The outdoor hockey rink back and forth today was especially frustrating as the request to remove snow is something we are already doing but it quickly spiraled into negative comments about the City not helping the kids and that the City did not really pay for the rink anyway. I will not go into detail but this whole thing, and those agitated to providing unhelpful comments and misinformation, could have been corrected if someone would have called or emailed me for the facts. The City paid for roughly 84% of the outdoor rink and is removing the snow. The real story that should have been promoted today is that the Youth Hockey Association is doing a great job. We have fantastic volunteer sports groups in our community.
An unfortunate letter to the editor had so many issues I first thought to just let it pass but of course that is just not me. The writer claimed secret meetings and disrespect for Citizens of the City of Isanti.
The writer came before the Council and demanded we vote that night to force a road on private property 1/2 a block from his house for better traffic flow. I stated we could not put the road on private property unless the City had obtained right of way or bought the property.
Then the gentleman claimed the problem was the planned Pedestrian Bridge Project. Not true - the road was originally designed to go through in 2005 - 1 1/2 years before the bridge was ever discussed - as part of a commerical project but the developer never gave right of way to the City at that time to put a road through nor did the developer ever build the proposed bar/restaurant. We have been unable to come to an agreement with the property owner and since I do not believe in taking away property rights through Eminent Domain there is very little we can do but find other solutions.
The claim of secret meetings was especially hurtful as we strive to be as transparent and open to the public as possible. We record all our meetings and make them available to the public online. When we have a closed session for negotiations for land purchases or union contracts those meetings are recorded and once the item has been finalized all that is open for public scrutiny as well. There are no secret meetings but having the Council discuss our bargaining position in a land deal or Union negotiations in open session would be ludicrous and completely fail to get the best deal and services possible for our tax payers. These closed sessions are specifically allowed under State Statute.
The person's letter also claimed the Council was undemocratic and that we were corrupt and should all be thrown out for treating the Citizens so bad. This claim seems very unclear to me unless this individual believes he has been somehow selected by the nearly 6,000 residents of our City to come before Council make a demand and if we do not immediately do as he demands then the Council - which is elected by the nearly 6,000 residents of our City - is not democratic and is tyrannical. What if one other self appointed representative of the people did not want the road to go through.... that person made that demand to Council....it is a silly situation.
Now what if the Council did own the land and did want to put the road through... would we still have voted to do so at that meeting... No there is a process to every road project. I have included a brief summary description of that process as provided by the City Engineer that we follow for all City projects.
The City of Isanti process for a public improvement project starts well in advanced of actual construction. The project is first conceived through various staff and committee level planning sessions. A project will be listed in a planning document such as a Capital Improvement Plan or Comprehensive Plan and prioritized along with all other improvements within the City. These plans are approved by the City Council. When funding has been secured or made available, for a project listed in the planning documents, the formal process of completing the project begins.
The process is summarized as follows:
The City Council will consider the improvements and order the preparation of a Feasibility Study on the project. This study is prepared by staff and used to identify all aspects of completing the project. The report describes the existing conditions of the site, all proposed improvements, all needed right-of-way or easements, a cost estimate, financing, and schedule for completing the project. Staff will then conduct an open house to allow affected residents a chance to review the proposed project. The preliminary engineering report is then presented to the City Council for their consideration and approval. If the City Council determines that the project should move forward, they will order the acquisition of needed right-of-way and easements along with the preparation of project plans and specifications. When right-of-way has been secured and plans have been prepared they will be brought back to the City Council for approval. If the City Council approves the plans, as presented, they will order the advertisement for bids. Staff will then advertize the project for public bid for a period of not less than 21-days in accordance with Minnesota State statutes. Bids are open, publicly read, tabulated and presented to the City Council for their consideration. At this time the City Council will consider if the project will be awarded and constructed based on final budgeting figures. If the City Council awards the contract the final contract documents are prepared and signed by the City and the Contractor. With final contracts in place, a preliminary construction meeting will be held to discuss the project construction schedule and associated items. With all steps completed the construction of the project can begin.
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