VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

On Friday November 7, 2008 as part of the Governor's Deer Hunting Opener, there will be a media/dignitary bus tour through our City. Mayor Wimmer will be highlighting points of interest and one of those points will be the revitalization of Main St - mural, benches, banners, etc.

We need individuals to be on Main St, preferably in Blaze Orange, as the bus drives from Dahlin west to the Creamery Crossing Cafe. The approximate time will be 4:15 to 4:40 PM.

Please call the Chamber office at 763-444-8515 or Jaysen Guthmueller's office at 763-444-4554 to volunteer.

LET'S SHOW OUR ISANTI SPIRIT!

Commissioner 3rd District Video

Isanti County Commissioner District 3, which encompasses the City of Isanti and Bradford Township, video thanks to Tesha Christensen and the Star Newspaper.

3rd District Forum Video

2009 BMX National in Isanti

Distinguished Civic Leaders, Media contacts, and Community Leaders:

The Rum River BMX Association is extremely pleased to announce that it has been chosen to host the 2009 American Bicycle Associations Land O'lakes National on the weekend of July 24th - 26th.

This is national is one of the twenty five stops on the series as it travel around the United States. After a tremendous performance by the United States in the 2008 Olympics our season promises to be bigger and better than ever!

Much the same as the 2008 National which we hosted at the non-profit track in Isanti we will draw thousands of young men and women from all over the country to compete at our communities rapidly growing BMX facility, experience the local flavor, and enjoy the tremendous hospitality that our communities have generously shown.

The American Bicycle Association and Rum River BMX are extremely excited to be working together on this joint venture that will once again bring recognition, excitement, and families into our communities.

This announcement is from Kevin Riedemann.

I just wanted to add their website - http://www.rumriverbmx.com/index.html

Isanti Parkway Railroad Crossing Arms

BNSF will be continuing to work on placing crossing arms on Isanti Parkway near Blue Bird Park. The crossing arm will add needed protection at this rail crossing - we have had a fatal accident here just a few short years ago.

The City was not notified of the work schedule and I am disappointed by this but not surprised as the railroad pretty much does whatever they want since they are federally controlled and local entities like cities or counties have no authority over them.

Our City engineer is working hard to get more information and I will pass it on to you as soon as I get it, especially as it pertains to road closure.

Jersey Night Guest Writer Carla Duncan

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to let you all know that this Saturday night, November 1st, is JERSEY NIGHT at the Minnesota Owls game! Up to four kids can get in per paid adult as long as they're wearing some sort of jersey -- it can be ANY kind of jersey!

So help spread the word to all of the hockey association! Come and cheer on your Minnesota Owls as they take on the Minnesota Flying Aces on Saturday night at 8:00!!!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Carla Duncan
Isanti Arena Board Member
Minnesota Owls Billet Supervisor
(763)444-8330

The Record

Comparing the Isanti Mayoral candidates' records -

The Record click to learn

Flag Contest Update

We received nearly 4 dozen entrants and it was tough for us to choose a winner on Park Board. We ended up choosing to use components of 4 designs. I want to thank all those that sent us an entry. I will be announcing the winning designs at City Council and presenting the winners their checks supplied by Community Pride Bank. The $250 will split between the winners.

Foreclosure Update

I wanted to share our City's foreclosure situation. I have updated you from time to time and wanted to give the most recent data. I am giving the total number which includes occupied and unoccupied houses along with empty lots that are foreclosed. The 2nd number is only homes that are in foreclosure.

6/19-----166-----145
7/1------240-----136
7/14-----264-----148
7/29-----235-----163
8/12-----246-----174
8/29-----265-----181
9/16-----250-----170
10/6-----187-----134
10/22----197-----134

The trend does look slightly better but we are far from out of the woods on this one. I would like to share part of my budgeting plan for the next two years and how we will bridge the time it takes for the hundreds of thousands of dollars of unpaid property taxes and assessments to be collected. Our historic cuts in City spending are the first critical part of the equation as fewer tax dollars are needed, this process will continue as needed. The other factor for bridging the troubled waters we face are our fund balances.

