July 1st City Council Agenda

AGENDA
CITY OF ISANTI
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, JULY 1, 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. EDAM Award
2. Recognition to Contributors for the Mayor’s Employer Recognition Lunch
3. Recognition to City Staff Relating to the June 12th Security Matter
4. Mayor’s Presentation of Great Yard Award for the Month of June

F. Approve City Council Minutes
June 17, 2008 – Work Session and Regular Meeting

G. Citizens Input

H. Announcements

1. Planning Commission Meeting Tuesday, July 8, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
2. City Council Work Session July Work Session Cancelled
3. City Council Meeting Tuesday, July 15 17, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
4. Park & Recreation Board Meeting Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.
5. EDA Meeting Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. 6. Special Council Budget Meeting Tuesday, July 29, 2008 from 5 – 6 p.m.
7. Planning Commission Training Tuesday, July 29, 2008 from 6 – 9


I. Council Committee Reports

J. Public Hearings

K. Business Items

1. Request to Use 30 West Main – Isanti Area Chamber of Commerce

Community Development Director Carla Vita

2. Ordinance Amending Rental Ordinance and Residential Maintenance Code
3. Resolution Approving First Amendment to Northland 66 Premium Stores, LLC Development Agreement
4. Resolution Authorizing Temporary Sign Permit
5. Consider Allocation of Funds for Cambridge-Isanti Bike/Walk Trail
6. Ever Cat Fuels Request to Reconfigure Site Plan Layout
7. Resolution Authorizing Funding for Downtown Mural
8. Resolution Authorizing Removal of Community Bulletin Board

Police Chief Ron Sager

9. Resolution Awarding Quote Relating to the Sale of Forfeiture Vehicles

City Engineer Brad DeWolf

10. Resolution Approving Plans and Specifications for the Fairway Greens Development and Authorize to Advertise for Bids

City Administrator Don Lorsung

11. Resolution Authorizing Governmental Unit to be a Party to Minnesota Water Agency Response Network (MnWARN)



L. Approve Consent Agenda
1. Accounts Payable in the Amounts of $ and Payroll in the Amount of $
2. Approve Minutes:
a. May 27, 2008 Park & Recreation Board
b. May 27, 2008 EDA
3. Resolution Offering Part-Time Liquor Store Clerk Position to Ms. Angela Perkins
4. Resolution Offering Part-Time Liquor Store Clerk Position to Mr. Clifford Larson
5. Resolution Authorizing Additional Compensation to Liquor Store Clerk Ms. Katie Mathews
6. Resolution Approving Permanent Employee Status for Administrative Assistant Trudi Breuninger
7. Resolution Authorizing the Use of Replacement Funds for the Public Works Department
8. Resolution Accepting Street and Infrastructure for Banksite 1st Addition – Extension of Golden Way

M. Other Communications
1. Draft Copy of the June 24, 2008 EDA Minutes
2. Draft Copy of the June 24, 2008 Park & Recreation Board Minutes


Closed Session
1. Personnel Matter

Adjournment

School Board Appointee

Just to clarify the new appointee to the Cambridge/Isanti School Board is not a resident of the City of Isanti, unless the individual moved quite recently from Bradford Township. There seems to be some confusion on this as it is being reported that the new appointee is from Isanti. Many township residents may have an Isanti zip code but do not reside in the City.

To date there are no City of Isanti residents on the 7 member Cambridge/Isanti School Board. It is a shame that we can not get at least one person from a City that host three schools and makes up a considerable amount of the school population represented on the School Board.

Isantian Article

I write to talk about two important topics which affect us, the foreclosure crisis and upcoming Isanti summer events.

The City is taking steps to manage the foreclosure problem. City staff has compiled a list of all residential properties within Isanti that are in the foreclosure process. The city is monitoring the properties to prevent any blight, vandalism and other negative impacts to your neighborhood. You may assist us by monitoring your neighborhood. If any unusual activity occurs, please contact our Police Department at 444.4761, if an emergency 911.

We are taking a proactive approach to ensure that all of our property values are protected.Many of us live close to homes that are in foreclosure. I announced at the May 20th Council meeting that we had 101 residential properties in some state of foreclosure.

By taking actions to prevent foreclosed properties from sliding into disrepair, we maintain a healthy vibrant city that will be among the first to rebound out of the current crisis. I have attended mortgage foreclosure roundtable discussions with local leaders, community groups and state wide agencies.

The goal is to partner with numerous resources to help prevent homeowners from falling into foreclosure and helping those that are already there with counseling and options. The success rate for those that reach out for help is good.I encourage you to seek help if you are in need. If you do not know where to start, you are not alone. Minnesota Home Ownership Center at 651-659-9336 or http://www.hocmn.org/ is a good place to start. Together we will work our way through the current crisis to a better future.

Our excellent commercial growth will give us the tax base diversity to weather residential housing issues.

I also wanted to keep Isanti updated on summer events. The crown jewel of our summer of activities is Rodeo/Jubilee Days. This year, Jubilee Days starts a day earlier with the July 9th parade and ends July 13th with the Isanti Ambassador Coronation. The Isanti Rodeo Association in the past 31 years has raised over $900,000 for local fire and rescue activities.

The Isanti Redbirds are our hometown baseball team. Their schedule started May 4th and I will have the honor of throwing out the first pitch at the Redbirds' home opener on May 30th. Redbirds baseball is free to the public so I encourage everyone to catch a game and enjoy some hometown baseball.

On June 11th we have invited all our employers and their employees to a picnic lunch at 30 West Main Street to celebrate Isanti's heritage. I have declared the week of June 8th Isanti Employer Week. It is important that we draw attention to the nearly 1,500 jobs we have in our community. These include Faith Lutheran, which has been here for 130 years, Landmark Bank for 107 years and Isanti Hardware Hank for 93 years. I will be presenting our great businesses with Anniversary Awards. We will have local notables serving our hard-working employers and employees. Our generous business community will have donated most everything needed for the picnic.

I need to mention the exciting addition to our fast-growing downtown, the planned future home of Isanti Retail Meats. This project couples a local bank, Community Pride Bank with a local existing business, Isanti Custom Meats, to create a future cornerstone of Main St. I hope everyone has a chance to get out into the community and have fun this summer.


George Wimmer
www.georgewimmer.com
www.georgewimmer.blogspot.com
763-444-7158
763-442-8749 mobile

Isanti Dance

The Isanti Ice Arena is hosting a family oriented dance on Saturday, June 21st, in an attempt to provide fun and safe entertainment while the State BMX race is taking place here in Isanti right in the arena's back yard. All ages are welcome to attend this dance and we are encouraging entire families to come and take advantage of a fun, family event.

Northern Lights DJ will be providing the sound and light show. The concession stand will be open and indoor bike parking will be available.We are also in need of volunteers to help out with chaperoning the dance.

The time is from 5-10 p.m. and your child gets in to the dance for free if you are willing to help us out. Regular pricing is $5 per person and $20 for a family up to six people. Please let me know if you are willing and able to chaperone.

Thank you!Carla Duncan

You may contact Carla at IsantiDances@yahoo.com

June 17th Council Agenda

I thought I would start posting the City agenda's for those that might be interested.

AGENDA
CITY OF ISANTI
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2008 - 7:00 p.m.
CITY HALL

6:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Community Social hosted by the Isanti Ambassador Committee in the City Hall Lobby area. This event will provide an opportunity to meet the 2008 Isanti Ambassador Candidates and the 2007 Isanti Ambassadors.


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

E. Proclamations/Commendations/Certificate Awards

F. Approve City Council Minutes June 3, 2008 – Regular Meeting

G. Citizens Input
1. Civic Project Update - 2007 Isanti Ambassadors
2. Introduction of 2008 Isanti Ambassador Candidates

H. Announcements
1. Park & Recreation Board Meeting Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 5:00 p.m.
2. EDA Meeting Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. 3. City Council Meeting Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.


