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Home My WebLink About2003 DecemberCity Hall 7516 819th Street South Cottage Grove, MN 55016 Open 8 am. - 4:30 p.m. Monday- Friday ..... Area Code 651: City Hall.. 458 -2800 TDD ....... 458 -2880 City Council VoiceMatl .........458 -6085 Staff VolceMait .. .......... 458 -6000 City Info /Joblme ... .......... . 458 -6057 Police &:Fire Emergency .........911 Police Non-Emergency... ......458 -2811 Building Inspections ............. 458 -2804 Public Works, Parks . .. .... 458 -2808. Recreation Programs ........458 2801: 24 Hr Bee Registration :....458 2898 Ice Arena . ......... ........ 458 - 2846!. Mayor ..: ....... .:. ..... Sandy Shiely '. City Council: ..2 Jim. Wolcott .......... .........Pat Rice Mark Grossklaus .... ....... Cheryl Kohls +. ...... .. .. ....................... ... ........Area Code 651: City Admin ... :.Ryan Schroeder.... 458 -2822 Bldg. Official...... Bob LaBrosse ........ 458 -2828 City Clerk .........Caron Stransky: ..... 458 -2814 Finance & National Night Out ..... Admin Svcs .. Ron Hedberg ........458 -2832 Fire Svcs Chief..Bob. Byerly .........A58 -2860 Golf Pro /Mgr.:,:,. Bruce Anderson ....438 21.21 - j Ice Arena /Rec ..Zac: Cackler .......,458 2846. Public Safety ....John Mickelson Jr..458.6011 Public Works ....Les Burshten .... .... 458 -2810 Editor ................Margo Dolan u � December, 2003 Spectacular City budget addresses Holiday Train' m to stop here Dec, 12 � � .�<. ��4�,��)� State budget cuts A magnificent Ight and music spectacular knoi � as the "Canadian Pacific Holiday Train" will arrive at inn Belden Crossing in Cottage Grove on Friday, Dec. 12 at approximately 7 p.m. (The time is flexible dependin g ; on the length of earlier stops at Prairie Island and Hastings.) The train will stop under the 80th Street/ Sieben P Bridge for about a 30- minute show that will face the west s#iie of the tracks. Illuminated by thousands of Christmas lights, the train will be a spectacular backdrop for entertainers who provide live Bolt: day music. Santa Claus will hand out candy to the kids. Everyone who visits the train is asked to bring money or food for Friends in Need Food Shelf to benefit hungry families in Cottage Grove, Newport, St. Paul Park, and Grey Cloud Island. The donations will be collected at a semi -truck parked near Belden Crossing. Canadian Pacific's U.S. Holiday Train will visit cities between Chicago and Minot from Dec. 9 to 16, averaging four stops a night. Canadian Pacific created the Holiday Train in 1999 to raise awareness of hunger in North America, and to solicit food and funds for local food shelves at each of its stops. North American sponsors include GE, Hudson's Bay Company, IMC Global, Fastfrate, and Agrium. Locally, the Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the event in conjunction with the Cities of Cottage Grove, Newport, and St. Paul Park; area businesses; community leaders; and volunteers. Please bring non- perishable food items or donations of money to the Holiday Train event. If you are unable to attend the event and are able to donate, please send checks to: Friends in Need Food Shelf, P.O. Box 6, Cottage Grove, MN 55016. POSTAL PATRON Carrier Route PreSort Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 1 COTTAGE GROVE, MN INDEX City Budget Water Bills ... .... ...2 Food Drive Photo ., ........... ..2 Schmid & Son Opening ....3 Pet Licensing ....4 Company Store ...4 Drunk Driver Crackdown .....5 Snowmobile Ordinances .....5 Halloween Photos....... 5 National Night Out ..... ...5 Public Works Memo Bd .....6 Winter Homeowner Tips 7 CG Strawberry Fast ... 7 Recycling Tips .. ......7 Holiday Train .... .1, 8 See Center Section for Parks, Recreation, Golf, and Ice Arena Programs State - imposed Levy Limits The levy limits imposed by the State this year restrict the increase in the general 2004 City Budget Highlights The City of Cottage Grove's preliminary 2004 budget includes funding for one and one half additional positions: a Police Officer /Paramedic, and the upgrading of one part -time Building Inspector to full time.. Because of the budget constraints experienced this year; funding was available for only one additional posi- tion. To address the budget shortfalls caused by the reduction in state aids, and with the City no longer having the ability to increase the levy for growth and inflation, the City officials were faced with a difficult budget chal- lenge this past fall when they had to address a cut in Local Government Aid of