Foreclosed Home Sales

125 foreclosed homes sold in Isanti since January 2009..... We have the best Neighborhood Stabilization Program in the State.....

December 1st Council Meeting

The City Council will be setting the final Levy and Budget for 2010. To view the full agenda go to:

http://www.cityofisanti.us/Irene/CC%20Agendas/2009/12-01-09%20CC%20agn.pdf

Northern Lights Rail Line has Possible Billion Dollar Price Tag

http://www.startribune.com/local/north/78106422.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMcyaL_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

Thoughts of Thanksgiving

The depiction by Norman Rockwell of the Freedom from Want is from President Roosevelt's Four Freedoms. To listen to the audio or read the speech to Congress in January 1941 go to:

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrthefourfreedoms.htm

The First Thanksgiving Day Proclamation

*

*

*

The Holy God having by a long and Continual Series of his Afflictive dispensations in and by the present Warr with the Heathen Natives of this land, written and brought to pass bitter things against his own Covenant people in this wilderness, yet so that we evidently discern that in the midst of his judgements he hath remembered mercy, having remembered his Footstool in the day of his sore displeasure against us for our sins, with many singular Intimations of his Fatherly Compassion, and regard; reserving many of our Towns from Desolation Threatened, and attempted by the Enemy, and giving us especially of late with many of our Confederates many signal Advantages against them, without such Disadvantage to ourselves as formerly we have been sensible of, if it be the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed, It certainly bespeaks our positive Thankfulness, when our Enemies are in any measure disappointed or destroyed; and fearing the Lord should take notice under so many Intimations of his returning mercy, we should be found an Insensible people, as not standing before Him with Thanksgiving, as well as lading him with our Complaints in the time of pressing Afflictions:

The Council has thought meet to appoint and set apart the 29th day of this instant June, as a day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God for such his Goodness and Favour, many Particulars of which mercy might be Instanced, but we doubt not those who are sensible of God's Afflictions, have been as diligent to espy him returning to us; and that the Lord may behold us as a People offering Praise and thereby glorifying Him; the Council doth commend it to the Respective Ministers, Elders and people of this Jurisdiction; Solemnly and seriously to keep the same Beseeching that being persuaded by the mercies of God we may all, even this whole people offer up our bodies and souls as a living and acceptable Service unto God by Jesus Christ.

-Date: June 20, 1676
-By: Governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts

*

President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.

In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.

Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.

They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.

And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.
- Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation October 3, 1863


Once, when my feet were bare, and I had not the means of obtaining shoes I came to the chief of Kufah in a state of much dejection, and saw there a man who had no feet. I returned thanks to God and acknowledged his mercies, and endured my want of shoes with patience
- Sadi, The Gulistan

Do not get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, For we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.
- Galatians 6:9

For flowers that bloom about our feet;For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;For song of bird, and hum of bee;For all things fair we hear or see,Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise Him for putting roses among thorns."
-Anonymous


Since the Pilgrims observed the initial Thanksgiving holiday in 1621, this occasion has served as a singular expression of the transcending spiritual values that played an instrumental part in the founding of our country.

One hundred and twenty years ago, in the midst of a great and terrible civil conflict, President Lincoln formally proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to remind those "insensible to the ever watchful providence of almighty God" of this Nation's bounty and greatness. Several days after the dedication of the Gettysburg battlefield, the United States celebrated its first national Thanksgiving.

Every year since then, our Nation has faithfully continued this tradition. The time has come once again to proclaim a day of thanksgiving, an occasion for Americans to express gratitude to their God and their country.In his remarks at Gettysburg, President Lincoln referred to ours as a Nation "under God."

We rejoice in the fact that, while we have maintained separate institutions of church and state over our 200 years of freedom, we have at the same time preserved reverence for spiritual beliefs. Although we are a pluralistic society, the giving of thanks can be a true bond of unity among our people. We can unite in gratitude for our individual freedoms and individual faiths. We can be united in gratitude for our Nation's peace and prosperity when so many in this world have neither.

As was written in the first Thanksgiving Proclamation 120 years ago, "No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God." God has blessed America and her people, and it is appropriate we recognize this bounty.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, in the spirit of the Pilgrims, President Lincoln, and all succeeding Presidents, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 24, 1983, as a National Day of Thanksgiving, and I call upon Americans to affirm this day of thanks by their prayers and their gratitude for the many blessings upon this land and its people.

-Thanksgiving Day Proclamation 1983
-By: Ronald Reagan

Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Link

If you look to the left column of this blog you will see a new link to the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Link. This is an excellent program and everyone should take a look.

Property Value Plunge

Just received my tax statement form the County and my home taxable value went down 7% 2010. Several others have contacted me and theirs are in the 7% to 8% range as well. I would like to hear from you either posted here or emailed to me on what the drop is in your home value according to the County.