I. Council Committee Reports


J. Public Hearings

1. Consider the Granting of Property Tax Abatement and the Transfer of Property to Joseph Demo
a. Resolution Approving the Property Tax Abatement Agreement and Transfer of Real Property
b. Resolution to Amend the Tax Increment Finance District No. 9 “CBD Revitalization” to Drop a Parcel
(Community Development Director Carla Vita)


K. Business Items
1. Resolutions Relating to Isanti Custom Meats, LLC Project
a. Conditional Use Permit Approval
b. Variation Approval
c. Site Plan Approval
(City Planner Lisa Krause)

2. Update on the Cable Commission’s Cable Audit – Joe Morin, Cable Commission Chair


City Planner Lisa Krause

3. Resolution Authorizing Legal Non-Conforming Use
4. Ordinance Amending Ordinance No. 176: Zoning Ordinance, Section 4, 5, 6, and any other Associated Sections, to Include Provisions for Detached Accessory Garages.
5. Resolution Approving Preliminary Plat approval for RWL Properties, LLC

Community Development Director Carla Vita

6. Resolution Relating to Request from Kathy Hansmann to Allow Modification of Development Agreement
7. Report on Downtown Benches
8. Request from Peters & Associates for a Bench to be Placed in the Downtown Area
9. Consider Rescinding Resolution 2004-033, a Resolution Allocating a Twenty-Five Foot Easement for the Construction of a Trail and Re-designating the Trail Location


Police Chief Ron Sager

10. Bike Patrols
11. Resolution Authorizing Application for CEDAP Grant for Equipment
12. Resolution Establishing Policy for the Sale of Forfeiture Vehicles

City Engineer Brad DeWolf

13. Proposal for Professional Services for Fairway Green Improvements
14. Consider Authorizing Action on Letter’s of Credit on Uncompleted Developments

City Administrator Don Lorsung

15. Resolution Establishing Policy for Background Checks for City Permits and Licenses

Finance

16. Third Avenue Project Costs
17. Amending Fee Table and Adopting Fees
a. Ordinance Amending Ordinance Setting Forth a Fee Table for the City of Isanti and Adoption of Fees by Resolution
b. Resolution Adopting Fees Within the City of Isanti
18. Schedule Budget Work Sessions


L. Approve Consent Agenda
Accounts Payable in the Amounts of $244,099.49 and Payroll in the Amount of $67,980.03
Approval of May 13, 2008 Planning Commission Meeting Minutes
3. Resolution Approving Exempt Gambling Permit for Isanti County Pheasants Forever No. 334
4. Resolution Appointing Part-Time Liquor Store Clerk Katie Mathews as Interim Clerk II
5. Resolution Offering the Position of Part Time Liquor Store Clerk to Mr. Steven Prenovost
6. Resolution Offering the Seasonal Parks Maintenance Worker Position to Mr. Joshua Moulzolf
7. Resolution Offering the Second Seasonal Parks Maintenance worker Position to Mr. Victor Fanth
8. Resolution Accepting the Resignation of Public Works Maintenance Technician Keith Kohler and Authorization to Fill the Position
9. Resolution Accepting the Resignation of Liquor Store Clerk II Troy Johnson and Authorization to Fill the Position
10. Approve Donation of the use of Gator from R & S Motor Sports for the Isanti Police Reserves during Jubilee Days
11. Resolution Accepting Lions Donation of $500 for Downtown Trash Receptacles
12. Resolution Accepting Riverside Market Donation for Mayor’s Employer’s Recognition Lunch



M. Other Communications
1. Draft Copy of June 10, 2008 Planning Commission Minutes
2. May Police Department Monthly Report
3. Bolton & Menk Project Status Report


Adjournment

Death Threat

All the information has been made public by the County Sheriff's Department so I wanted to share a few thoughts about the pass few days.

Around 9 am Thursday June 12th I received a phone call from City Hall stating that a death threat was made to Isanti Public Officials. The decision was made to put City Hall into lock down. I stated I wanted all Council Members contacted and informed of the threat so they could take whatever measures they felt were warranted. After speaking with administration I talked with our Police Department to get further details and discuss what was happening in the investigation. As I finished my conversation my dog walks to the front door….his hair rises up and he gives a low aggressive growl. I sent my 5 and 3 year old to another room and walk up to the door and peeked out the side window. It was a neighbor but I am not ashamed to say that after the previous two conversations my heart did beat a bit faster as I approached the window.

As it turned out this was a very real and serious threat and ended with the suspect committing suicide. The threat as relayed to me was the person wanted to kill Isanti public officials and then commit suicide. We did not know if he meant City or County Officials at the time of the threats. He accomplished half of the threat and perhaps the actions taken prevented the other half from happening. We will never know for certain. Thankfully the County Sheriff's Department and Isanti City Police Department acted promptly to keep everyone safe.

This is a situation we hope would never happen as we serve the public but it does. I have had several situations were a person has parked in front of my home and just watched the house until I come out then they drive away. I reported these instances and hope nothing ever comes of it. After the February 7th 2008 shooting in Kirkwood, Missouri that killed 5 and left the Mayor seriously wounded, many cities have changed the way they look at security for their officials and for public meetings. Local governing bodies often have to make difficult decisions that may lead to someone becoming angry. This is in the best of times; unfortunately the added economic stress that we are facing only aggravates the situation.

2008 Mayor’s Great Yard Awards

I am happy to announce that the Park and Recreation Board will be kicking off its second year of the "Mayor’s Great Yard Award". This award recognizes the hard work, dedication, and creativity of our residents in maintaining a beautiful City. Landmark Bank will continue to show its commitment, with over 100 years of community involvement, by financing the first place monetary awards. This year, Isanti Hardware Hank will be financing second place awards with Northland Landscaping sponsoring the third place awards.

The awards are open to all Isanti City residents. Nominations will be accepted through Park and Recreation staff, Lisa Krause, who can be contacted at lkrause@cityofisanti.us or by mail or drop off at City Hall, 110 First Avenue N, PO Box 428, Isanti, MN 55040.

You may nominate yourself or any property within the Isanti city limits. The Park and Recreation Board will judge all entries and make recommendations to the Mayor for award winners. Awards will be presented for June, July, and August. You may not win consecutive awards. All Park and Recreation Board members as well as city staff and their immediate family members are not eligible.

All nominations must be received by 4:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month. The awards will be presented by the Mayor at the following Council meeting.

Isanti Dance

The Isanti Ice Arena is hosting a family oriented dance on Saturday, June 21st, in an attempt to provide fun and safe entertainment while the State BMX race is taking place here in Isanti right in the arena's back yard. All ages are welcome to attend this dance and we are encouraging entire families to come and take advantage of a fun, family event. Northern Lights DJ will be providing the sound and light show. The concession stand will be open and indoor bike parking will be available.

We are also in need of volunteers to help out with chaperoning the dance. The time is from 5-10 p.m. and your child gets in to the dance for free if you are willing to help us out. Regular pricing is $5 per person and $20 for a family up to six people. Please let me know if you are willing and able to chaperone.

Thank you!
Carla Duncan

You may contact Carla at IsantiDances@yahoo.com

Mayor's Employer Appreciation Lunch

The weather did not cooperate but we still had a strong showing with over hundred employers and employees. I want to thank all those that made this event possible. Special thanks to John Bettendorf of Isanti Hardware Hank and Community Development Director Carla Vita, without whose hard work this would not have happened. City Engineer Brad DeWolf, Senator Olseen and Representative Eastlund served up our lunch. Joe Demo of Isanti Custom Meats and our future Main Street business Isanti Retail Meats did a wonderful job grilling for us.

I had the privilege to present awards for years of operation in our great City. Thank you to all our employers and the nearly 1500 jobs you have created and all the hard work you do each and every day.

City Letter of Concerns Re: County Comp Plan

A refresher of the City of Isanti's letter of concerns regarding the County Comp Plan. The posting directly following is the Isanti County Eviromental Coalition's Position Paper on the County Comp Plan.