approxi- mately $965,000 for 2004. City officials have adopted a preliminary 2004 General Fund Budget which shows an increase of just 2.1% and a 2004 property tax levy that reflects an 8.2% increase in the property tax levy to fund this expenditure increase. The total 2004 Budget includes General Fund expenditures of $10.97 mil- lion, a 2.1% increase over the 2003 budget of $10.74 mil- lion. Additional budgeted special revenue, capital proj- ects, and enterprise funds r total $11.52 million for 2004. City Council recently held a public hearing to implement a franchise fee on electric and gas bills. For residential property owners, this will amount to an increase of $1 per month on residential electric and gas bills. Other 2004 budget initia- tives include more than $722,000 in equipment pur- chases; approximately $415,000 for Street Maintenance and Parks Maintenance functions, and more than $250,000 in the Public Safety area. The 2004 property tax levy to 60% of the reduction in State Aid. For Cottage Grove, this por- tion of the increase is approximately $579,000. In past years, the City property tax levy was allowed to increase for growth plus inflation. This will not be the case this year, when the gen- eral levy will be allowed to increase just to make up a portion of the cuts experi- enced. Tax Levy The total 2004 prelimi- nary property tax levy shows an increase of approximately $740,000 from the 2003 levy. This increase represents 60% of the reduced state aids, ($579,000), plus $1.61,000 for additional debt service requirements. The total property tax Cont. on page 3 See the `Canadian Pacific Holiday Train` and its spectacular light and music show during a Cottage Grove stop on Friday, Dec. 12. The train is traveling from Chicago to Minot to raise donations for local food shelves. More on Page 8. Contains a minimum of 10% postconsumer waste Holiday Train nears 6 HOUSE NUMBERS Safety considerations and a City ordinance require all homes to be marked with house numbers that are easily visible from the street. Please make sure you are complying with this ordinance. SNOW FORT ALERT Parents - make sure your child's snow fort is set well back from the street and driveway. It is dangerous to build snow forts in the mound of snow left by plowing, since plow drivers cannot see the children in the fort. HYDRANT HELP We need your help in keeping fire hydrants accessi- ble throughout the snow sea- son. City crews do try to clear the fire hydrants after plow- ing, but help from the neigh- bors is appreciated. This is especially true during periods when there are consecutive days of snow accumulation and plowing. WINTER PARKING BAN UNTIL APRIL 30, 2004 The On -Street Parking Ordinance is in effect now and will continue through April 30, 2004. No vehicle may be left standing or parked on City streets between the hours of 2 and 6 a.m. Street parking is permit- ted at other times as long as it does not interfere with the removal of snow and ice by City equipment. Parking shall not resume until the snow removal operation is completed in the area. Please help our Public Works Department in their efforts to clear snow this season by complying with this ordinance. COMPOST SITE AND TREE DISPOSAL 'the Compost Site, located at 95th and Glendenning Road, will close when we get a measurable snow in the area. Until the site closes, it will have the following sched- ule: Mon -Fri 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat .......... 9 a.m. -5 p.m. Sunday .... 9 a.m. -4 p.m. 'the Compost Site will re- open during the first two weekends in January so resi- dents can drop off Christmas trees for a small fee: Saturdays, Jan. 3 & 10 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 4 & 11 Noon - 4 p.m. CITY RIGHT OF WAY Any items installed or placed in the City's right of way must be reviewed with the City's Public Works Department, 458 -2808. These would include landscaping, retaining walls, decorative rocks, lawn ornaments, shrubbery, garbage contain- ers, basketball hoops, and irrigation heads The City will not reim- burse owners for any snow- plow damage to personal property, including items mentioned above, in the right of way. Only items which are installed properly and are allowed by City ordinance will be considered for repair or replacement. SOIL EROSION CONTROL Did you know that you can help the environment by covering any non - vegetated soil? Placing a cover on bare soil may help reduce erosion and runoff in the spring. Puy SNOW ih i KAU Cottage Grove's Public Works Department's