The last two years we have built and maintained healthy fund balances that can be tapped for one time money. It is important that we be cautious about using these funds but if the economic climate continues to get worse we are protected. It is however important to not let these funds be wasted on excessive spending or pet projects. The only use of these funds should be to provide essential City services due to unpaid property taxes and assessments.

Great Job Owls

Our hometown Minnesota Owls Hockey Team (6-2) had over 3600 people at their first 4 home games at the David C Johnson Civic Arena - http://isantiarena.org/index.html -, Isanti should be proud of such a strong welcome.

The Owls are one more component in building our community and attracting a hotel to to Isanti.

Finance Director Update

Our new Finance Director, Kristi Smith, starts work Monday the 27th. Here is the posting I published after she accepted the position. - and for those that always ask when we hire a new employee - She has moved to the City of Isanti.


I am happy to announce that we have an accepted offer for our open City Finance Director Position. The Council will be asked to approve the hire at tonight's meeting. I serve on the Personnel Committee which conducted the search and interviews. The individual has 7 years of auditing Cities and School Districts, is a Certified Public Accountant and is a Certified Fraud Examiner. This last certification was especially important to me. I want to make sure we have a guardian of Isanti's financial resources.

Welcome Back Veterans 2008!

Vietnam Veterans Chapter #684 presents

Welcome Back Veterans 2008!

Date: Friday, October 31

Where: Spectacular Events

Isanti, MN

Social: 6:00 pm

Dinner: 7:00 pm

Silent Auction

Dinner Tickets: $35.00

Please join us in celebrating the return of our Veterans.

Veterans of all eras will be recognized!

Guest speaker Dr. Jim Tuorila President

of Freedom Flight Inc.

(POW/MIA Hot Air Balloon Team)

*Tables can be sponsored for $280 each*

Advanced tickets available at: Minnco Credit Union’s 4 locations -

American Family Insurance - Isanti office DJ’s Grill House &

The Isanti Chamber of Commerce or by calling 763-444-4554

Local Candidates Websites

I thought it would be interesting to list local candidates websites:

Isanti Council only has 2 out of the 4 with websites:

Ross Lorinser - http://www.lower-isanti-taxes.com/

Jeff Kolb - http://www.jeff-kolb.com/

Isanti Mayor has only one candidate with a website

George Wimmer - http://www.georgewimmer.com/

Isanti Commissioners all districts


3rd District both candidates have websites

Alan Duff - http://www.alanduff.net/

Gail Genin - http://gailgenin.com/

2nd District does not have any candidates with websites

4th district appears only one has a website

Jaysen Guthmueller - http://www.jaysenguthmueller.net/

Legislative district 17A both candidates have websites

Rob Eastlund - http://www.robeastlund.org/

Jim Godfrey - http://votejimgodfrey.com/


Candidate Forum Coverage - http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4510&Itemid=1

http://www.mystarnewspaper.com/detail/32889.html?category_id=&search_filter=forum&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=1&sub_type=&town_id=15

Voter Guide - http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4592&Itemid=0

http://www.mystarnewspaper.com/detail/33713.html?category_id=2&search_filter=&list_type=&order_by=&order_sort=&content_class=&sub_type=&town_id=15

Jon Tattings Editorial on not missing Candidate Forums - http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4595&Itemid=87


*If I have missed any candidate websites please let me know and I will update accordingly*

October 21st Council Update

The Council unanimously passed the ordinances to fully implement the Comprehensive Plan we passed last year. There has been a tremendous amount of work put into this plan and there will be future refinement as this is an ever ongoing process. We do however have a set of ordinances that allow us to plan for the next 10-20 years of City development.

This brings to our County who also has a Comprehensive Plan they are working on but have for some reason halted the process the last few months and will not be taking the controversial issue up again until after the election. I would hope the County would have the political courage to tackle the tough issues on a timely basis.

The other item I want to draw attention to is an item I briefed the Council on – the lack of paid assessments by developers. We have talked at length about the damage done to our City due to unpaid property taxes but unpaid assessments have the same if not more harmful affects. Assessments that are owed for the push eastward across highway 65 are largely going unpaid. This is for infrastructure the City built and paid for and then assessed to the developer to pay. The roughly $6,000,000 in total cost is guaranteed by the Isanti tax payer if the developer does not pay.