Economic Reality

92,500 Minnesota Home Owners facing foreclosures - http://www.startribune.com/homes/70586512.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUs

Minnesota's tax collections are down a further $233,000,000 through October 2009 and coincidentally the State is now going to local governments and auditing them to make sure we are collecting enough in fees and taxes - the State gets a healthy cut of these.

The State is looking at a $4.431 Billion to $7.25 Billion deficit for 2012-2013. This is on top of the massive deficits we are dealing with today.

We are facing a possible further unallotment - this means the State will cut even further the money they owe the City. The previous unallotment that hit cities was roughly $375 million - if the high end of $7.25 billion state deficit comes to fruition then $733 million would be expected to be cut. This could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in further cuts to Isanti.

The two largest declines is the anticipated drop in property valuations and the collapse in the State's Local Government Aid. In the year 2011 we will be facing over $500,000 in reduced property tax and LGA revenue alone which equals nearly 20% of our total budget. Again so long as we follow the plan I have laid out we will be able to weather this storm but we will need to continue to make the hard decisions.

The good news is we are on top of this and I have prepared a number of scenarios that will carry us through this difficult time. The latest financial tool I developed for the City helps predict the revenue we have in the next few years and always us to plan accordingly. According to this tool total revenues for the City will not completely recover until 2015. This is based on lowering tax valuations,LGA decreases, Liquor store revenue, building permits and general fund balance transfers. I have also based this on NO TAX increases during this time period. We can not tax our way out of this.

Winter Parking Restrictions

We have received our normal complaints this year regarding winter parking restrictions. As was stated in the last issue of the Isantian, local newspaper and city website – winter parking restrictions start November 1^st.

The question always arises – why is there winter parking restrictions on a 60 degree November day? The follow-up question is why not have “snow emergencies” when it actually snows. The main reason I have seen to answer these two questions is communications and cost. We do not have the benefit of metro cities that communicate their snow emergencies on network television. Even with this great communication tool there are still hundreds of people that end up getting towed.

That is where the cost comes in. A person that violates our City Ordinance gets a $20 ticket. A person that would get ticketed and towed during a snow emergency would end up paying hundreds of dollars. There is no perfect solution to this problem but the Council has asked the Police Committee to look into this issue and get input from Citizens on ideas that may improve this decades old ordinance.

4 Year Term Follow-up

I want to touch on the November 17th Council meeting. We had a vigorous Public input from both sides of the Mayor Term change. There were a couple anti-change statements that I think need to be answered.

*

• A 4 year term will make it less likely to get good candidates to run:

Disagree completely the facts and experts back me up on this one. Our local council races with 4 year terms have become so competitive we had to create a primary to reduce the numbers from 8 to 9 candidates to 4 per two open seats for the general election. The vast majority of Mayors responding to a question on the Mayor’s Association email list agreed 4 years is much better and draws in better candidates. In Austin, MN, their Charter Commission is recommending the Mayor term be changed to 4 years.

*

• Neighboring Cities do not have 4 year terms:

That is a mixed bag. Ham Lake to our south and Cambridge to our north each have 4 year terms. Depending on the city it can have a 4 or 2 year term.

*

• It is undemocratic to have a 4 year Mayoral term:

Frankly I was floored by this statement when offered by a Council Member. Somehow a Council seat is fine to be 4 years but a Mayor’s term going to 4 years would shake the foundations of our democracy.

*

• A 4 year Mayor’s term would take away the voters ability to bring in a new majority:

Going through the history of Isanti elections and my own experience the past 6 years there has never been a complete change over. In a number of cases no one even challenged the sitting Mayor after 2 years. The change over in new direction has taken several elections over time or the direct appointment of new Council Members or Mayors as incumbents resigned early.

*

• This change would extend my current 2 year term:

FALSE – my term ends December 31st 2010

Another issue I want to quickly raise is the role of the Council. Our form of City Council plays all three traditional government roles:

*

Legislative – The Council creates all City legislation (ordinances)

Executive – The Mayor has no executive or veto power. Only the Council has the power to enforce its ordinances and direct City staff.

Judicial – The Council sits in judgment of disputes covered by its own City Ordinances.

*

I have included my prior post as to the benefit of a 4 year term below:

*

*

*

I was very disappointed in a few comments that a 4 year term would allow a Mayor to coast through their term - Council Members have a 4 year term - I am wondering if the person thought Council members coast through their term. The only negative comments I received in the last two weeks were what if someone bad gets in there. Well the Mayor has no Veto power and has only one vote on the Council just like each of the 4 year Council Members. The way terms of office are currently setup, Council Members have more power than the Mayor. Council members can even strip the Mayor's duty of running meetings.