The City of Isanti has received notification that the Isanti County Planning Commission will begin review of the Draft Isanti County Comprehensive Plan in a public hearing to be held on May 8th, 2008. The City of Isanti Planning Commission and City Council have met to review and discuss the proposed plan. By consensus, the Planning Commission and the City Council have the following comments on the proposed Isanti County Comprehensive Plan:

1. In review of the proposed plan, the charts and graphs; which are the basis for the plan utilize data and/or statistics that were collected in 2000-2002. Isanti County has seen considerable growth and development since this information had been collected. The data provided within the plan no longer provides an accurate representation of the County. The County should consider and obtain more up-to-date data from other sources, which will accurately reflect the changes that have taken place within the County.

2. The plan is lacking a Vision Statement. The Vision Statement defines who are we as a County and concisely conveys the direction in which we want to go in the future. Such a statement defines the purpose and values that the County holds dear or aims to achieve. This statement will also further clarify what we as a County represent; the beliefs that are held by the County about how growth and development will be accomplished in the years to come. The Vision Statement is a powerful communication tool, which inspires a common “vision” of the future for residents and business owners located in or looking to come to Isanti County.

3. The preservation of the County’s natural amenities was deemed as one of the most important goals to the residents of the County. However, the plan lacks any detail on how this will be accomplished. The plan should include a component that focuses on the natural resources and amenities that are located throughout the County and provide measures for the conservation of these resources.

4. The plan focuses on Isanti County’s transition from agricultural to rural. One should keep in mind that Isanti County is considered an exurban area of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. As the metropolitan area continues to grow, the dynamics and context of Isanti County will continue to grow and change as well. The plan should reflect upon these types of changes and provide measures for how the County will adapt to those changes in the years to come.

5. The process in which the plan was developed is rather disjointed. The Land Use portion of the plan has been drafted after the adoption of the Transportation Plan. The Land Use plan has proposed increased residential densities as well as the expansion of commercial and industrial properties within rural service centers and throughout the County as a whole. Planning for differing types of land uses cannot occur in a box. Transportation and land use are intertwined, one has to question whether the transportation plan that was previously adopted, will be able to support the land uses and the density ranges that have been proposed within the land use portion.

6. The County has taken a very different stance on commercial and industrial development within the proposed plan, than it has in the past. In the previous plan, the County felt the need to capitalize on the existing urban infrastructure systems that were provided near the cities. However, in the proposed draft, the County is looking to permit a wider range of commercial and industrial development within rural service areas within the townships as well as within pockets surrounding “major” intersections. This type of development raises a few questions, to include: (a) Will infrastructure issues arise and is the County financial prepared to remedy those situations? And, (b) Will the County enact ordinances ensuring that economic development within these areas can be adequately supported by County services?

7. Upon adoption of the Comprehensive Plan, will the County enact a moratorium on development, to ensure that the necessary ordinances have been adopted that reflect the goals and objects outlined within the Plan. The County has spent a great deal of time preparing this plan, one would think that the County would want to have the necessary rules and regulations in place that will guide development in the direction that has been defined within the plan.

8. As previously mentioned, the plan calls for increased residential densities and additional locations for commercial/industrial development. With increased residential, commercial, and industrial development; there will be a higher demand for County services; to include, infrastructure, police and fire protection, etc. When growth and development occur within the County, everyone pays.

City residents and businesses pay taxes to both the City and the County. Those living within the County, pay taxes only to the County. The residents of the City of Isanti will want to know what the County is willing to give to support the type of growth being proposed. The County needs to ensure that those individuals living within City limits are not unduly burdened and required to pay for the additional growth and development of the overall County. The County must be able to ensure that it is able to pay, its own way, for the additional growth and development that has been proposed.

9. Overall, many of the concerns expressed by both the City of Isanti Planning Commission and City Council, center around the concept of Smart Growth. This has been a major topic of conversation at many of the Citizen Advisory Committee Meetings. Smart Growth is based upon a number of clearly defined principles and objectives; many of which focus on the preservation and enhancement of natural resources and the continued conservation of land; the equal distribution of the costs and benefits associated with growth and development; the provision of housing, employment, and transportation options that are provided in a fiscally responsible manner; the greater share of regional growth focused around urbanized areas or those areas were infrastructure has already been constructed to support additional growth and development; and the value of long-term, regional sustainability that results from the collaboration of adjacent governmental units in the planning process. The City of Isanti is concerned that some of the land use proposals presented by the Citizen Advisory Committee, not only go against these principles, but may have a negative effect upon the cities and the region as development is encouraged throughout more rural areas.

The City of Isanti Planning Commission and City Council would like to thank the Isanti County Planning Commission for considering their comments and concerns regarding the proposed Isanti County Comprehensive Plan. If the Commission has questions or concerns surrounding any of the comments provided within this memo, please contact Isanti City Hall at (763) 444-5512.

ICEC Position Paper

The Isanti County Eviromental Coalition has been distributing a copy of there position paper regarding the County Comp Plan. It contains many important points that should be considered as the County Comp Plan process comes to completetion.


The Isanti County Environmental Coalition has identified the following concerns and issues regarding county officials’ intention to increase dramatically the rate of residential development in the agricultural district of Isanti County. Most county residents and perhaps even other officials from the townships and cities may not be aware of this change in the county’s Comprehensive Plan.

It represents a radical change in land use planning and will eventually affect every county resident and governmental entity, in one way or another.A county’s comp lan and, in particular, the agricultural land density formula are the predominate factors in preserving open space, maintaining a rural environment/landscape and in allowing current residents and government bodies to support growth in a sustainable manner. The proposed doubling of densities in the agricultural district and the allowance of more development in parcels less than 40 acres is a very major change in land use planning for this county and will potentially impact property and school taxes in major ways. (Cambridge-Isanti School District is currently reducing its budget by $2.1 million.) The compulsion to change development densities is driven by a few individuals in the county.

The 2005 township survey and the results of the regional meetings last year express clearly that such a radical change is not desired by most county residents or deemed necessary.Contrary to the occasionally raised promotion of “property rights” in regard to one’s selling of land, the county and its broad community can define the appropriate level of development and the pace that it occurs. Any landowner can realize a very nice profit from land sales or development under the current regulations. It is not the responsibility of the county and a few landowners to ensure that maximum profits from land speculation and subdivision are realized.

Most of the county’s townships do not have their own comprehensive plan and they, even more than the three cities in the county, rely on the county to conduct planning and growth with which they can deal. The maintenance pressure on township roads will increase under the new plan. The county’s planning direction for housing density may pressure individual townships to adopt their own comprehensive plan to retain the current agricultural land density of two building rights per 40 acres.

The serious collapse of the housing industry and the overall economic challenges in the state and country should make it very clear that this is a very poor time to be creating an environment which increases development and land speculation.The proposed plan is complicated and includes three scenarios for agricultural land development. Platting of parcels involving 13 to 18 houses requires a level of county staffing and oversight that currently does not exist.

The county continues to struggle in functional land use planning due to the lack of commitment to the employment of an on-staff professional planner.Though the proposed plan speaks of smart growth and the use of incentives for such, these tools remain “optional.” It will require a very large and upfront financial commitment by a landowner/developer to plat and construct the infrastructure for this option. What appears to work in Marine on St.Croix will be more difficult to achieve in Isanti County. If a developer is going the smart growth/incentive route, that person needs to be fairly certain that the designed plat of 18 houses will fill up quite quickly. This is not likely and therefore this option will be seldom used.

The creation of 13 to 18 housing units on a 40-acre parcel and the increase of those on parcels less than 40 acres increase the opportunity for farming activities to be in conflict with this type of residential development. Many residents in the county, whether farmers or not, will not be pleased with the creation of a residential neighborhood adjacent to their homes.