I will not rehash all my arguments of why I did not support the City taking this position years ago but we are now in this mess and we have to fix it. The addle minded that think this will one day be all better and the City made whole are dead wrong. The City is going to have to bond and make the bond payments out of other City revenue – namely taxes. The burden of this debt will have to be managed quite carefully so it does not permanently damage our ability to grow in the future. The Finance Committee, which I serve on, will be working over the next few weeks with our financial advisors, City Attorney and Finance Director to detail out all our options. I am confident that we will have a plan to present to the Council in the next few weeks that will move us into a brighter fiscal future but we must make sure those responsible are not allowed to do such damage to the City again. The City must never again allow developers to put the Isanti taxpayer on the hook for millions of dollars of debt.

When the land is sold the past due taxes and assessments will be paid but that could be in 5 days or 5 years and all the while you and I are paying the cost. The City will also be out tens of thousands of dollars and many missed opportunities to develop our commercial property along highway 65 due to the limbo state of foreclosures. All the time we have had to spend on these issues is time we are unable to work on moving our City forward. The dollars spent on fixing the disastrous decisions of the past are dollars that can not be spent on other projects.

There are nights at City Council where I want to stand on my desk and yell I told you so…. But that of course would not get anything done other than make me feel good for a few minutes….. Tarring and feathering comes to mind as an appropriate punishment for the people responsible but that of course does not fix anything either. We have been able to accomplish so much even with this albatross around our neck. I will be recommending policies to the Council that will protect us from these issues in the future. We need to make sure we have a Council that understands what our priorities are and that we serve the Citizens of Isanti and not irresponsible developers.

Minnesota Home Ownership Center – Thank you!

I wanted to share an email I received as part of a much larger group of Community Leaders working on the forecloser issue. It is from Ed Nelson the Marketing & Communications Manager for Minnesota Home Ownership Center, www.hocmn.org, to Greg Owens - President of Community Pride Bank in Isanti. The email details the success of a recent telephone call in seminar. Published with permission-


Minnesota Home Ownership Center – Thank you!

Dear Greg:

I want to thank you for your ongoing dedication to preventing foreclosures across Minnesota, and to update you on the telephone seminar that the Minnesota Home Ownership Center recently held for area residents struggling to keep up with their mortgages.

Last Wednesday, Oct. 15, more than 85 people participated in the anonymous conversation. They were able to ask pertinent questions of professional advisors and were able to gain one-on-one help during the seminar.

The telephone seminar was the first effort of its type in the country, and we were able to reach so many home owners because of the generosity and commitment of leaders like you.

With recent crisis on Wall Street and on Main Street, our work must continue. In the coming months, the Minnesota Home Ownership Center will continue outreaching to community leaders and media in targeted areas across the state. We’ll be engaging home owners directly through telephone seminars, workshops and one-on-one counseling from our network of mortgage support advisors.

I look forward to continuing to work with you in our ongoing efforts to sustain home ownership for Minnesota families and communities. Again, thank you for your time and for your commitment to keeping Minnesotans in their homes.

Sincerely,

Ed Nelson
Minnesota Home Ownership Center
Marketing & Communications Manager
1000 Payne Avenue, Suite 200
St. Paul, MN 55130
P. 651.659.9336 x 201 F. 651.659.9518
Toll-Free: 1-866-HOC-MINN
www.hocmn.org

October 21st Council Agenda

AGENDA
CITY OF ISANTI
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2008 - 7:00 p.m.
CITY HALL

Call to Order

B. Pledge of Allegiance

C. Roll Call

D. Adopt Agenda

E. Proclamations/Commendations/Certificate Awards

1. Presentation of Certificate of Commendation to Certain Isanti Manufacturing Businesses

F. Approve City Council Minutes

1. October 7, 2008 – Regular Meeting

G. Citizens Input

H. Announcements

1. Park & Recreation Board Meeting Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.
2. EDA Meeting Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
3. General Election Tuesday, November 4, 2008 (Isanti City Precinct at City Hall – Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.)
4. City Council Meeting Wednesday, November 5, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
5. CITY OFFICES CLOSED Tuesday, November 11, 2008 (In Observance of Veteran’s Day)
6. Planning Commission Meeting Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.