equipment and drivers make sure the streets of our City are as safe as any in the metro area. But we need property owners to help by blow- ing, shoveling or plowing their snow onto their own property or the boulevard area adjacent to their property - not in the street. Why? Snow deposited in the street becomes compacted and can freeze into large lumps of ice. If a truck with its plow down catches these unexpected lumps of ice, it can spin the truck around, break the plow off the truck, or send a truck out of control - all dangerous situations. Large mounds and lumps of ice on the roadway can also be City budget.,. Levy is increasing to $9,778,000 from $9,086,300 in 2003. In 2004, debt retire- ment constitutes 13.4% of the total net levy, up from 12.7% in 2003. One of the City's ongoing commitments has been a Pavement Management Program to improve aging streets throughout the com- munity. Included in the 2004 levy is $1,041,000 for taxpay- er support of this Pavement Management Program, com- pared to the 2003 lcvy of $886,100 for this program, an increase of $154,900. Property Taxes Paid Based on the Preliminary 2003 Property Tax Levy and Budget, the tax dollars paid to the City by a home valued at $175,000 (that experienced taxable market value appreci- ation of 12 %) are expected to increase approximately $115, or 19.9 %. This increase results from the combination of number of variables: 1) The increase in the SCHMIO & SON PACKAGING celebrates the grand opening of its new facility in the Cottage Grove Industrial Park. Mayor Sandy Shiely and owner Steve Schmid cut the ribbon at the new plant, which employs about 50 people. in levy due to the reduction of Local Government Aid that Cottage Grove used to receive; 2) The increase in the levy to support additional expenditures for the Pavement Management Program; 3) A reduction in the Market Value Homestead Credit the property receives as the property increases in value; 4) The taxable market value of residential property has increased at a greater rate than other properties for 2004; 5) The 12% increase in the taxable market value: the maximum increase in taxable market value for res- idential property is 12 1 /6, while last year this maxi- mum increase in taxable market value was 10 %. This change is the State phasing out of the limited taxable market value for residential property. Next year the max- imum increase will be 15% for residential property. Over the past few years, property values have been increasing more than the maximum allowed for limited taxable market value increases, so most residential properties have been at the cap for the past few years. Parcel specific notices for each property were sched- uled to be sent out by Washington County during November. Property Tax Rates The property tax exten- sion rates for the City are expected to increase for taxes payable in 2004. The prelimi- nary tax extension rate for 2004 is 43.712 %, a 3.8% increase over the 2003 exten- sion rate. 9i; Budget highlights... Cont. from Page I budget continues to include $100,000 per year for the replace- ment of playground equipment and park shelters. The 2004 budget also continues to set aside $100,000 per year to be used for future pavement management projects. In the enterprise funds, improvements are planned in the Customer Information System to address weakness in the cur- rent software for utility billing. In addition, utility staff will con- tinue efforts to install automated meter - reading capabilities which will in turn increase future efficiencies in meter- reading and customer accounts. The City currently runs utility operations for water distribu- tion, sanitary sewer, storm water system maintenance, and street lighting functions. Utility rates for all utilities are antici- pated to remain at the existing 2003 rates. Schmid & Son opens packaging facility T t GRO V **M00TI'AGE- GR0W.O9G River Oaks Golf Course .........438 -2121 River Oaks Club House .......`..438 -3627 Mayor ... ..................Sandy Shiely City Council: Jim Wolcott ......... .........Pat Rice Mark Orossklaus ................Cheryl Kohis i ........ ......... _Area Code 651: try Admin Ryan Schroeder ....458 2822: Idg. Official . Bob LaBrosse ........ 458 2828' try Clerk.' .. .Caron Stransky.- . 2814 "i. nance & I Public. Safety ....John Micxelson Jr..4b8 -6u11 Public Works ....Les Burshten ... .... 