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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-2000 WinterM 77 77 Cottage-O" City Hall: 7516 80th Street South Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016 Open 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M -F www.cottage- grove. org POSTAL PATRON Carrier Route Presort Bulk Rate U.S. Postage PAID PERMIT NO. 1 COTTAGE GROVE, MN from the Mayor, City Council, and City Staff May the year 2000 dry be a time of happiness and peace for you and yours. Friends in Need, area retailers offer holiday giving opportunities Many Cottage Grove stores, banks, restaurants, and other retail establishments participate in holiday giving programs. These help everyone in our community have a wonderful holiday season. Please be generous! Volunteers will be needed from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18, at the Cottage Grove Armory for the Christmas food and gift program sponsored by Friends in Need food shelf. Also, all donations to Friends in Need, P.O. Box 6, Cottage Grove, MN 55016 are greatly appreciated, since this is an expensive time of year for the food shelf. Thank you for your generosity! Contains a minimum of 10% postconsumer waste Cottage by Elizabeth Johnson, Finance Director The Cottage Grove City Council's budget goal in the past few years has been to create a budget that has no net tax impact on the homeowner. This means that the City taxes paid from one year to the next remain stable. Your 2000 property taxes paid to the City are expected to remain stable. This is possible PROPERTY TAX RATES 1995 -2000 because Washington County o, 29.664 experienced positive market 2 stzzsa zs.oa value growth in 1999. m :a' zs s7 z7.7oz For the City of Cottage ' 26.E Grove, general operations, such as police and fire protection 2a _ and public works, are increas- ing 4.9 percent. Debt due to the Year m pavement management pro- gram has leveled off. Property tax support for debt repayment primarily for street rehabilitation is 55.9% of the levy for debt in 2000, compared to 55.1% of the levy for debt in 1999. The above graph shows the City's six -year trend in property tax rates. The 2000 property tax rate is pre- o liminary. Tax /o The market value on a typical home in Other Count y Cottage Grove is $125,000. The property tax 7% 24% paid by this homeowner is divided as shown in the pie chart: County $474.62 (23.8 %); City $468.41 (23.6 %); 450 Schools City Schools $899.11 (45.3 %); 24% Other $144.89 (7.3 %). Cont. on Page 4 Haunting Memories Hundreds of City residents took part in the Annual Halloween Parade on Oct. 30. Thanks to the Cottage Grove Jaycees for organizing this fun event this year! These photos were taken dur- ing the Costume Judging just before the parade. expected, but backups in place by Jenny Jennings, Management Info Systems Now that we're coming down to the wire with Year 2000, the City of Cottage Grove is finaliz- ing contingency planning for the days surrounding the actual changeover. While we sincerely anticipate little or no problem, we feel it is best to be prepared, just in case. Perhaps the most likely Year 2000 - related problem, according to the experts, is a temporary overload of the phone system as people pick up the phone at midnight to call friends and wish them a Happy New Year, or pick up the phone just to see if it works. If this does occur, people Cont. on Page 3 No Y2K problems V] 7 1 a COTTAGE GROVE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY 6 I PHONE NUMBERS 1 1 1 I EMERGENCY NUMBER 1 x-1-1 1 1 NON- EMERGENCY NUMBER 651- 458 -2811 1 1 I I I I What is 9 -1 -1? 1 911 is an emergency telephone number that provides IMMEDIATE access to POLICE, 1 I PARAMEDICS, FIRE, and AMBULANCE. ppp 1 911 is a free call from any pay phone. ( When to use 9 -1 -1: 1 Call 911 to report a crime in progress, or a fire, serious medical condition or injury requiring the IMMEDIATE response of a FIRE TRUCK, AMBULANCE, OR POLICE. 1 1 I What the 9 -1 -1 Dispatcher will need to know: I 1 • The location of the emergency; 1 1 • The phone number where the emergency is; 1 9 The nature of the emergency. IMPORTANT: ® Stay calm. • Speak clearly. 1 9 Stay on the telephone until you are told to hang up. I 1 9 If you are calling on a cell phone it is very important I that you give your location. 