I. Council Committee Reports

J. Public Hearings

Business Items

City Planner Lisa Krause

1. Adoption of Updated Zoning Ordinance

City Engineer Brad DeWolf

2. Resolution Calling for Special Assessment Hearing for the 2008 Street and Utility Improvement Project

Assistant City Administrator/City Clerk

3. Qwest Phone Service

City Administrator Don Lorsung

4. Consider Amendments to Lot Mowing Policy

L. Approve Consent Agenda

1. Approve Municipal Builders, Inc.’s Pay Estimate Request No. 3 in the amount of $310,595.85 for Work Completed on the Water Treatment Facility Project
2. Approve Douglas-Kerr’s Pay Estimate Request No. 3 in the amount of $31,337.84 for Work Completed on the 2008 Street and Utility Improvement Project
3. Accounts Payable in the Amounts of $575,038.48 and Payroll in the Amount of $63,880.53
4. Approval of September 10, 2008 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes
5. Resolution Appointing Finance Director Kristi Smith as Treasurer for the City of Isanti
6. Memorandum of Understanding – IUOE, Local 49
7. Approval of Kit Welchlin’s Training Proposal
8. Approve Snow Plowing Policy
9. Approve Signing for City Hall Entrance Doors
M. Other Communications
1. September Building Permit Report
2. October Engineering Project Status Report
3. September Police Report
4. Draft Copy of October 14, 2008 Planning Commission Minutes
Adjournment

Flag Contest Repost

Following is the City of Isanti Flag Contest that I have created with Park and Recreation Board help. Community Pride Bank has answered the call and is supplying the $250 prize money. This should be a fun contest and I look forward to reviewing all the entries. Upon construction of the new City Hall, four flag poles were placed near the entrance to the facility. The fourth flag pole was provided in anticipation of the creation of a city flag.

The Park and Recreation Board has requested that everyone be given the opportunity to
submit a flag design on the City’s behalf. The winning design will be used as the concept plan for the City flag. (Please note: The winning proposal may be altered at the City’s discretion)

The rules for the City Flag Design Contest are as follows:

• The City logo, as shown within the bottom right-hand corner must be utilized as part of the design. The tag line, “A Community for Generations” must also be incorporated.

• All designs shall be displayed on 11” x 17” sized paper.

• The design should include features or images that represent the spirit and character of the City of Isanti.

• The designer’s name and contact information must be provided on the back side of the design submission.

Each individual is limited to one submission. The deadline for submission is Wednesday, October 22nd at 4:30 p.m. The design proposals can be dropped off at Isanti City Hall located at 110 First Avenue NW or mailed to PO Box 428, Isanti, MN 55040.

The Parks and Recreation Board will review the submissions and make a recommendation to the City Council. The winning design will be used as the concept plan for the final design. The winning designer will receive a monetary prize of $250 donated by Community Pride Bank and will be presented with such prize and a formal proclamation before the City Council.

If there are questions regarding the contest or the criteria for the design submission, please contact Lisa Krause, City Planner at (763) 444-5512 or via e-mail at lkrause@cityofisanti.us

Signature Economic Projects

I thought it would be good to display the construction progress on 2 of our Signature Economic Projects.

The brick being added to Isanti Retail Meats on the corner of 1st and Main.


The fence and storage area being constructed at Ever Cat Fuels

Towards Zero Death With Congressman Oberstar

Congressman Oberstar

This morning we met to discuss the wonderful success of the Toward Zero Deaths program. Judge Dehn's and many others hard work has resulted in a 65% cut in DUI's from participating establishments and a 43% drop in Isanti County as a total. The Sober Cab program has been a wonderful success and again this is attributed to all those that have worked so hard on this program.

-

Another interesting resource that was discussed is http://www.saferoadmaps.org/. This website gives the visual for our road stats. You are able to view everything from severe and fatal crashes to those establishments that participate in the Sober Cab program. I have been working with the website and the information provided is phenomenal.

South Passage RR Crossing Closing

BNSF crews are going to be replacing the concrete panels between and next to the rails starting October 17th, 2008 and finishing on October 20, 2008, therefore South Passage will be closed at the railroad.

Youtube of Forum

Transportation question and answers from last weeks Candidate Forum.

