May 2nd Council Meeting.

The City Council has a full agenda Tuesday night. We will be discussing the placement of a community compost facility and hearing an update on the Emergency Management Plan.

The 2005 City audit will be presented. The Audit shows a trend that has been troubling to me. The City increased its debt load by 35%. The trend is highlighted by the fact that in 2002 the net debt per capita was $498, today it is $1,904. A 382% increase in debt per person is a trend that must be turned back.

Isanti is looking at further increasing its debt load for more industrial land. Adding land to the Industrial Park could be a good investment so long as the businesses that receive the land are an asset. I do not think that the process to continue to subsidize businesses that pay low wages is right for our future. If a business ask for City Money they have a higher standard than a business that can operate on their own.

Lexington Textile which is receiving a business subsidy is asking for a waiver on its requirement to add one more job. This requirement would bring the total to three employees making $8 to $10 dollars an hour. I can not support waiving this requirement. This is not fair to the majority of business in Isanti that do not receive a City subsidy. If a business is going to receive tens of thousands of dollars from Isanti it needs to fulfill its obligations.

We have a partial victory in the City Fee schedule. There will be no increase in the permit fees that each of us as Citizens pay. The issue is still the dedication fees by developers. I adamantly believe that these must increases to the area standard. It is incredibly cheap to develop in Isanti. We must make sure developers pay their fair share so we are not left holding the bag after they leave town.

We will be discussing the Minnesota Community Capital Fund. If any business desires this fund to be provided I hope you will make this known at the City Council meeting.

The 2006 Street Improvement Project bids are in. The low bid is 4.25% lower than the original estimate. The Council will be granting the bid at Tuesday’s meeting.

The Council will vote on approving a picnic shelter for Blue Bird Park. The shelter will be 20’x40’ with electricity. Park and Recreation fees, paid by developers, fund this project. The labor is being donated by Encomm at a savings of $11,500. This is the third major project for Park and Recreation that has used free labor. Two community parks build and this shelter will have saved the City roughly $100,000 in labor cost. I am very proud of our frugal approach in safe guarding City assets.