458 -2810 Editor ...::....:......Margo Doten Spectacular 'Holiday Train' to stop here Dec. 12 A magnificent light and music spectacular kn as the "Canadian Pacific Holiday Train" will amve Belden Crossing in Cottage Grove on Friday, Dec. 1, at approximately 7 p.m. (The time is flexible dependln' on the length of earlier stops at Prairie Island and z- Hastings.) The train will stop under the 80th Street/ Bridge for about a 30- minute show that will face the west the tracks. Illuminated by thousands of Christmas lights„ the train be a spectacular backdrop for entertainers who provide hue. day music. Santa Claus will hand out candy to the kids. Everyone who visits the train is asked to bring money or, food for Friends in Need Food Shelf to benefit hungry families in Cottage Grove, Newport, St. Paul Park, and Grey and Island The donations will be collected at a semi -truck parked near' Belden Crossing. Canadian Pacific's U.S. Holiday Train will visit cities between Chicago and Minot from Dec. 9 to 16, averaging four stops `a night. Canadian Pacific created the Holiday Train in 1999 to raise awareness of hunger in North America, and to solicit food ' and funds for local food shelves at each of its stops. North American sponsors include GE, Hudson's Bay Company, IMC Global, Fastfrate, and Agrium. Locally, the Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the event in conjunction with the Cities of Cottage, Grove, Newport, and St. Paul Park; area businesses; community- leaders; and volunteers. Please bring non - perishable food items or donations of money to the Holiday Train event. If you are unable to attend the event and are able to donate, please send checks to: Friends in Need Food Shelf, P.O. Box 6, Cottage Grove, MN 55016. POSTAL Carrier Ro U.S. POSTAGE PAID' Permit No'. F COTTAGE GROVE, MN December, 2003 INDEX City Budget Water Bills ... .... __2 Food Drive Photo ,, .... _.__2 with a difficult budget chal- Schmid & Son Opening ........3 lenge this past fall when they Pet Licensing ........ .........4 had to address a cut in Local Company Store ......... ........A Government Aid of approxi- Drunk Driver Crackdown ......5 mately $965,000 for 2004. Snowmobile Ordinances ......5 City officials have adopted a Halloween Photos ....... .........5 preliminary 2004 General National Night Out .... .........5 Fund Budget which shows Public Works Memo Bd ....... . -6 Winter Homeowner Tips .:....J a 2004 property tax levy that CG Strawberry rest,., ............7 reflects an 8.2% increase in Recycling Tips ........ ........J the property tax levy to fund Holiday Train. .........1, 8 See Center Section for Parks, Recreation, GOV,, and Ice Arena Programs State - imposed Levy Limits The levy limits imposed by the State this year restrict the increase in the general City Budget Highlights he City of Cottage e's preliminary 2004 et includes funding for ind one half additional ions: a Police Officer/ Paramedic. and the upgrading of one part -time Building Inspector to full time. Because of the budget constraints experienced this year, funding was available for only one additional post- To address the budget shortfalls caused by the reduction in state aids, and with the City no longer having the ability to increase the levy tlki for growth and inflation, the City budget addresses State budget cuts City Council recently held a public hearing to implement a franchise fee on electric and gas bills. For residential property owners, this w ll amount to an increase of $1 per month on residential electric and gas bills. Other 2004 budget initia- tives include more than $722,000 in equipment pur- chases; approximately $415,000 for Street Maintenance and Parks Maintenance functions, and more than 8250,000 in the Public Safety area. The 2004 Cont. on page 3 property tax levy to 60% of the reduction in State Aid. For Cottage Grove, this por- tion of the increase is approximately $579,000. In past years, the City property tax levy was allowed to increase for growth plus inflation. This will not be the case this year, when the gen- eral levy will be allowed to increase just to make up a portion of the cuts experi- enced. Tax Levy The total 2004 prelimi- nary property tax levy shows an increase of approximately $740,000 from the 2003 levy. This increase represents 60% of the reduced state aids, ($579,000), plus $161,000 for additional debt service requirements. The total property tax Cont. on page 3 See the `Canadian Pacific Holiday Train' and its spectacular light and music show during a Cottage Grove stop on Friday, Dec. 12. The train is traveling from Chicago to Minot to raise donations for local food shelves. More on Page 8. Contains a minimum of 