Mayoral Candidates - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP9I0_lLQLY

Council Candidates- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sltwFUovCY

Commissioner Candidates - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC8sMjozv80


Thanks to Tesha Christensen of the Star.

Audio File on the Website

I have the Audio of the Candidate Forum on my Website. This was recorded off of my cell phone and the audio quality is what you might expect from a cell phone recording. The first two minutes is a bit hard to hear as it is the host and then the moderator from a distance. The forum was conducted at the Middle School Auditorium. I noticed the forum was not being recorded and I felt it was important to have an audio record of each Candidates positions.

Commissioner Candidates Alan Duff and Gail Genin
Commissioner Candidate Jaysen Guthmueller

City Council Candidates Jeff Kolb and Ross Lorinser

Mayor Candidates George Wimmer and Sue Larson


Go to www.GeorgeWimmer.com and in the lower right corner you will find the audio. The best I could do with limited options but still some pretty interesting stuff in the answers.

Candidate Forum Update

I am working on getting the audio from the forum up on the website and will let you know if that is a success....converting the file right now.

My favorite line was uttered by my opponent and I quote: "Mayor Wimmer is doing an excellent job....is great with numbers... and is very good with the Budget"

Meeting With the Governor

Governor Pawlenty was in our area today talking about a number of issues from our School District, changes to the Green Acres Law, taxes and answering my question on business development and our bio-diesel producing Ever Cat Fuels facility.

Candidate Forum

A quick reminder that 7p Thursday October 9th at the middle School is our local candidate forum.

City Council Candidates:

Jeff Kolb

Ross Lorinser

Jim Kennedy

Steve Rask

*

Mayor Candidates:

George Wimmer

Sue Larson

*

3rd District Commissioner Candidates:

Gail Genin

Alan Duff

*

4th District Commissioner Candidates:

Kurt Daudt

Jaysen Guthmueller

*

Unfortunately the School Board and State Representatives were not invited but it will cover our City and County races.

October 7th Council Meeting Update

We had two public input items at the Council meeting tonight. The first was a family that had a terrible experience this past weekend where a granddaughter was choking and 911 was called. The information I had received from our police department shows that the County dispatcher sent our PD and FD to the wrong address although the Ambulance did arrive correctly. The mother wanted an apology for the incident and I told her that I do absolutely apologize for the frightful episode. There was confusion as to the cause of the incident but I felt it was best to handle this emotional exchange with all deference to the child's mother.

I had previously to tonight's discussion talked with the child's grandmother who is a City resident, and we will be meeting with our PD to ensure this is prevented in the future. I hope this will lead to improvements in the county dispatch system and how information is relayed. I nor the City Council have any direct control in this area but we need to fight for improvements for the safety of our residents

The 2nd item at the public input portion of the Council meeting dealt with what I wrote about previously. The enforcement of the nuisance ordinance. The gentleman present brought up an issue as to the process of enforcement that I believed was valid as it fits a pattern I have seen from several complaints. The issue was directed to the Public Works committee to get a handle on how this ordinance is being enforced.

The Council unanimously approved the hire of our new Finance Director. This is a great step forward for the City.

Now we come to a frankly bizarre moment at tonight's Council meeting. We were voting on an agreement that allowed the City to pull a letter of credit to pay for work needed on one of Mr. Iverson's failed developments. After the motion and 2nd Ms. Larson went on about how great it is to be getting the money to complete the project. She then stated that this takes care of all the problems for the City and that basically the developer is just a victim of the times. Isanti has many developers we are dealing with and only one has failed on his obligations, yes it is Mr. Iverson. A number of other developers were presented with open items to fix and they fixed them.... not Mr. Iverson. To my knowledge Mr. Iverson is the only Isanti developer facing Minnesota Pollution Control Agency action as well.

The letters of credit which the banks are paying, and losing a tremendous amount on, cover the project and not all the extra cost we have to suffer through. The item we approved tonight is a classic example, we have had weeks of negotiation to get the letter of credit released which cost the City in direct staff time and takes away from other priorities. I know Ms. Larson is in a tough spot having supported Mr. Iverson at every turn including not wanting to authorize the City to pull a recent letter of credit to get a needed project completed because she wanted to give Mr. Iverson more time. This seemed an odd moment to try to make a terrible situation look slightly better but we are less than 30 days away from an election in which we will be determining the future of our City.

