or under construction, could significantly reduce the amount of time necessary for police, fire, rescue or other emergency per- sonnel to locate your home. Unfortunate- ly, many structures are not identified by ap- propriate house numbers, and public safety and inspection personnel have be- come increasingly concerned. City Ordinances require that all build- ings be identified by address numbers at least four inches tall and treated with a reflective coating. The numbers must be placed and maintained on each structure on or near its front entrance so that the ad- dress may be easily and clearly seen from the public street. Your small investment of money and time could reap a large reward. The life we save may be yours! Paster Enterprises has been active in Twin Cities shopping center development for over forty years and its purchase and upgrading of underdeveloped retail properties include the Doddway Center and Sibley Plaza. A resident of Mendota Heights, Mr. Paster feels that the center has great potential for the area. He plans to launch a contest for a new name and logo for the Plaza. Mr. Paster hopes residents will actively participate in the contest and will offer a scholarship to the winner. If the renovation efforts result in a shopping cen- ter to be proud of, the community will be the winner. SKATING RINK OPERATIONS Weather permitting, warming houses will be open from mid-December through mid-February. Warming hours will be from 4: 00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. Monday through Friday, from 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Saturdays, and from noon to 6:00 P.M. on Sundays. The rinks will be closed on Christmas and New Year's Days, but they will be open from noon to 5:00 P.M. and from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. on school holidays. WARMING HOUSE AND RINK LOCA- TIONS • Friendly Hills (south of Decorah on Pueblo Drive) • Wentworth (between Dodd and Wachtler) • Marie (west of Victoria) • Ivy Hills (off Butler and Ivy Hills Drive) Rinks will be closed when the tempera- ture reaches 10 degrees below or when the rinks have not been plowed. Attendants will be on duty at each of the rinks during warming house hours. VVINTER PARKING To many of us the thought of impending winter weather is chilling. We hate to be the harbinger of bad news, but it will definite- ly snow this winter! Even more hateful to some, perhaps, the city staff must actively enforce the associated parking and snow removal regulations. The City Ordinance governing winter parking on city streets, provides that cars may not be parked, for more than 30 minutes, during the time intervening be- tween a snowfall of 2" or more and the removal of that snow. Also, it is illegal to remove snow from your property and deposit it on the public right-of-way. If you (or a contractor you have retained) plows the snow from your drive onto the street, = will get a ticket. The Public Works Department is com mitted to keeping the city's streets in safe winter driving condition. To accomplish this goal, streets must be plowed as quick- ly and completely as possible after a snow- fall. The Public Works staff depend on your cooperation and compliance. RINK ATTENDANTS NEEDED The City is taking applications for rink attendants. If you are 16 or older and in- terested in a position, stop in at City Hall and complete an application. The deadline for returning applications is Thursday, December 1st. Salary for the positions will depend on experience. From: City Of Mendota Heights 750 Plaza Drive South EPermit Mendota Heights, Mn. 55120 20 POSTAL PATRON MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN 55118 AND 55120 PAGE 5 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES OCTOBER, 1988 ELECTION INFORMATION Me polls will be open for voting on General Election Day, November 8th, from 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. When you arrive at your polling place, the election judges will look for your name on a Precinct Registration List provided to us by the Dakota County Election Division. If your name and current address are listed on the print-out, you will be asked to read an oath and sign the print-out before being given a ballot. Even though you may be a long-time resident who has voted at your polling place many times in the past, or you may have registered at the polls in the Primary Election, your name might not ap- pear on the registration list. If your name is not on the list, the judges must, by law, ask you to register again. While re -registering at the polls may be frustrating for you, the judges have absolutely no control over whose names appear on the list. Please do not take your frustration out on the judges. MENDOTA They are your neighbors and do an enor- mous service to the community for little pay and all too little recognition. In order to register at the polls, you must provide the proper proof of residency: This proof may be a valid Minnesota Driver's License, Learner's Permit or Minnesota Identification Card, or a receipt for any of those types of identification which shows your current address within the precinct. If you don't have one of these types of iden- tification, a person you know, who is a registered voter in your precinct, may vouch for your residency. The judges may not accept any other proof of residency. The optical scan voting equipment used for the fust time at the September Primary Election, will again be used at the General Election. After the judges confirm that you are registered and you have signed the voter's oath, you will be given an 81/2 by 14 inch heavy -stock paper ballot on which to PRECINCTS LOCATIONS Polling Place Locations: Precinct 1, Somerset Elementary School, 1355 Dodd Road, north gymnasium. Precinct 2, City Council Chambers, lower level of Dakota County State Bank " 'ling, 750 South Plaza Drive. Precinct3, Mendota Elementary School, 1979 Summit Lane, b nasium. Precinct 4, Henry Sibley Senior High School, 1897 Delaware Avenue, Room A- 241 (SchoolDistrictBoardRoom).Precinct5,RoyalRedeemerLutheranChurch, 1960South Lexington Avenue (across from new City Hall). Precinct 6, Fire Station, 2121 Dodd Road. vote and a special marking pen and ballot sleeve. You will be instructed to take the ballot to the voting booth and draw a line between two ends of an arrow to indicate your vote for each office and question (see sample ballot below). After you have voted your ballot, take a moment to look it over. If you find that you have voted for more candidates than are al- lowed for an