10% postconsumer waste Holiday Train nears City officials were faced with a difficult budget chal- lenge this past fall when they ° had to address a cut in Local Government Aid of approxi- mately $965,000 for 2004. City officials have adopted a preliminary 2004 General Fund Budget which shows an increase of just 2.1% and a 2004 property tax levy that reflects an 8.2% increase in the property tax levy to fund this expenditure increase. The total 2004 Budget includes General Fund ( expenditures of $10.97 mil- lion, a 2.1% increase over the 2003 budget of $10.74 mil- lion. Additional budgeted special revenue, capital proj- ects, and enterprise funds t total $11.52 million for 2004. City Council recently held a public hearing to implement a franchise fee on electric and gas bills. For residential property owners, this w ll amount to an increase of $1 per month on residential electric and gas bills. Other 2004 budget initia- tives include more than $722,000 in equipment pur- chases; approximately $415,000 for Street Maintenance and Parks Maintenance functions, and more than 8250,000 in the Public Safety area. The 2004 Cont. on page 3 property tax levy to 60% of the reduction in State Aid. For Cottage Grove, this por- tion of the increase is approximately $579,000. In past years, the City property tax levy was allowed to increase for growth plus inflation. This will not be the case this year, when the gen- eral levy will be allowed to increase just to make up a portion of the cuts experi- enced. Tax Levy The total 2004 prelimi- nary property tax levy shows an increase of approximately $740,000 from the 2003 levy. This increase represents 60% of the reduced state aids, ($579,000), plus $161,000 for additional debt service requirements. The total property tax Cont. on page 3 See the `Canadian Pacific Holiday Train' and its spectacular light and music show during a Cottage Grove stop on Friday, Dec. 12. The train is traveling from Chicago to Minot to raise donations for local food shelves. More on Page 8. Contains a minimum of 10% postconsumer waste Holiday Train nears N. HOUSE NUMBERS Safety considerations and a City ordinance require all homes to be marked with house numbers that are easily visible from the street. Please make sure you are complying with this ordinance. SNOW FORT ALERT Parents - make sure your child's snow fort is set well back from the street and driveway. It is dangerous to build snow forts in the mound of snow left by plowing, since plow drivers cannot see the children in the fort. HYDRANT HELP We need your help in keeping fire hydrants accessi- ble throughout the snow sea- son. City crews do try to clear the fire hydrants after plow- ing, but help from the neigh- bors is appreciated. This is especially true during periods when there are consecutive days of snow accumulation and plowing. WINTER PARKING BAN UNTIL APRIL 30, 2004 The On -Street Parking Ordinance is in effect now and will continue through April 30, 2004. No vehicle may be left standing or parked on City streets between the hours of 2 and 6 a.m. Street parking is permit- ted at other times as long as it does not interfere with the removal of snow and ice by City equipment. Parking shall not resume until the snow removal operation is completed in the area. Please help our Public Works Department in their efforts to clear snow this season by complying with this ordinance. COMPOST SITE AND TREE DISPOSAL The Compost Site, located at 95th and Glendenning Road, will close when we get a measurable snow in the area. Until the site closes, it will have the following sched- ule: Mon -Fri I1 a.m. -7 p.m. S at .......... 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday .... 9 a.m. -4 p.m. The Compost Site will re- open during the first two weekends in January so resi- dents can drop off Christmas trees for a small fee: Saturdays, Jan. 3 & 10 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 4 & 11 Noon - 4 p.m. SOIL EROSION CONTROL Did you know that you can help the environment by covering any non - vegetated soil? Placing a cover on bare soil may help reduce erosion and runoff in the spring. PUY SNOW llh i-YS PLA6C Cottage Grove's Public Works Department's equipment and drivers make sure the streets of our City are as safe as any in the metro area. But we need property owners to help by blow- ing, shoveling or plowing their snow onto their own property or the boulevard area adjacent to their property - not in the street. Why? Snow deposited in the street becomes compacted and can freeze into large