I also find it a bit condescending to voters that Council Members can decide if the person they elect is a "BAD" Mayor. If the person is elected they are who the Citizens want. The idea of short terms also throws more power to City staff. If they have a new Mayor every couple years they have a greater influence on City business. As you will read later in this posting it can take 6 months to a year for a new member of a council or Mayor to get up to speed on all the City Issues then the Mayor is running for office again.

One more reason a longer term is important has to do with budgets and levies. An example of this is when I was elected and started my first term as Mayor in 2007 - I had to work through a budget that had massive spending increases in it. That budget was passed by a 3-2 vote of the former Council and Mayor. So my first year was awash in things I did not want or believe in.... then we pass a good budget and tax cut for 2008 and I am having to run for reelection before the budget and tax cut are fully felt by the Citizens and Taxpayers of Isanti. Two years simply put is not enough - please read the next part of this post as it details out the other significant reason for a term change.

I know my opponents will be reading this post and carefully craft arguments against me at the next council meeting. I still believe it is paramount to place my reasons for this change in the public forum and take my chances that the Council will make the right decision. If it does not work the Council can always vote to change it back to a 2 year term.

***October 21st original post***

I told the Council tonight that I will be asking them to vote for a resolution to change the term of office for Mayor from a 2 to a 4 year term. I have listed out my initial 5 points on this topic. I wanted to give the Council the courtesy of a heads up before I bring the item to them for a vote.


Point 1

The change in term of office would not take affect until after the next election and the winner of that election would serve the first 4 year term. My current term ends December 31st, 2010.

Point 2

2 year term breaks out roughly into the following monthly segments:

· First 3months are a getting acquainted to the position and training for a first time Mayor and the new Council members for a re-elected Mayor. * overwhelming input from Mayor's Association members that it is really takes a year to get in full stride in office *
· Next 14 months are focused on governing
· Next 5 months and sometimes more you are running for re-election again
· Last 2 months if you are defeated in the election you are in a Lame Duck position

4 year term would look like this:

· First 3months are a getting acquainted to the position and training for a first time Mayor and the new Council members for a re-elected Mayor.
· Next 38 months are focused on governing
· Next 5 months and sometimes more you are running for re-election again
· Last 2 months if you are defeated in the election you are in a Lame Duck position


The past history of numerous uncontested elections where a number of 2 year terms were strung together with no challengers is a thing of the past. There are competitive elections for nearly all local elections now and this reality must be recognized. A 4 year term may also attract more good candidates if they knew they would not have to run ever two years.

There will be a vigorous election every 4 years in which the totality of the position can be judged and the Voters can then decide if they want to go in a new direction.

All 5 County Commissioners, Sheriff, County Attorney, County Auditor, County Treasurer, County Recorder, all 12 Council members for the 3 cities, all 7 School Board Members and the Mayor of Cambridge are all 4 year terms. The Mayor of Braham and the Mayor of Isanti are the only two local elected positions that are 2 years.

Point 3

Most major city projects are 3 or more years to complete. Recent examples are our completed Water Treatment Plant and Ever Cat Fuels project. Both projects had a lot of the work and pain in the front end. The Water Treatment Plant had to be funded out of water usage fees because the City did not charge residential developers enough to pay for proper infrastructure. This could have easily turned into a campaign issue and turned the tide back on a vital City project before we are completed – wasting money, time and the health of future generations. The Ever Cat Fuels project was also a long project to a great finish but there was serious apprehension to this project and it was the number 1 question I received on the campaign trail in 2008. The fear of the unknown in this situation again could have been used as an election issue against me. This would have had a negative impact on this project and on others looking to make a significant investment in Isanti.

In both situations I had no problem sticking to my position and educating the voters as to the needs of both projects but this situation may have a chilling affect on future Mayors serving a 2 year term. We will be shortly embarking on other major multi-year economic development projects that will have great pay offs but will take a lot of work, education and possible controversy. Reasonable time needs to be given to a Mayor’s term as it is with the other 30 locally elected officials in our County.

Point 4

2 of the 4 Council members each cycle and the Mayor are up for election every 2 years. This leads to the Majority of the Council changing over and a possible zig zag of City direction leading to stunted growth. When in discussions on bringing in new commercial growth, especially major projects, there needs to be an understanding that there will be some consistency in leadership and support from the City. This is also important in recruiting critical talent to the City. High profile positions like Administrator or Economic Development Director needs to know that they have support to move the City forward. If the majority of the Council changes over every two years then key personnel could be facing radically different expectations.

Point 5

A 4 year term also takes the “politics” out of the position for the vast majority of the term. With 50% of the current 2 year term in an election year - the perception is all those votes and decisions are politically motivated. We need to make the position as effective as possible for the long term. This will benefit all Mayors and the City long into the future.

4 Year Term Passed

The 4 year term passed and it will go into effect after the next election. I will give a full report on the meeting in the morning - I will give a complete report in the morning.