If the county pursues the questionable goal of increasing residential housing in the agricultural district at a faster rate, the county then should also support individual landowners, if they wish to do so, in obtaining conservation easements (a open space conservation tool) on large or unique areas on their properties. Both county staff expertise and a financial incentive to cover legal fees should be made available to interested landowners who make this important decision to protect open and wild space forever. Such a program would be an effective tool in preserving the rural nature of the county.

Isanti County needs to explore quickly the opportunity for its remaining farmland spaces to be preserved for generations to come, rather than converted to an extension of the urban environment. With food and transportation costs climbing steadily and with our adjacency to a major urban center, there is no better time than now for our fields to remain available for local food production and for the production of biofuel resources to assist in resolving energy production challenges. There are very major concerns nationwide about the sustainability of much of our daily food coming from far coast locations and beyond our borders.

The use of the transfer of development tool should protect our county’s waters especially the natural environment lakes, encouraging clustering of new residences on nearby higher land and away from these natural resources.

The Anoka Sand Plain covers a major portion of Isanti County and is vulnerable to the results of denser residential development. Its subsurface resources provide water for communities in the metro area and need to be protected forever.

It is very regrettable that the county’s local newspapers have not published the activities and decisions of the Citizens Advisory Committee over numerous months. This lack of coverage of a major community process is puzzling and does not serve Isanti County residents well.

Formal studies in this state and nationwide have made it very clear that the cost of provision of services and infrastructure to accommodate new development and growth exceeds the revenue from such growth. If there are county officials who still do not accept this finding, the county should seek a qualified agency or research institution to study this county’s growth pattern and cost of government services over the past 10 to 30 years.

Coalition encourages citizen participation

The Isanti County Environmental Coalition is a volunteer citizen’s group, founded in 1989, whose purpose is to promote individual and community stewardship of our local natural resources. It has 41 active members and has been tracking and participating in public meetings regarding zoning since 1990.

The coalition encourages all citizens to attend the next county planning commission meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 12 at the Isanti County Government Center. It further encourages citizens to call their county commissioners to express their own opinions about the proposed changes in the comprehensive plan.

T-shirts

I am placing the t-shirt order in two days. If you are walking in the parade with us we need your size. We also need your size if you want to show your support for the campaign by wearing your shirt around town or at community events.

Email me at George@GeorgeWimmer.com

Council Update June 3rd

Accepting Check from Mr. Owens

There are a few items from last night's meeting I want to mention.

I accepted a $350.00 check from Community Pride Bank President Greg Owens. This money will be used for the Mayor's Employer Lunch June 11th. I will be posting a full list of all the incredible businesses and individuals that are supporting this event.

I asked the Council to support a Booktown location at City Hall. This is in essence a book rack full of donated books. People may come and borrow the books to read at anytime or take and keep. The book rack and books are free and there is no City staff time used to maintain the books. Volunteers manage the location and check in at least once a week. There are several location already in place at several local businesses.

I appointed the members to the Isanti City Revolving Loan Fund Committee. This will allow us to start the process of infusing more funds to spark great economic growth.

We accepted the bid from our City Engineer to start the construction engineering portion of the Water Treatment Plant. I had mention previously we were extending the process for two weeks to get better bids. The original bid was at $440,000 and last night we accepted the bid at $325,000. The extra time allowed for more research into the true time and scope of the project and allowed us to get a more accurate idea of the services needed. Time well spent.

We authorized the application for using Municipal State Aid for Isanti's portion of the rail road crossing arms on Isanti Parkway. This would save the City $15,422.10 from this years budget.
A note to add on... The Council voted to not fund increased Chamber membership dues for the City. The Council reiterated its support of the Isanti Area Chamber of Commerce. We applaud its tremendous growth over the last few years and its growing reach into surrounding townships and the City of Cambridge. The Council has helped foster this growth by giving office space to the Chamber to operate from for $1. The Chamber moved out of this space early in 2007 to a rental space. The City also spends thousands of dollars of in kind donations for the many events the Chamber host.
The relationship between the City and the Chamber is closer than it ever has been as we formed the Isanti City Partnership last year. This is a joint group with three members appointed by the Chamber and three by the City.
I believe in the Chamber and the local business community so much that I am a personal member of the Chamber even though I own no business. I also buy all my campaign materials from Isanti businesses.

First Pitch at Redibird's Conference Home Opener

First Pitch

It was great fun to throw out the first pitch at the Redbirds' conference home opener. I want to thank Chuck and Andy Reller for their pitching help. With their coaching I was able to throw a pretty decent strike, of course it was only about 5 mph but it hit the catcher's glove.

The Redbirds won 16-1 in a hitting display. They are our hometown team and are free to the public; I hope everyone gets a chance to watch a game or two. Here is a link to their website:

http://hometeamsonline.com/teams/?u=ISANTIREDBIRDS&t=c&s=baseball&p=home

Mayor's Great Yard Award

I am happy to announce the 2nd annual "Mayor's Great Yard Award". This award recognizes the hard work, dedication, and creativity of our residents in maintaining a beautiful City. Landmark Bank will continue to show its commitment, with over 100 years of community involvement, by financing the 1st place award. Isanti Hardware Hank will be funding 2nd place and Northland Landscaping funding 3rd place.

The awards are open to all Isanti City residents. Nominations will be accepted through Park and Recreation staff, Lisa Krause, who can be contacted at lkrause@ci.isanti.mn.us or by mail or drop off at Isanti City Hall, 110 First Ave N, PO Box 428, Isanti, MN 55040. You may nominate yourself or any property within Isanti city limits. The Park and Recreation board will judge all entries and make recommendations to the Mayor for award winners. Awards will be presented for June, July and August. You may not win consecutive awards. All Park and Recreation board members as well as city staff and their immediate family members are not eligible.

1st place winner receives $100 and Mayoral Proclamation
2nd place winner receives $50 and Mayoral Proclamation
3rd place winner receives $25 and Mayoral Proclamation

All nominations must be received by 4:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month. The awards will be presented by the Mayor at the following Council meeting.

Mattson Park Build

The Mattson Park build will start at 8am on Thursday May 29th. Anyone interested in helping let me know.

George@GeorgeWimmer.com

City of Isanti Mayor's Employer Celebration

I have declared the Week of June 8th as Isanti Employers Week. We will be celebrating on June 11th with a BBQ picnic. All City Employers and their Employees have been invited so we may thank them. We also plan to highlight a few facts such as there are 1466 jobs in the City of Isanti and give awards for Employer anniversaries. Following is a copy of the invitation.

You and Your Employees
Are Cordially
Invited to the

First Annual City of Isanti Mayor’s Employer Celebration

This event is to celebrate the Isanti Employer! A gratis picnic lunch will be provided following a ceremony commemorating Isanti businesses with milestone Isanti anniversaries.

Location of Event: 30 West Main Street (across the street from the Creamery)
Date of Event: June 11, 2008 starting at 11:30am

Please RSVP by May 30, 2008 to Carla Vita at cvita@cityofisanti.us or 763.444.5512. RSVP is mandatory in order for us to have an accurate count for food.

We look forward to your attendance!

Council Update May 20th

A couple items from the past Council meeting I would like to discuss. The first item is the Water Treatment Plant. We have asked the Public Works Committee to revisit the construction engineering cost. It looks as though we will be able to have this work done for roughly $50,000 to $100,000 less than anticipated. The delay is only two weeks in the multiple year process. Seems to be a pretty good bargain. CM Johnson and Duff will be working on this and will report back to the Council at our next meeting June 3rd.

I serve on the Personnel and Finance Committee and we have been busy looking for ways to save cost and cut the budget in the face of unpaid property taxes. We have lowered our health care cost by $4,885.16 per month or $58,621 per year by changing providers. The level of service remains the same and I would like to thank both our Police and Public Works Unions for their consent.

