22 Acres of new Park Land

We added 22 acres of beautiful wooded land, through negotiation with landowner at zero cost, that Isanti Brook flows through and abuts the Rum River. We will develop a walking trail and small walking bridge over the Brook. This is a beautiful section of the City and will be kept in its natural state for generations to come... 

5,000 Player Soccer Tournament Coming

5,000 player soccer tournament spread over 5 weeks with 15,000 to 20,000 spectators will be coming to Isanti at the end of April... Great chance to show case our wonderful City... more information to come...

Homestead Tax Credit

State Legislature should either end the Homestead Credit or pay for it. These hypocrites take credit for tax break but cities, schools and counties now pay it. There is great talk about ending unfunded mandates and cutting aid to cities.... this new legislator needs to live up to the hype and be honest about the Homestead Tax Credit....

Township and City Tax Base of Isanti County

      I thought it might be interesting to share what percentage of the County's overall tax base each township and city represents. I have listed the townships first followed by the cities - you will see the name then the percentage of the total tax capacity for each entity.... It gives a better understanding of how much tax capacity is in each community and whose taxpayers are paying the bills.... All of us pay County taxes and those of us in the cities pay our own city taxes for city services such as police, planning and other services the county provides to township residents at no additional charge. I try to make this point when the County ask the City for more money from us when at the same time they do not ask the townships for similar contributions.

 Athens 5.53% 

 Bradford 8.93%

 Camb Twn 6.98% 

 Dalbo 2.11% 

 Isanti Twn 6.32% 

 Maple Ridge 2.58% 

 North Branch 3.35%

 Oxford 2.89% 

 Spencer Brook 5.02%

 Springvale 4.14% 

 Stanchfield 6.49% 

 Stanford 6.49%

 Wyanett 7.22% 

 City of Cambridge 21.07%

 City of Isanti 11.41%

 City of St Francis 0.03%

 City of Braham 2.52%  

The Cities of Cambridge and Isanti contribute roughly a third of all taxes to the County.

2011 Goal Setting

the Council's 2011 Goal Setting will be at Isanti City Hall 8:00 to 12:00 Monday the 24th.... Incredibly serious issues will be discussed.... I have linked the Agenda so if you are interested the meeting is open to the public...

http://www.cityofisanti.us/images/stories/minutes_agendas/cc_agenda/2011/01-24-11_city_council_goal_setting_agenda.pdf

Community Center Reality 2

The City of Isanti has subsidized the Community Center in the Amount of $61,808 the past 5 years... many who use it are not City residents.... is it fair that our tax payers subsidize this facility for other communities.... We will be discussing this Monday at Goal setting...

North Branch Home Invasion

Link to Isanti County News Story


http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9595&Itemid=1

The State Proposes to Cut $285,308

$285,308 is being proposed to be cut by the Senate Finance Committee from Isanti's Local Government Aid and Market Value Homestead Credit (MVHC). Cambridge looks to be cut over $550,000 from their promised funds. The cuts themselves are terrible but the hypocrisy of both political parties regarding the MVHC makes me angry. The State gives the homestead credit on taxes but no longer pays for it... they have forced the Cities, Counties and School Districts to pay for a tax break they take credit for.... This is a huge unfunded mandate that hurts local government but makes state legislators look good.... I hope our legislators will either fix this or at least be honest about it.....

Council Candidate Race

Council Candidate Lundeen has the endorsement of Apitz and Larson - both ran against me for Mayor in past elections and created the fiscal nightmare of subsidized residential development we are currently suffering from. Gathering support from those that ran against our progress is a concern.

NLX Rail Line may be Dead

Elections matter greatly - This is no more clearly shown then with the fate of the NLX Rail project. The elections in Anoka County and the 8th District congressional race may very well have killed this project. For those against this project it is a great victory and for those in favor now understand the real world outcomes of this past election cycle.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/local/113828329.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMcyaL_nDaycUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr

5 Filed for District 4 Commissioner Seat

Here are the 5 people who have filed for District 4 Commissioner Seat....