I did point out the extra cost and issues to her and hopefully we can simply stick to doing the City's business at Council meetings and not listening to her campaign. I would love to get up at every meeting and say hey I told you so over and over again as we have had to deal with all the issues I had warned about my first 2 years on the Council. I do not do that because it is not in the best interest of getting needed work done. Campaigning is for outside of City Hall and I am as determined as anyone to fight hard for the issues I believe in - just not while I am sitting in the Mayor's Chair holding the gavel.

The last item we discussed tonight is the repair to well #1. This is our "safe" well that has a low radium count and is used to blend with the higher radium wells. The well was damaged Friday but Public Works and our City Engineer were able to keep it working through the weekend. We authorized its immediate repair and to have staff notify the public that there will be a few days when it will be down and that water with higher levels of radium will be pumped. The notification is not mandated by the state since it is only for a short period of time but it is critically important they we are completely honest with the public and they have the same information we as the Council have. When the Water Treatment Plant is in operation this type of item will no longer be an issue as all the water is treated a radium will no longer be an issue.

Frankly I was bothered that the State does not have a more stringent reporting requirement but I believe transparent government is the best government. When the well is down it will be posted on the city website and we will be offering all the information to our 2 local papers. This is a good example of one of the initiatives I want to bring to Isanti - email alerts to our Citizens. This would be a service that residents could sign up for to be alerted to this type of item any emergency within the City or updates on our recent hydrant flushing and MnDot canceled project. The email list would give immediate important information to those that sign-up. The list would be confidential and maintained at City Hall.

Finance Director

I am happy to announce that we have an accepted offer for our open City Finance Director Position. The Council will be asked to approve the hire at tonight's meeting. I serve on the Personnel Committee which conducted the search and interviews. 

The individual has 7 years of auditing Cities and School Districts, is a Certified Public Accountant and is a Certified Fraud Examiner. This last certification was especially important to me. I want to make sure we have a guardian of Isanti's financial resources. 

Top 10 Questions from Door Knocking

•  Why is Larson running against you - no idea have to ask her
•  If she loses will she be off the Council - no she has two years left on her Council term
•  Is the Mayor a full time job - no but I put in 20 to 30 hours at least each week  
•  How much do you get paid per year - $3,900 or $325 a month
• What are you going to do about taxes- my plan cut taxes and spending two years straight for the first time in city history. The 14% tax cut is a great benefit to our taxpayers especially our low income residents. The City controls about 40% of a person's property tax bill. This year the school district and county both hiked their portions which will unfortunately raise all of our taxes.
•  What is going on with the nuisance stuff - There are serious flaws in the ordinance and its enforcement.  The ordinance and its enforcement which the Council passed unanimously have allowed neighbors to attack each other with petty complaints that bring the force of the City into the squabble. The enforcement must be fair and transparent. There have been many good clean-ups that could not have happened if we did not have the ordinance but common sense needs to be applied. We need to fix the flaws of this ordinance so it can be used as it was intended.
• How is the foreclosure problem being handled - We have implemented a foreclosure tracking system that allows the City maintain property values. We shutoff utilities when a house is empty to avoid damage. We have empty homes on a list for our police officers to monitor so no illegal activity is allowed to take root.
• What businesses and jobs are we bringing to Isanti - According to DEED and Isanti City Staff we have brought in over 300 jobs to the City since 2007 which equates to a 29% increase. Now with 20 new and relocated businesses to Isanti we are diversifying our tax base and are breaking free of the ups and downs of the residential housing market. Great Companies like Pat’s Small Engine, Hockert Sales and the gateway to further highway 65 development – McDonald’s. We have Ever Cat Fuels and Isanti Retail Meats that will be adding even more this fall. Our Main Street has experienced a rebirth of new businesses, we have much more to do but the progress has been great.
•  How long is your term – the Mayor’s term is 2 years.
• What is being done about our high cost awful water – We are building a water treatment plant that was made a City Goal after my election. The plant will eliminate the harmful quantities of Radium as well as the problems of iron and manganese. The high cost of our water is due to the fact that we have to use fees that you and I pay to build the water treatment plant. We have to pay for it because developers were not charged adequate residential development fees to cover increased infrastructure cost. My opponent was against raising developer fees in her decade on the Council and now you and I are paying for it. 