1 I I FOR CERTAIN SITUATIONS, DO NOT CALL 9 -1 -1. I I INSTEAD, USE THE NON - EMERGENCY NUMBER 1 I (651- 458 -2811) for: 1 1 1 • Road /travel /severe weather information • Household /auto repairs 1 • Complaints, littering, crimes not in progress, etc. 1 1 I L ® ® ®___o ® ® ®® ® ® ® ® ®_e —ve__J AN 11 flow! 1 1000 =036 The Cottage Grove Ice Arena experienced a troubling start this fall due to construc- tion delays on the rebuilding of the Studio Rink and re- occurring circulation prob- lems on the main rink. The Studio Rink recon- struction project involved the installation of new refrigeration lines and other mechanical room improvements. The improvements were originally scheduled for completion on Oct. 1, but were not completed until Oct. 18. Shortly after start -up, circulation problems were observed which resulted in a shutdown of the system until Nov. 9. Since that time, the Studio Rink has been func- tioning very well. At the same time, the City experienced circulation prob- lems on the main rink, causing slight ice melting, which required off and on shutdown of the rink from Oct. 28 to Nov. 27. The City had experi- enced a similar problem in the past, but not to this degree. Public Works and Ice Arena staff repeatedly cut, cleaned, and repaired refrigerant lines in an effort to improve flow. A noticeable improvement in cir- culation and ice quality was finally realized during Thanksgiving Weekend. Experts brought in to assist in resolving this recur- ring problem believe it is a result of the lack of refrigerant circulation through the east half of the rink, coupled with the likelihood that some impu- rities may have been intro- duced into the system at some point in the past, causing flow restriction and line blockage in a few of the refrigerant lines. The main refrigeration system is comprised of more than 50,000 lineal feet of one -half inch steel pipe spaced every four inches throughout the rink floor. Of the 256 lines, roughly 40 experienced flow restriction problems with only five or six of these severe. The Cottage Grove Ice Arena was one of the first in the metropolitan area when it was constructed 25 years ago. Since 1995, . the City has bud- geted $525,000 for new equip- ment and enhancements to the building. The City aggressively pur- sued energy efficiency improvements with funding assistance from a program run by NSP. The Arena also has new team rooms and facilities and a new concession area operated under contract by the Cottage Grove Athletic Association Hockey Division. National Night Out celebration wins award Again this year, the Cottage Grove Police Dept. was honored with a national award for its celebration of National Night Out, held last August in Woodridge Park. Cottage Grove was named 16th among 50 cities in the nation recognized by the National Association of Town Watch for cities with popula- tions from 30,000 to 99,999. citizens together in saying good -bye to crime, drugs and violence in their communities. Next year's 17th annual National Night Out obser- vance is set for Tuesday, Aug. at Woodridge Park. More than 32 million citi- zens in 9,500 communities participated in National Night Out last summer. Awards were presented in nine cate- gories. The nationwide cele- bration is designed to bring Street parking ban in effect until 4/30 The Cottage Grove Police Dept. reminds all residents that the On- Street Parking Ordinance will be in effect until April 30, 2000. Under the ordinance, no vehicle may be parked on any residential street between the hours of 2 and 6 a.m. Parking is permitted at other times as long as it does not interfere with the removal of snow and ice from City streets. Placing snow in the street or plowing across the street is against state .° law and City code. Snow should be shov- eled or plowed onto your own property or boulevard. Snow placed in the street may cause accidents and will be com- pacted into ice when driven over. It is unlawful to block City sidewalks with vehicles or other objects. Please help our Public Works Department in their efforts to clear snow this com- ing season. 0 Starting in December, be sure to watch a new program, produced by the City of Cottage Grove, on issues related to snow and winter. It will air on Government Access cable channel l6. Check your water use Did you know that the average Cottage Grove resident used 113 gallons of water per day in 1998? There's lots of infor- mation about water use in the Water Quality Report that was mailed to all residents in October. Follow its suggestions for conservation of this natural resource. If you did not receive a copy, you're wel- come to pick one up at City Hall, 7516 80th St. S., during regular business hours. A WORKER at the Cottage Grove Ice Arena melts the ice around a few of the 50,000 feet of pipes in the Arena's main rink. 6 NEEDED: Volunteer Police t Reserve Officers Applications are now being accepted for the Cottage Grove Police Reserve program. The Reserve assists the Police Dept. with a variety of programs, activities, and annual events, including: • Summer Safety Camp • National Night Out Celebration • Great Grove Get - Together • Local Parade Details • Neighborhood Watch Program ®)) • Crime Scene Security ®?) • Surveillance Details • Ride Alongs If you or someone you know is interested in helping the com- munity by joining the Police Reserve, please contact Officer Greg Reibel at 458 -6025. Applications are available at City Hall or the Police Department. Applicants must be: • At least 18 years of age • U.S. citizen • Possess a valid Driver's License • Possess a High School diploma or equivalent • Possess high standards and exhibit strong moral character An Equal Opportunity A Action Employer. Neighborhood Watch Citizen volunteers are needed to participate in the Neighborhood Watch program as Block Captains, the com- munications link between the Police Dept.