Michael Warring

Terry Thomton

Barb Kilpatrick

Wayne L. Anderson

Ron Collins

65/5 Overpass Update

Our intersection was not chosen... here are the 4 that were

The grants awarded under this program are for interchanges at:

·         Highway 10 at Benton County Highway 2 in Rice - $14.5 million

·         Highway 169 at Scott County Highway 69 in Shakopee - $12.2 million

·         Highway 101 at Hennepin County Highway 144 in Rogers - $ 9.2 million

·         Highway 52 at Goodhue County Highway 24 in Cannon Falls - $8.6 million

Blog Improvements

We have been working to classify each blog post to better organize the 1300 plus post.... this is not a perfect system and some post may be reclassified. Many post fit numerous categories so we make the best judgement as to which category   it should be placed in..... as always any constructive comments are welcomed as we work to improve the blog....

65/5 Overpass

The proposed 65/5 overpass was not selected by MnDot..... This project will happen but now it will be 10 to 20 years in the future....

Community Center Reality

The Isanti Community Center brings in $8,000 in revenue but cost the City $20,000 to operate.... is that worth it to the public.... This does not include the $5,000 or so needed for capitol replacement needed each year.... $25,000 for our Community Center.... One of the many topics we will be discussing as a community

Blog Changes

I have made some dramatic changes to the Blog.... The entire look and layout is different and I have added improvements such as my Twitter account feed... Please give me feedback on the changes.... more may be coming....

March Special Election Update

We are down to 2 candidates for the special March election to fill the Council seat. I am concerned that if we do not get the right person elected that many of the long term improvements to the City will be in jeopardy. We can not go backwards into a past of poor planning and no fiscal direction. We are trying to dig ourselves out of the horrific decisions made by past Councils and Mayor to fund development of the east side of 65 at tax payer expense. I hope people will remember that on a 3-2 vote the past Council and Mayor took land rights from a 70 plus year old couple and gave those land rights the developer of the east side all at our expense. The cost of which we all had to pay along with the infrastructure that was built.

The City was put on the hook for all those millions of dollars and those bills are coming due NOW!!!! How can we afford to put those same ideas back in power.... Elections matter greatly..... We have a clear choice of moving forward or falling backward..... I hope every voter thinks long and hard about their decision....

Special Primary Election January 11th Update

Lundeen 50
Strieff 28
Collison 14

There are 2 absentee ballots that will be counted tomorrow so the vote can change slightly....

Special Primary Election January 11th

Make sure you get out to vote tomorrow in the Special Council Primary.... Elections matter.....

Interesting Development in East Bethel

Radical changes in East Bethel

http://abcnewspapers.com/2011/01/06/change-comes-immediately-in-east-bethel/

Michael Streiff Candidate for Isanti City Council

Michael Streiff For Isanti City Council

“The Better Choice”

Background:  Below are a series of questions that were submitted to the Isanti County News and will be run in the paper as a voters guide for the Isanti Special Election.  My answers to these questions are outlined below.

1). Talk about your personal background and qualifications for this position?

A). I feel I am most qualified, and the better choice for Isanti Council Member, due primarily to my extensive background and the perspectives it provides. I grew up on a farm in Lakeville, MN, which provided a solid background in common sense, the meaning of hard work, and personal pride in a job done correctly. I have a degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas, in Saint Paul, MN. I was able to take the everyday real-life experiences of operating my father’s farm and reinforce these principles with the knowledge I gained in a degree program at the University of St. Thomas. I have worked for a St. Paul based bank for the past 9 years, currently serving as Vice President, Community Banking Manager. In my current position, I am in charge of creating financial solutions for small business lending customers in the bank’s footprint ranging from Lakeville, MN to Milaca, MN. I also own and operate my own landscaping company in Isanti. I have also had the opportunity at the will of the current Isanti City Council, to serve as a member of the Isanti Planning Commission. It has been an honor to help guide the planning and zoning of this great city for the past two years. On top of all of this, my most important responsibility is that my wife and I are currently raising 5 children here in Isanti, MN. I feel my background as listed above gives me a good perspective on what the majority of Isanti residents and businesses are experiencing on a daily basis. My background will aid in keeping my hand on the pulse of both the short term and long term needs of residents and businesses in Isanti.

2). What do you feel are the critical issues/concerns facing Isanti in the near future?