The next item was a bit tougher. We cut a total of $291,984 from the 2008 budget in anticipation of lower property tax collection. This is a one time fix to fill a revenue hole. If our tax collection is higher than anticipated than we will back fill in some of these items. We have a very tight budget to begin with so the items cut will need to be addressed in the 2009 budget process. This means if we stay in the current economic situation then hard decisions will have to be made. There are three main areas in the budget: staffing, projects and fund reserves. all three will have to be addressed in the 2009 budget process that we are currently working on.

I will put together a budget that lives within our means without raising taxes.

Pat's Small Engines

I took a tour of Pat's Small Engines today.

http://www.psep2.biz/

http://www.psep.biz/

They have a couple of websites that highlight the services of this exceptional company. This is one of the many businesses that came to or relocated in Isanti in 2007. I was quite impressed by their operation and personnel. The businesses of Isanti, the entrepreneurs of our community are what really make us a strong Community for Generations. Check them out or any of our amazing businesses.

Isanti Rodeo/Jubilee Days Parade

The Isanti Rodeo/Jubilee Days parade will be Wednesday July 9th at 6:30. Line-up is at 5pm.


Anyone interested in walking with us please email me with your t-shirt size. George@GeorgeWimmer.com You will be given a George Wimmer Mayor t-shirt to wear. The more the merrier. It is a lot of fun and this year we will be up front. Go to http://www.georgewimmer.com/volunteer.html for other ways to help us win this fall. Any questions please let me know.

Blue Bird Park Tree Planting

Alexander and Abigail helping Dad Plant trees.

A large group of volunteers showed up to help us plant another group of trees in our award winning Blue Bird Park. I want to thank everyone that came out to help.

City Letter of Concerns Re: County Comp Plan

Following is a memo from the City of Isanti to the County Planning Commission regarding our concerns with the County Comprehensive Plan. I thought it was important for the public to understand our concerns as the County Comprehensive Plan is nearing completion.

MEMO

To: Tim Anderson, Zoning Administrator
County of Isanti Planning Commission

From: City of Isanti Planning Commission
City of Isanti City Council

CC: Mayor Wimmer, Members of the City Council, Members of the Planning Commission, City Administrator Lorsung, Assistant City Administrator Bauer, Community Development Director Vita

Thru: Lisa M. Krause, City Planner, AICP

Date: April 16, 2008

Subject: Isanti County Comprehensive Plan


The City of Isanti has received notification that the Isanti County Planning Commission will begin review of the Draft Isanti County Comprehensive Plan in a public hearing to be held on May 8th, 2008. The City of Isanti Planning Commission and City Council have met to review and discuss the proposed plan. By consensus, the Planning Commission and the City Council have the following comments on the proposed Isanti County Comprehensive Plan:

1. In review of the proposed plan, the charts and graphs; which are the basis for the plan utilize data and/or statistics that were collected in 2000-2002. Isanti County has seen considerable growth and development since this information had been collected. The data provided within the plan no longer provides an accurate representation of the County. The County should consider and obtain more up-to-date data from other sources, which will accurately reflect the changes that have taken place within the County.

2. The plan is lacking a Vision Statement. The Vision Statement defines who are we as a County and concisely conveys the direction in which we want to go in the future. Such a statement defines the purpose and values that the County holds dear or aims to achieve. This statement will also further clarify what we as a County represent; the beliefs that are held by the County about how growth and development will be accomplished in the years to come. The Vision Statement is a powerful communication tool, which inspires a common “vision” of the future for residents and business owners located in or looking to come to Isanti County.

3. The preservation of the County’s natural amenities was deemed as one of the most important goals to the residents of the County. However, the plan lacks any detail on how this will be accomplished. The plan should include a component that focuses on the natural resources and amenities that are located throughout the County and provide measures for the conservation of these resources.

4. The plan focuses on Isanti County’s transition from agricultural to rural. One should keep in mind that Isanti County is considered an exurban area of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. As the metropolitan area continues to grow, the dynamics and context of Isanti County will continue to grow and change as well. The plan should reflect upon these types of changes and provide measures for how the County will adapt to those changes in the years to come.

5. The process in which the plan was developed is rather disjointed. The Land Use portion of the plan has been drafted after the adoption of the Transportation Plan. The Land Use plan has proposed increased residential densities as well as the expansion of commercial and industrial properties within rural service centers and throughout the County as a whole. Planning for differing types of land uses cannot occur in a box. Transportation and land use are intertwined, one has to question whether the transportation plan that was previously adopted, will be able to support the land uses and the density ranges that have been proposed within the land use portion.

6. The County has taken a very different stance on commercial and industrial development within the proposed plan, than it has in the past. In the previous plan, the County felt the need to capitalize on the existing urban infrastructure systems that were provided near the cities. However, in the proposed draft, the County is looking to permit a wider range of commercial and industrial development within rural service areas within the townships as well as within pockets surrounding “major” intersections. This type of development raises a few questions, to include: (a) Will infrastructure issues arise and is the County financial prepared to remedy those situations? And, (b) Will the County enact ordinances ensuring that economic development within these areas can be adequately supported by County services?

7. Upon adoption of the Comprehensive Plan, will the County enact a moratorium on development, to ensure that the necessary ordinances have been adopted that reflect the goals and objects outlined within the Plan. The County has spent a great deal of time preparing this plan, one would think that the County would want to have the necessary rules and regulations in place that will guide development in the direction that has been defined within the plan.

8. As previously mentioned, the plan calls for increased residential densities and additional locations for commercial/industrial development. With increased residential, commercial, and industrial development; there will be a higher demand for County services; to include, infrastructure, police and fire protection, etc. When growth and development occur within the County, everyone pays.

City residents and businesses pay taxes to both the City and the County. Those living within the County, pay taxes only to the County. The residents of the City of Isanti will want to know what the County is willing to give to support the type of growth being proposed. The County needs to ensure that those individuals living within City limits are not unduly burdened and required to pay for the additional growth and development of the overall County. The County must be able to ensure that it is able to pay, its own way, for the additional growth and development that has been proposed.

9. Overall, many of the concerns expressed by both the City of Isanti Planning Commission and City Council, center around the concept of Smart Growth. This has been a major topic of conversation at many of the Citizen Advisory Committee Meetings. Smart Growth is based upon a number of clearly defined principles and objectives; many of which focus on the preservation and enhancement of natural resources and the continued conservation of land; the equal distribution of the costs and benefits associated with growth and development; the provision of housing, employment, and transportation options that are provided in a fiscally responsible manner; the greater share of regional growth focused around urbanized areas or those areas were infrastructure has already been constructed to support additional growth and development; and the value of long-term, regional sustainability that results from the collaboration of adjacent governmental units in the planning process. The City of Isanti is concerned that some of the land use proposals presented by the Citizen Advisory Committee, not only go against these principles, but may have a negative effect upon the cities and the region as development is encouraged throughout more rural areas.

The City of Isanti Planning Commission and City Council would like to thank the Isanti County Planning Commission for considering their comments and concerns regarding the proposed Isanti County Comprehensive Plan. If the Commission has questions or concerns surrounding any of the comments provided within this memo, please contact Isanti City Hall at (763) 444-5512.

Website and Email Hosting Change

My website and email hosting are being moved to another service provider. My email address george@georgewimmer.com and website www.georgewimmer.com will remain the same. I ask for your patience if there are any issues during this process. We hope everything will be transferred successfully by the end of the weekend. If you have sent me an email that has gone unanswered in the last 24 hours please resend this Monday. Again I apologize for any issues.

May 6th Council Meeting

Tonight was a momentous evening for the City of Isanti.

I informed the Council that I am declaring the week of June 8th Isanti Employer Week. I will be rolling this out more as we get closer. I believe it is important to pay tribute to our employers as well as educate our community that we have over 1400 people employed in the City of Isanti. Some may look around and see a quite town; I look around and see a bustling energetic City bursting with exciting opportunities.

I was happy to announce that the Economic Development Association of Minnesota has awarded its coveted Business Recruitment prize to the City of Isanti. This year’s competition was fierce as 2-3 times the normal amount of submissions were received. We used the Ever Cat Fuels project as our example of Isanti’s new business recruitment process. We have worked very hard in the last 16 months to make Isanti stand out among other communities. This award is an independent acknowledgement that we are on the right track.