�r and the 10 1.8 homes in a designated" ' Watch Block. This anti -' crime pro - gram teaches participants how to recognize suspicious activity in their neighbor- hoods and report that activity to the Police Dept. If you are interested, please contact Community Watch Coordinator Cell Peterson at 769 -0025 or 458 -6000, voice mailbox #1081. Tree Sale Cottage Grove residents are eligible to purchase trees from Friends of the Parks and Trails of St. Paul and Ramsey County for planting in resi- dential lots. Residents may also pur- chase trees in memory of oth- ers that can be planted in the City park of your choice. Delivery of trees is sched- uled for the end of April. For more information on the program, please contact Peggy Lynch at 651 -698- 4543. Help Prevent Criminal Activity - Support t .i l # Y / The Board helps support community events and programs that strengthen the community and discourage and reduce crimi- nal activity: • Criminal Apprehension Fund • National Night Out • Neighborhood Watch • Safety Camp for Kids • McGruff House We need your help to continue to support these programs in our community. Invest in your community now! Here's my contribution for a safe community: $ Mail to: Cottage Grove Crime Prevention Advisory Board P.O. Box 2047, Cottage Grove, MN 55016 (The Board is a 50I(c)3 non - profit organization. All contributions are tax- deductible.) THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! 3 Y2K Readiness ... Cont. from Page 1 may be unable to reach emer- gency services if needed. USWest recommends that if you have difficulty getting a dial tone or placing your call, you should hang up for at least 15 seconds and try your call again. USWest also asks that people use the phone as lit- tle as possible on the evening of Dec. 31 and early Jan. 1, especially around the midnight hour. In the event that you are unable to call for emergency help, the City will have volunteer ham operators in place in many locations around the City. The planned locations are City Hall, the four Cottage Grove fire stations, Public Works Building, River Oaks Golf Course, and Highlands Park pavilion. If you have an emer- gency early on Jan. 1, 2000, and are unable to phone 911, you should drive to one of these locations where some- one would be able to contact the dispatch center via ham radio. Our contingency plans also include having extra patrol officers and dispatchers on duty throughout the week- end. Our Emergency Operations Center will be run- ning in a limited fashion, ini- tially just to coordinate the ham radio operators, but ready to go to full implemen- tation if further problems arise. We will also have our gen- erators topped off and extra fuel on hand in case of electri- cal failure. There will be gen- erators at water pumping sta- tions to ensure that we will be able to provide water. The City of Cottage Grove is quite confident that we will be able to meet any problems Year 2000 Readiness Disclosure Information contained in this communi- that arise related to Year 2000. cation relates to the City of Cottage Please, contact our Emergency Grove's Year 2000 efforts. The disclosure Manag David D at 455- of this information is intended to serve as g y+ a Year 2000 Readiness Disclosure under 2860 if you have any further the Year 2000 Information and Readiness questions or concerns. Disclosure Act, Public Law 105 -271. r ____________________________ ______________________________ Can't reach 911 on New Year's eve /morning? Drive to these emergency locations for help The City of Cottage Grove will have ham operators on hand at these locations on New Year's Eve, in case an overload of the telephone lines keeps you from reaching 911 in an emergency. If you can't reach 911, please drive to one of these buildings ; and City employees will assist you. Fire Station 1 ....................8183 Grange Blvd. Fire Station 2 ....................8641 80th St. S. Fire Station 3 ....................11117 75th St. S. Fire Station 4 ....................8500 95th St. (Jamaica/ 95th) Highlands Park Pavilion ....Corner of Idsen and 70th River Oaks Golf Course...... 11099 Highway 61 South CG Public Works Bldg . ...... 