office or that you have spoiled your ballot in some other way, you may JUDICIAL OFFICES ASSOCIATE JUSTICE SUPREME COURT (SIMONETT SEAT) (Vote For One) JOHN E. SIMONETT Incumbent 4N E9 1W K JUDGE COURT OF APPEALS (NORTON SEAT) (Vote For One) FRED C. NORTON Incumbent ♦ K 4N •c return it (in its sleeve) to the ballot judge and he or she will give you another. After you have completed voting, place your ballot in the sleeve, carry it to the op- tical -scan reader and insert your ballot in the slot at the front of the machine. Your votes will be automatically recorded within the internal memory of the optical scan unit. After the last voter in line at 8:00 P.M. has voted, the judges will turn a key on the machine and will receive a printed tabula- tion of the election results. Anyone wishing to know the results for any particular of- fice(s) may contact the City offices at 452- 1850 after 9:00 p.m. on election night, or you may call during the day and leave your name and phone number and we will call you when the results are reported to us. This is a significantly different system from any we have used in the past. It is also the most efficient system currently avail- able, and received overwhelming praise from those who voted in the Primary Elec- tion. We hope that your introduction to op- tical scan voting will be a very pleasant ex- perience. PAGE 4 HEIGHTS HIGHLITES OCTOBER,1988 FIRE PREVENTION WEEK OBSERVED The week of October 9th marks the anniversary of America's worst fire, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which took the lives of 250 people and destroyed 17,000 buildings. In memory of that disaster, the North America Fire Marshals' Association, in 1911, estab- lished Fire Prevention Day. In 1922, President Warren G. Harding proclaimed the week of October 9th as Fire Prevention Week to help educate the public about fire safety. In keeping with this tradition, the Mendota Heights Fire Department celebrated Fire Prevention Week in fine style. Due to the overwhelming response to our 1987 observance, the fire department extended the number of events over a three-day period. On Tuesday, October 11th, theyprovided information and demonstrations on a residen- tial sprinkler system and showed the film "The Power of Fire" in conjunction with the demonstration. On Wednesday, October 12th, the Department gave demonstrations on fire extinguishers. Also a part of this event, an extinguisher company representative was available to service home extinguishers. On October 13th, Thursday evening, the fire sta- tion was opened to the public for visits with the firemen and viewing of all of the equip- ment available for combating fires in Mendota Heights. Capping off this night, the children in attendance had the opportunity to have their pictures taken with a fireman and were given the pictures as a momento of their visit to the fire station. Throughout the week, firemen visited local grade schools, making presentations and instructing the students on fire safety. The kids were given the opportunity to discuss any questions they had regarding fire safety and had lunch with the firemen. During these visits, the children were given entry forms to deposit at the fire station for a drawing for three fire trucks which had been donated by Tonka Toys. The drawings were _ held on each of the three nights, along _ _ . 0 with drawings for fire extinguishers. - Fire trucks were won by Scott Wilk and Thomas Gramith from Mendota Elemen- tary School and Mary Tschann ... from Visitation School. Meagan Barrett, Bill Red- ding, Sr., Darlene Metzger, Barb Gabriel, Jim Lee and Frances O'Neil was the extinguishers. The Fire Department wishes to thank all who attended the open house and demonstra- tions. Programs such as these give the department the opportunity to bring the message of safety to the public, not only during Fire Prevention Week, but throughout the year. IS IT WORKING? The theme for this year's Fire Preven- tion Week them was "A Sound You Can Live With." This emphasizes the impor- tance of smoke detectors and their proper testing. At least two-thirds of the deaths occur at night, in home fires stemming from in- halation of smoke and toxic gases. It makes sense to install smoke detectors near the ceiling, as smoke rises. The best locations are in hallways near bedrooms to protect each sleeping area plus one on each addi- tional level of your home. Your detector will serve little purpose if it is not well-maintained, so please check your owners manual to learn how you test your detector, and how often. A good rule of thumb is to test battery operated detec- tors once a week, and house current models once a month to make sure they are in good working order. Remember, your detector's buzz is "A Sound You Can Live With." Hot Time in Town! On October 11th, the Fire Department previewed the latest fire prevention tech- nology . Fire Marshal Paul Kaiser pur- suaded the City Administrator and Public Works Director to join him inside a spe- cially designed house trailer, locked the door, and then promptly started a fire in a waste basket full of combustible materials. Fortunately for the two slightly wary staff members, the trailer was equiped with a residential sprinkler system and the fire was extinguished before they could be- come hot under the collar. A second demonstration was conducted later in the day. The purpose of the demonstration and the concurrent one -day seminar hosted by the Fire Department was to introduce this new technology to residents, building con- tractors, and insurance representatives. During 1987, fires caused 5,800 deaths and $7 billion in property loss. Studies show that a quick response system such as a residential sprinkler system could have saved thousands of lives and millions dollars in property loss. We felt safe w smoke detectors were introduced into our homes becuase of their capability to alert us to the presence of smoke and fire. Now, with this type of fire protection, home fires can be contained and even extinguished before a life is lost and property is destroyed. We would like to thank all who attended these sessions. We appreciated the oppor- tunity to meet the residents and to show them what is available in home fire protec- tion equipment. We feel very strongly that educating and informing them on fire safety is a primary function of the Depart- ment. These systems can be installed in exist- ing homes as well as in new construction. If you have any questions regarding residen- tial sprinkler systems, please call City Hall, 452-1850.