I was honored tonight to show Isanti Police Officer Rod Barrows our appreciation for his bravery and skill in the line of duty. On November 17th 2007 Officer Barrows confronted a felony suspect who was holding a handgun and had just threatened a citizen’s life. Officer Barrows was able to arrest the individual without further incident. We often hear about the negative outcomes of such incidents but rarely hear anything when our police officers excel. The Minnesota Chief’s Association awarded Officer Barrows the Medal of Honor for his outstanding work.

The Council finalized the plans to handle nuisance and foreclosed properties in the City. We had an in depth discussion. I wanted the City to outsource the mowing of yards because it cost us less. The example of cost given by staff was the outsourcing would cost the City $30 per lawn and if done by part time City workers it would be $55 or as much as $78 if done by full time employees. This seemed to be a clear financial decision. Some made the argument that if we outsourced it then we would have to pay immediately. I once again pointed out that we pay our City staff to do the work therefore there is no difference in time paying the bill if we handle in house or outsource the work. The City will get reimbursed either way when the property taxes are paid as the unpaid cost will be assessed to the tax rolls. There was a “guarantee” that public works will be much quicker this year than they were last year in taking care of these properties. I hope that will be the case. I was out voted 4-1 on this matter so there will be no outsourcing of this service. It is unfortunate since the cost will be much higher. We must maintain the property values of the entire City and not allow the cancer of nuisance properties to devastate neighborhoods. Once an area or city starts the downward slide it is extremely difficult and costly to rehabilitate.

The Council passed the rental ordinance on a 5-0 vote. We have worked on this ordinance for the last year. We have taken a great deal of time to fully consider this ordinance. I believe it will help ensure a strong community for generations to come. I want to thank all those that have worked on this project.

We passed the Revolving Loan Fund. This is yet another financial tool that will help us attract more new businesses and help existing businesses to expand. Our future success lies in diversifying the tax base with more commercial properties.

I wanted to end this posting with an item I actually updated the Council on at the beginning of the meeting. We are projecting a revenue deficit of $280,000. This represents about 8% of our total budget. I serve on the Finance Committee and it will be our job in the next week to start putting together a list of actions to balance our budget. These actions will be presented to the Council at our May 20th meeting. The majority of this deficit is due to unpaid property taxes. 4 of our top ten tax payers have not paid their taxes. 3 of these are land developers. The total owed by these top 4 is about $260,000. If they all had paid their 2007 taxes we would not have this issue.

The chickens have come home to roost after the housing bubble burst. Many communities are going through the exact same issues we are. Rapid Residential Development is never a good thing. We must work our way through this and make sure we never face these issues again. We will be looking at several different areas to help balance our budget. These include current City staffing levels, major City projects and fund balances. It is important we act now because the fiscal issue will only be tougher as we face 2009.

No matter how dark this may appear our future is bright. The businesses we have been attracting and continue to attract will be hitting the tax rolls in the years to come. As we rely less on residential taxes to fund City operations the better it is for everyone. We need to work our Long Term Financial Plan that we started in 2007 and keep building our commercial tax base.

No Name Calling Contest

Grand Prize Winner

All 4 Winners


I was happy to fund and present the grand prize for the No Name Calling contest at the Isanti Middle School, Minnesota Center. This is a project that Ms. Sparrow and school staff have been working on for some time. Jill Reller of Reller Signs and Debbie Bray of Embroidery & Ink donated the sign and clothing items with the grand prize winner's design. Community Pride Bank and the Rotary Club donated the money for the 1st through 3rd prizes.

I challenged the students to live the message. It is up to each of them to take the message to heart and make it a reality.

Mcgyan/Ever Cat Fuels Bio-diesel News

I have been informed that the Mcgyan Bio-diesel process is scheduled to be on Good Morning America Tuesday April 29th. No idea what time and in television anything can happen. This weekend channel 5 did a report on it. http://kstp.com/article/stories/S425806.shtml

The Mcgyan Bio-diesel process is what Ever Cat Fuels will be using at our Isanti Facility. Augsburg undergraduate Brian Krohn and Drs McNeff, Gyberg and Yan all contributed to this incredible process.

I am so proud Isanti has played its small part in the process. This is an excellent way to continue to market our progressive Community for Generations.

Link to more stories and links:

http://georgewimmer.blogspot.com/2008/03/mcgyan-news-conference-update.html

http://www.startribune.com/business/16404276.html

http://www.mcgyan.com/

http://www.evercatfuels.com/

http://www.cityofisanti.us/Carla/Ever%20Cat%20Fuels%2001.08%20Presentation.pdf copy of Mcgyan and Ever Cat Fuels presentation, my favorite slides are 28 and 29 which show the facility and talk about working with Isanti.

Re-election Announcement

We have made great progress in the City of Isanti since January 2007 and I am working hard to continue our success.

But, we must be honest and state the facts. Isanti faces perhaps the toughest two to three years in our history. We did not create the mortgage crisis, high gas prices, looming economic recession, failed developers leaving devastation in their wake and lower City revenues due to unpaid property taxes and utility fees.

We’ve turned a corner as a City, but it can slip away just as fast. I made a promise to do the best with my abilities to lead our City out of the mistakes of the past and into a brighter future. In a short period of time, we have succeeded better than any of us could have hoped. However, there is a lot of work to be done and our job will only be tougher.

The reforms put in place, tremendous commercial growth, along with the changes yet to come all hinge on continuing the plan we developed in January 2007. Signature projects such as Ever Cat Fuels and the newly announced Isanti Retail Meats in our Downtown business district along with fifteen plus new businesses and relocations are highlights of 2007. Other highlights in '07 include budget discipline, property tax cut, first real cut in City spending in modern history, fully funded new water treatment plant, new police lieutenant and patrol officer, dramatic decrease in crime, Long Term Financial Plan, developer fees that actual pay the cost of development, Council rules and procedures, nuisance ordinance reform and so on…

I promise to work each and everyday to make our goals a reality. To learn more about my record and agenda go to www.georgewimmer.com.

I humbly ask for your support this fall for another 2 years as the Mayor of Isanti.

School District Open Seat

The School District 911 is seeking applicants for the upcoming open seat. Here is a link to the County News story with details on how to apply.

http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3189&Itemid=59

Earth Day Celebration

Come and Enjoy an Earth Day Celebration

Cambridge Community College Food Court and Spirit River Nature Area

Saturday, April 26th, 2008, from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Fun for kids and adults!
Admission: FREE

Program

10:15 – 10:45 Bird Walk with Bill Carlson and Brad Wold
10:15 – 10:45 Crow Walk For Kids with Rob Lininger
11:00-12:00 “Poison in Our Water?” by hydrologist Paul Wotzka
12:00 – 1:00 Live Music!

Ongoing Throughout The Day
¨ Booths on gardening, global warming,energy efficiency, and more
¨ Free vegetable and tree seedlings to first comers
¨ Activities for Kids
¨ Local greenhouses
¨ Environmental groups
¨ Free tours of the Russell Johnson Herbarium
¨ Door prizes

Sponsors
Isanti County Environmental Coalition, Active Living by Design, and

Anoka Ramsey Community College, Cambridge Campus

Questions?
Contact 763-689-5250
linblom825@hotmail.com

I will be there representing the City of Isanti.

David Meece Press Release

Alan & Louise Duff are pleased to announce that they are bringing Christian Music Hall of Famer, David Meece to Cambridge HS with a goal of raising $15,000.00+ for the Fish House. Isanti County, like much of America, faces a significant drug problem.

In Isanti County, we are fortunate to have an organization that is effectively taking addicts off the streets and helping them on to the road of recovery. This organization is called The Fish House, a ministry based in Cambridge that is committed to "Setting the Captives Free." Under Pastor Howard McCray's leadership, this organization has been a blessing to our regional area.