lumps of ice. If a truck with its plow down catches these unexpected lumps of ice, it can spin the truck around, break the plow off the truck, or send a truck out of control - all dangerous situations. Large mounds and lumps of ice on the roadway can also be a hazard for the traveling public, so please help us out by keeping snow �V and ice out of the street For details, see City Ordinance 7 -1 -3, `Prohibited Snow and Ice Deposits," on the City's website at AA kwww.cottage-grove.org CITY RIGHT OF WAY Any items installed or placed in the City's right of way must be reviewed with the City's Public Works Department, 458 -2808. These would include landscaping, retaining walls, decorative rocks, lawn ornaments, shrubbery, garbage contain- ers, basketball hoops, and irrigation heads The City will not reim- burse owners for any snow- plow damage to personal property, including items mentioned above, in the right of way. Only items which are installed properly and are allowed by City ordinance will be considered for repair or replacement. K' City budget,,. Cont, from Page 1 levy is increasing to $9,778,000 from $9,086,300 in 2003. In 2004, debt retire- ment constitutes 13.4% of the total net levy, up from 12.7% in 2003. One of the City's ongoing commitments has been a Pavement Management Program to improve aging streets throughout the com- munity. Included in the 2004 levy is $1,041,000 for taxpay- er support of this Pavement Management Program, com- pared to the 2003 levy of $886,100 for this program, an increase of $154,900. Property Taxes Paid Based on the Preliminary 2003 Property Tax Levy and Budget, the tax dollars paid to the City by a home valued at $175,000 (that experienced taxable market value appreci- ation of 12 %) are expected to increase approximately $115, or 19.9 %. This increase results from the combination of a number of variables: 1) The increase in the levy due to the reduction of Local Government Aid that Cottage Grove used to receive; 2) The increase in the levy to support additional expenditures for the Pavement Management Program; 3) A reduction in the Market Value Homestead Credit the property receives as the property increases in value; 4) The taxable market value of residential property has increased at a greater rate than other properties for 2004: 5) The 12% increase in the taxable market value: the maximum increase in taxable market value for res- idential property is 12 %, while last year this maxi- mum increase in taxable market value was 10 %. This change is the State phasing out of the limited taxable market value for residential property. Next year the max- imum increase will be 15% for residential property. Over the past few years, property values have been increasing more than the maximum allowed for limited taxable market value increases, so most residential properties have been at the cap for the past few years. Parcel specific notices for each property were sched- uled to be sent out by Washington County during November. Property Tax Rates The property tax exten- sion rates for the City are expected to increase for taxes payable in 2004. The prelimi- nary tax extension rate for 2004 is 43.712 %, a 3.8% increase over the 2003 exten- sion rate. f' t r T �.. You are invited to attend the Truth in Taxation. Hearing at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9, at City Hall to discuss any questions you may have about the 2004 proposed budget and tax Levu. SCHMID & SON PACKAGING celebrates the grand opening of its new facility in the Cottage Grove industrial Park. Mayor Sandy Shiely and owner Steve Schmid cut the ribbon at the new plant, which employs about 50 people. Budget highlights... Cont. from Page 1 budget continues to include $100,000 per year for the replace- ment of playground equipment and park shelters. The 2004 budget also continues to set aside $100,000 per year to be used for future pavement management projects. In the enterprise funds, improvements are planned in the Customer Information System to address weakness in the cur- rent software for utility billing. In addition, utility staff will con- tinue efforts to install automated meter- reading capabilities which will in turn increase fixture efficiencies in meter - reading and customer accounts. The City currently runs utility operations for water distribu- tion, sanitary sewer, storm water system maintenance, and street lighting functions. Utility rates for all utilities are antici- pated to remain at the existing 2003 rates. Schmid & Son opens packaging facility