Saving Taxpayers more Money

I received the final approval from the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority for the financing of our Water Treatment Plant. I am happy to report that going through this process has conservatively saved Isanti Taxpayers $957,915. This number is calculated by using the terms of our low cost loan versus the cost of issuing general obligation bonds as has been done for other City projects. 

October 7th Council Meeting

AGENDA
CITY OF ISANTI
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2008 – 7:00 p.m.
CITY HALL

A. Call to Order
B. Pledge of Allegiance
C. Roll Call
D. Adopt Agenda

E. Proclamations/Commendations/Certificate Awards
1. Minnesota Manufacturers’ Week

F. Approve City Council Minutes
1. September 19, 2008 Regular Meeting and Closed Meeting Minutes

G. Citizens Input

H. Announcements
1. CITY OFFICES CLOSED Monday, October 13, 2008 (in observance of Columbus Day)
2. Planning Commission Meeting Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
3. City Council Meeting Tuesday, October 21, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
4. Park & Recreation Board Meeting Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.
5. EDA Meeting Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.

I. Council Committee Reports

J. Public Hearings

K. Business Items

1. Request to Use Cul-de-sac on 6th Street NE for Fall Hope Festival (Brenda Evans – All American Title) (Lieutenant Gene Hill)
Community Development Director Carla Vita
2. Resolution Awarding Bid for Plowing for Oak Wilt
3. Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies
4. Resolution Approving Modification to Resolution relating to Land Use Guidelines
5. Business Subsidy Project in Default Action
6. Resolution Authorizing Acquisition of a Handicapped Picnic Table
7. Resolution Requesting the County Commission to Approve Utility Permits for a Trail to be Constructed on County Road 5 Right-of-Way
8. Resolution Approving Agreement with CMIC (City Attorney)

Liquor Store Manager Shari Harker
9. Resolution Relating to Renewal of Gambling Site Lease and Gambling Premise Permit Application from the Cambridge-Isanti Hockey Association for the Isanti Municipal Liquor Store Site

City Engineer Brad DeWolf
10. Resolution Awarding Wastewater Treatment Facility Painting
11. Resolution Approving Change Order No. 2 for the Water Treatment Facility Project

City Administrator Don Lorsung
12. Resolution Approving Agreement with the Public Facilities Authority (PFA) for the Water
Treatment Facility
13. Resolution Awarding Bid on Lease of City Crop Land
14. Consider Restructure of Public Works Department
15. Resolution Relating to Additional Work on the Liquor Store Improvement Project

L. Consent Agenda
1. Accounts Payable in the Amounts of $223,274.42 and Payroll in the Amount of $141,293.39
2. Approve the August 26, 2008 Park & Recreation Board Minutes
3. Ordinance Amending Ordinance 435, Residential Maintenance
4. Resolution Approving Installation of Street Lights and Connexus Agreement
5. Resolution Appointing Election Judges for the 2008 General Election
6. Resolution Approving Cambridge-Isanti Hockey Association Gambling Premise Permit for Site at the David C. Johnson Civic Arena
7. Resolution Approving Cambridge-Isanti Hockey Association Gambling Premise Permit for Site at Wintergreens Golf & Grill
8. Resolution Approving the Elimination of a Part-Time Data Entry Position and a Full-Time Administrative Assistant Position
9. Approval of City Council Member Sue Larson’s Request to attend the 2008 LMC Regional Meeting
10. Approve Road Grader Repair Costs

M. Other Communications
1. Draft Copy of the September 23, 2008 EDA Minutes
2. Draft Copy of the September 23, 2008 Park & Recreation Board Minutes
Adjournment

2008 Candidate Forum

The 2008 Candidate Forum hosted by the Isanti Area Chamber of Commerce will be October 9th at the Isanti Middle School auditorium. Isanti City Council, Mayor and County Commissioner candidates have been invited.

I hope everyone that wishes to learn more about the local candidates attend. The Isanti Area Chamber of Commerce is accepting questions from the public to be asked at the Forum. You may reach the Chamber at admin@isantichamber.com or 763-444-8515.

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