The David Meece concert will be at Cambridge-Isanti High School Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 26th at 7:00 PM and tickets can be purchased for $20 and $15 by calling (612) 747-5459. http://www.davidmeece.com/

New Website

My website GeorgeWimmer.com has been redesigned. I hope the information is more accessible and the site itself will be easier to use. Any questions or comments please let me know. george@georgewimmer.com

School District Chair Resigns

The Cambridge/Isanti School District Chair has resigned effective after May 15th. The School Board will select a new Chair and will then interview applicants for the open seat. I hope qualified candidates from Isanti will apply.

There are 7 seats on the School Board and not one is occupied by a City of Isanti resident. Isanti hosts Isanti Primary School, Isanti Intermediate School, School For All Seasons, Isanti Middle School and the Minnesota Center. It is time for our City to have its voice heard in the School Boardroom.

Cambridge Star article

http://northstarmedia.net/star/STARHome/B49618EE-5334-4D9A-A9E5-C5A165C02FB9.html

Middle School Dance

A dedicated group of volunteers lead by Carla Duncan have taken it upon themselves to hold two dances in May to give our middle school children something fun and entertaining to do. I would like to thank Carla and the volunteers for taking up the challenge and providing the leadership for this wonderful community event. I believe in this idea so much I have volunteered to chaperon.

Middle School "Lock-In" Dances at the Isanti Arena
All area 6th, 7th, and 8th graders welcome!

Thursday: May 1, 2008 -- 5-8 pm.
Thursday: May 29, 2008 -- 5-8 pm.

Cost is $5.00

For more information, email Carla at IsantiDances@yahoo.com.

Exciting Summer of Business

At the April 22nd EDA meeting, I will be outlining my marketing plan for this summer of exciting business developments in Isanti. The new Tax Abatement Policy was our key initiative in April. The Revolving Loan Fund with take center stage for May and in June I will be declaring an Isanti Employers Week to highlight the 1200 plus jobs in our great City.

We will recognize the hard work and dedication of our employers and are planning to hold an event at City Hall and the adjoining 30 west Main property. This is the intended location of our new Isanti Retail Meats. This will be a meat and cheese market that will provide everything from rotisserie chickens, a variety of side dishes and catering.

This business will draw customers from miles around and will be a corner stone for the growing Downtown Business District.




This is a drawing of the proposed Isanti Retail Meats. The name custom will be replaced for the retail business. The Current Isanti Custom Meats will continue in operation at the current location but is planning a new facade.

Response to Ms. Mix Letter to the Star

Ms. Mix has been in an exchange of letters to the editor in the Cambridge Star on tax and spending issues. In her last letter she questions the Isanti pedestrian bridge and our stewardship of tax payer resources. Why she brought Isanti or our proposed bridge into a war of words with someone else, I do not know. I do believe it is important to answer such unfortunate statements. Here is the letter I wrote to the Star, but has of yet not been published.

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I was sad to see Ms. Mix drag the pedestrian bridge over highway 65 into her arguments of wasteful spending. I would have hoped that if Ms. Mix has concerns about the pedestrian bridge she would take the time to meet with me. If this had been done she would know that the funding for this bridge does not compete with money for the building of roads. Even if all the federal and state formulas and laws were changed so all dollars flowed to road construction you might be able to eek out a mile or two of road for the total cost of the pedestrian bridge construction. Funding for the bridge will be 80% federal, 10% state and 10% local. The local match would come from our park and recreation dedication fund. This is a fund drawn from developer fees and by state law can not be used for anything other than new park and trail land or equipment and structures.

The pedestrian bridge is needed for the safety of everyone crossing and using the highway 65 and 5 intersection. This intersection was listed as the 8th worst by MnDot in the entire state for 2006. The bridge will provide a safe route over this dangerous area and will link the two sides of Isanti. The linkage is important because the majority of future growth and Isanti’s population will occur east of highway 65 in the next two decades. The 65 corridor through Isanti will be developed with commercial property adding even more traffic to this area. The more pedestrians using the bridge and not darting onto highway 65 traffic increases safety for everyone

The City of Isanti is planning for the future and securing right of way and funding when it is the most cost effective. We are also working with our local land owners and businesses to incorporate the bridge into the commercial growth. The bridge will be linking the east and west commercial properties. By planning this project now we will save money in the future. Often government is criticized for waiting to long and only reacting when a catastrophe occurs; now we are criticized for planning for the future and doing so when cost are at the lowest to the taxpayers. We can not wait until someone is killed crossing the highway to begin our discussions on safety.

I was also concerned by Ms. Mix’s implication that Isanti is not a good steward of the taxpayers’ money. Isanti has cut spending for the first time in our City’s modern history; we cut property taxes in a year that saw our share of the state’s local government aid slashed by 21%. We hired a new police officer in this very same year. We are doing much more with much less and will continue to do so as long as I am in office.

The benefits go beyond safety and helping commercial growth. The bridge will make greater physical activity possible. This bridge will be the only safe crossing over highway 65 in the entire region. When discussions of the bridge began, an affected property owner came in support of the bridge. His own family had been stricken with the loss of a family member trying to cross a highway like 65 and the child died. I have two children of my own; I know their lives and the lives of each Isanti resident are priceless.

The bridge will be linked by city trail and sidewalk and ultimately to trail linking Isanti and Cambridge and our three schools. Isanti and Isanti County are partners with Active Living by Design. A group of dedicated individuals that are trying to help build more active communities which will make us all healthier. They support the bridge, our school district, our Chamber of Commerce, our county, our state senator and representative support the bridge and numerous others. This is not a bridge to nowhere it is a bridge to a safe future.

Rental Ordinance Open House Update

The open house was a great success. We had 100% approval of the Rental Ordinance. I would like to thank all that came tonight. CM Larson was the only other member of the Council that attended.

County Comprehensive Plan Comments

The City Council commented on the County Comprehensive Plan tonight. This plan will be going to public hearing in a few short weeks.

I made three main comments. First I was concerned that the transportation plan was passed last year. The transportation plan was passed without knowing the land use and changes in density or commercial/ industrial changes. In short the transportation plan was past roughly a year before knowing what traffic would generated or where it would be generated.

The second main concern is the potential doubling of population density in the townships. Will there be a moratorium to give time to have new ordinances and planning in place before the changes take affect? Is there a plan to increase the services to these areas including police protection? Will this increased population lead to higher county taxes that we as City residents pay but do not receive the same benefit?

The commercial/industrial changes concern me because there appears to be a 180 from trying to concentrate economic growth in the municipalities as was the focus of past County Comprehensive plans. The Cities have made the costly investment in infrastructure and staff. Will this be undercut by allowing more diverse commercial/industrial growth in townships? Will there be appropriate infrastructure and environmental controls in place. Again will there be a moratorium and proper planning and police protection.

When growth happens in one of the municipalities we pay for the extra police or public works cost through City taxes. When it happens in the townships it is covered by county taxes. We pay both taxes in the City and will therefore be subsidizing any increased County cost. This is why it is of special concern that our comments be heard. I hope the balance will be struck between Township and City but I do not believe this current Comprehensive Plan achieves that balance.

A few facts about an Aquatic Center

There were several reported statements in the Star that I think need to be examined. One statement was that this will be decided by the people and not by elected officials. Well lets see.....the Council did not have a petition nor was there a single citizen that requested an aquatic community center by coming before the Council. It was two Council members that started this ball rolling. When money is spent for surveys or studies it will be the Council taking those actions. The final funding will be by referendum but thousands to tens of thousands of dollars will be spent long before that.

The next item that really worried me was the idea that the City of Isanti would place a sales tax on our growing business community to fund this project. I have been working as hard as possible to bring in new businesses and to help our current businesses expand. This will grow our tax base and yet I will now face questions from these prospects once the word is out that Isanti might look at a sales tax.