8635 W. Pt. Douglas Rd. City Hall . ...........................7516 80th St. S. L___________________ ____ ___ ________ ___ __ ____ _____J Fire Auxiliary hosts great breakfast The Cottage Grove Fire Auxiliary host- ed benefit pancake breakfast on Sunday, Oct. 17, at the VFW Red Barn. At right, Ruth and Jim Johnson's shirts read, "If you think being a fire- fighter is tough, try being a firefight- er's wife" and "Genuine Antique Fireman." Below, from left, volunteer firefighter Dennis Anco; Cindy Reische, a firefighter's wife, and Stephanie Dale of the Fire Dept. Explorer Post served food at the break- fast. Proceeds went to the Firefighters Relief (retirement) Assn. 4 City expects stable taxes; hearing Dec. 6 ... Cont, from Page 1 The following table compares the use of property taxes paid in 1999 and 2000 for a typical $125,000 home that experienced a 7% increase in market value: DISTRIBUTION OF TAX DOLLARS 1999 AND 2000 1999 2000 Administration ....................$ 54.82 ............$ 56.38 Public Safety ................... .....186.18..............188.84 Public Works .............. ..........119.97..............1 21.84 Community Development . .....13.55 ................13.82 Recreation ......................... .....17.26................16.73 Economic Development ....... .....5.35 ..................5.13 Debt .. ............................... .....47.52................48.39 Other ............ ..........................29.98 ................25.18 TOTAL .. ........................$474.62 ........$476.30 The distribution of taxes paid in 1999 and 2000 shows that total taxes paid to the City will remain stable for the year 2000 even though the home experienced a market value increase. The property tax support. for City operations for 2000 equals approximately 54% of total revenues. This means that 46% of revenues come from other sources. This also means that the cost to the typical household for police protection, snow plowing, street striping, and pot -hole repair is $0.86 per day! The Truth in Taxation hearing will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 6, in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Please join us to learn more about your tax dollars at work and to share your opinion. River Oaks reports profitable year, clubhouse progress 5 McGruff House needs you The Cottage Grove Police Department is looking for homeowners to participate in the McGruff House Program. This is a nationally recognized program, and in the state of Minnesota is the only safe haven program for children that is recognized by state law. A McGruff House home- owner simply agrees to pro- vide his /her home as a tem- porary safe haven for chil- dren who find themselves in emergency or otherwise frightening situ- ations which require immediate help. McGruff House partici- pants place a sign in the win- dow identifying their home as a McGruff House, and notify the police if any child uses the home as a McGruff House. Children are taught about the McGruff House Program in elementary school by their D.A.R.E. officers. If you are interested in being a. McGruff House partic- ipant, please contact Community Affairs Officer Greg Reibel at 458 -6025. Do you own a snowmobile? Cottage Grove's snowmobile ordinance regu- lates where, when, and by whom snowmobiles may be operated in the City. If you plan to drive your snowmobile within the City limits this win- ter, be sure you are familiar with this ordinance. Pick up a copy at City hall. r ----------------------------- �� YEAR 2000 PET LICENSE Name Address Date 1 Owns a ❑ Male ❑ Female ---- - - - - - ❑ Neutered /Spayed ❑ Non - neutered /Non- spayed i s.• Color Breed I ❑ Cat named Color Breed r ❑ Renewal ❑ New If renewing, please list 1999 license tag # (NOT rabies tag #) Renewals are due Dec. 31 of each year! Fees $20 non - neutered /non - spayed; $15 neutered /spayed. A late fee of $2 1month is assessed beginning 11112000. ❑ Check # ❑ Mail ❑ Cash ❑ In Person Signed Phone *Please include Rabies Certificate!* City pet licenses due by Jan, 1; office open extra hours Y? Animal licenses or renewals for the years 2000 are due by Dec. 31, 1999, and City Hall will be open extend- ed hours this month to help pet owners complete their license applications. A late fee of $2 per month will be assessed beginning Jan. 1, 2000, for pet licenses that have not been renewed. License applications, using the form above, may be mailed to City Hall, 7516 80th St. S., Cottage Grove, MN 55016, Attn: Pet Licensing. Or, they may be completed at City Hall during regular office hours. Include the fee and a cope of the current Rabies Vaccination Certificate with the application. For your convenience, City Hall will be open extended hours for pet licensing: Sat., 12/18 ........9 a.m. -3 p.m. Mon., 12/20 ......4:30 -6:30 p.m. Thurs, 12/30 ....4:30 -6:30 p.m. All pet owners will pay $15 per year for spayed or neutered animals, and $20 per year for non - spayed or non - neutered animals. If your animal was spayed /neutered in 1999, you must include a copy of the certificate. Licenses run from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. The fee, payable to "City of Cottage Grove," must accompany all applications. With any questions, please call Katie or Linda at City Hall, 458 -2800.