A). I firmly believe there are several issues that will be decided by the Isanti City Council in the short term which will have a long term impact for many generations to come. The price of the services the city provides its residents and businesses continues to increase, however, we cannot look to increase taxes to cover these costs. The current leadership of the city will need to work very closely with the residents and businesses to decide what level of service is desired from the people of Isanti. Examples of these services include fire & police protection, public works, planning and zoning, development, as well as building administration. In my opinion, the bottom line is that the 2011 Isanti City Council will need to work very hard to entice additional tax paying residents and businesses to this city.

I also believe the city is at a crossroads with both the municipal liquor store and the police department. I firmly believe in a very strong local police department for Isanti, thus I do not believe it is prudent to meet overall city budget balancing objectives by modifying the current number of officers working in the Isanti police department. I believe there are other areas in the budget that can be looked at first in order to achieve a balanced budget.

I believe the city has made a tough but necessary choice in changing the management of the municipal liquor store. I believe the city council will need to make certain that the new manager hits the ground running in enhancing the bottom line of the store. I firmly believe that the right management of the municipal liquor store will be key in the long term viability of this store as a bottom line enhancement to the City of Isanti.

Most importantly, I believe the city of Isanti will need to continue to count less and less, and eventually not at all on funding received from the State of Minnesota. As all residents and businesses have been forced to cut budgets and do more with less as a result of the economic downturn, the City of Isanti will need to continue to do so as well. The City of Isanti is just like any business or household budget, the bottom line will need to be monitored very closely in order to meet long term viability.

3). What will be your priorities in your work as council member if elected?

A). My top priority will be working very closely with you, the residents and businesses of this great city. I will not lose sight of the fact that the primary task of the Isanti City Council is to serve you, the people of Isanti. I do not seek this office with any other ambitions than to provide my expertise to the Isanti City Council in providing leadership to the future direction of Isanti. My top priorities as council member would be the following:

1). I will work very hard to make decisions that will keep taxes affordable for all residents and businesses of this city. An increase in taxes on both the residential and business side is not an option.

2). I will be very focused on attracting other businesses and residents to this great city, as it is a terrific destination to raise a family as well as own and operate a profitable business. In order to increase the tax base we need to attract additional tax payers.

3). I believe the Isanti City Council needs to work hard to partner with both the Cambridge/Isanti School District, the City of Cambridge, and Isanti County. I believe there are many resources that could be shared among these entities that would result in cost-cutting measures across the board.

4). I will work constructively with the mayor and my fellow council members in order to create solutions that are best for the City of Isanti. I will maintain a high level of ethical standards and will work hard with the entire council to rid any personal agendas from clouding decisions.

January 4th Council Meeting

City Council meeting Agenda for this evening

http://www.cityofisanti.us/images/stories/minutes_agendas/cc_agenda/2011/01-04-2011_city_council_agenda.pdf

Dan Collison Post

I will post from other candidates if they so desire... just need to contact me...

 Dan Collison said...

If voters would like to talk to me or view my blog to answer any quetions they might have I am more than happy to speek with them. I agree with our mayor that this is an important election. And I know you are all tired of politics by now, but please get out and vote for your canidate of choice. I do not want our taxes to go up as do you. I want to promote our city as much as possible to attract more business. I would like to see more research into a bus line for comuters and I don't want to see any city services cut. These are just a few things about me and I hope to have the chance to serve the residents and businesses of Isanti well. Thank you.

Dan Collison
www.dancollison.blogspot.com
djcollison@msn.com

January 11th Special Election

The Special Primary Election for January 11^th will be as important as any election we have had and yet due to its nature turnout will be very low. I cannot stress enough that elections matter and can have a critical impact on our direction as a City. This primary will lead whittle the field down to 2 candidates for the March 11^th Special Municipal Election. Dan Collison, Steve Lundeen and Michael G. Streiff will be on the ballot. Only Dan Collison has spoken to me and he has run in the past for City Council. Neither of the other 2 gentlemen has spoken to me and I give no recommendations as to who to vote for but do hope the candidates get their positions to the voters. At this point I have no idea what these gentleman intend to do once elected or their positions on taxes, transportation, economic development or anything else for that matter…. Never a good situation to be in when going to vote…. If anyone has any links to websites or blogs or scratches on a chalk board from any candidate please let me know and I will link it here….