We just finished a difficult round of Union negotiations and will be facing tough budgets for the next few years. This project by the supporters own words is years and perhaps decades away. Why is this being pushed now? Why when we face so much economic uncertainty and we are asking to do more with less; is this what we are spending time on.

Yes this is a wonderful concept and I would love to take my kids just down the road to play but it is not realistic for this type of facility in a community of our size. Facts are stubborn things I know but we can not simply wish them away.

I do not want this to become a fight on the Council but someone has to explain the true cost to our City. A cost that on the low end is a 30% tax increase to over 50% increase on the high end. Does anyone think this is realistic? Does anyone think a sales tax would be good for our City and if one were even possible that it would end with one project?

I am once again frustrated that we are spending resources on this when agreed upon Council priorities and other assignments are not being fulfilled. I am simply at a loss to explain it.

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OK I just read the County News story and it added another statement I never heard before. This was somehow the Isanti EDA that started the ball rolling on an aquatics center. I have been on the Isanti EdA the last 16 months and this was never brought up as an item to start pursuing. We did discuss the benefit of a library.

We have had several great businesses start on Main Street in the last 6-12 months and we will have another great one, Isanti Retail Meats which is a spin off of Isanti Custom Meats. This will be a retail business selling meat, cheeses and all sorts of great things like salads and rotisserie chickens. They will also have a catering arm. This project started last year when former Chamber President Jaysen Guthmueller and I were visiting with the Owner of Isanti Custom Meats. This project was then worked on by city staff and myself. We have now gotten to a point that it will be a reality. Nearly a year but that is how long it takes and how long you have to work on many of these projects, especially in a downtown. They plan to be open by the start of October.

I mention this because it was the hard grinding work that the ICP, City Staff and I have done over the last year to develop downtown. It was of course first and foremost the individual business owners that take that first great leap and their hard work. We are full filling the direction of the Council and City as a whole....please do not mix an aquatic center with this...please do not mix property tax hikes and sales taxes that will kill business with this....

The tax abatement and RLF that I and have pushed for that the ICP helped build and Staff and I made work and passed through Council will help make the Meat Market a reality.

Rental Ordinance Open House

The City of Isanti will host an open house concerning a possible Rental Ordinance. The Rental Ordinance is meant to regulate residential rental properties within the city. City staff will have copies of the draft ordinance and maintenance agreement available.

Staff will be available to take public comment and discussion during the open house.The Open House will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, in the city of Isanti Council Chambers. For more questions, please check the city’s website at http://www.cityofisanti.us/ or contact Carla Vita at 763-444-5512 or cvita@cityofisanti.us.

Spring Fling Video

The Isanti County News has a short video on their site of the Spring Fling including Guitar Hero contest betwen Outgoing President Jaysen and me.

http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3096&Itemid=32

WATER MAIN FLUSHING

STARTS APRIL 21st

City of Isanti Announcement

NOTICE: The flushing of the water mains may not follow the exact schedule as provided – the City will update daily any schedule changes.

The City will begin flushing its water mains on April 21st. The following schedule is being provided for your convenience as to when the flushing of water mains will occur in your neighborhood. If you live in or near an area that is being flushed, your water may have some discoloration for a short period of time. You should avoid doing laundry at this time or running your water, as this can bring discolored water directly into your home’s pipes. Run your tap after the flushing and it should clear up.

A map is attached that provides area locations. (at www.cityofisanti.us)

AREA 1 – Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday - April 21st, 22nd, & 23rd
- Community Pride Bank
- Landmark Community Bank
- Lake State Federal Credit Union
- Isanti Intermediate School
- Sun Prairie Subdivision
- Fairway Greens Subdivisions
- Dual Boulevard – east and west
- Dual Industrial Park
- Centennial Industrial Park
- Dahlin Avenue
- Norman’s Acres Subdivision
- Credit Union Drive
- East Broadway Street
- Railroad Avenue
- Palomino Acres Subdivision
- Palomino Ridge Subdivision
- Demings Subdivision


AREA 2 – Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday – April 23rd, 24th, & 25th
- Isanti Primary School
- Isanti Fire & Police Department
- Unity Industrial Park
- Unity Avenue
- Whisper Ridge Subdivisions
- Villages on the Rum Subdivisions



AREA 3 - Thursday & Friday – April 24th & 25th
- Isanti Middle School
- Catholic Church
- Original Townsite Subdivision
- Creekside Townhomes
- North & South Brookview Lane
- The following Subdivisons:
o Dahlquist’s
o Johnson’s
o Carlson’s Westview
o Mattson’s Additions
o Hillock Court
o Brookview Court
o Rosewood on Main
o Isanti Hills Subdivisions between Marion and Birch Streets

AREA 4 – Monday & Tuesday - April 28th & 29th
- Isanti Hills Subdivsions between Birch and Dogwood Streets
- Rum River Meadows Subdivisions
- Isanti Meadows Subdivision
- Isanti Trails
- South Park
- Deer Haven Subdivision


AREA 5 – Tuesday & Wednesday – April 29th & 30th
- Rum River Meadows Subdivisions

For any changes or updates to this schedule please go to http://www.cityofisanti.us/

Rental Ordinance Open House

The City of Isanti will host an open house concerning a possible Rental Ordinance. The Rental Ordinance is meant to regulate residential rental properties within the city. City staff will have copies of the draft ordinance and maintenance agreement available. Staff will be available to take public comment and discussion during the open house.

The Open House will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 17, in the city of Isanti Council Chambers. For more questions, please check the city’s website at http://www.cityofisanti.us/ or contact Carla Vita at 763-444-5512 or cvita@cityofisanti.us.

CM Duff running for 3rd District Commisioner Seat

Council Member Duff has just announced his candidacy for the 3rd District Commissioner seat. You will find his announcement at the Isanti County News site. That makes three known candidates.

http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3067&Itemid=1

Chamber Spring Fling

It was close but I managed a win over Jaysen

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The Chamber Spring Fling was a great success. I look forward to working with John Bettendorf as the new Chamber President. He owns and operates the Isanti Hardware Hank.

My Spring 2008 Isantian Article

I would like to welcome you to your new Isantian. The City of Isanti has been striving to improve communication with our Citizens and Taxpayers. In this effort we first reformed our City website, http://www.cityofisanti.us/, last fall. The new website not only provides a wealth of information to residents and visitors but has been a boon for economic development. Improved communication at all levels of government is critically important to our success as a City. I wanted to make sure our City quarterly news letter would be a part of this communication renaissance.

The Isantian has always provided good information to our Citizens and Taxpayers but has cost the City too much staff time and equipment wear and tear. City staff would compile, edit and copy the issues using the City Hall’s copy machine. The black and white Isantian would then be mailed out. I wanted to reshape the Isantian into an eye catching news letter since it does not matter how good the information is inside if no one takes the time to open it. The Isantian is now professional published in brilliant color to attract more readers. Now another main goal of mine is to be fiscally disciplined. We were able to accomplish the improved Isantian and save valuable staff time and money by selling advertisements. This allows us to showcase an excellent marriage of lower cost to our Taxpayers and yet provide a superior service.

I have received many questions about our exciting revolutionary technology driven Ever Cat Fuels bio-diesel project. To learn more please go to http://www.cityofisanti.us/ under press releases to view the Ever Cat Fuels Power Point presentation. With state media, the state legislature and Congress now jumping on board I thought it would be a good time to cover a few items. This project was a great nexus of Landmark Bank, Ever Cat Fuels and the City of Isanti. Kevin Johnson of Landmark Bank brought the project to our attention in March of 2007 and is the foundation of Ever Cat Fuel’s interest in our great City. City Staff, Landmark’s staff and I spent hundreds of hours working on making it a reality with numerous trips to the testing and small scale production facility, working with state wide agencies, funding institutions, answering local concerns and guiding the project through City committees and the Council.

Not only will we gain excellent paying jobs but Isanti will be put on the green technology map and will bring in thousands of visitors to the demonstration plant as the technology is replicated throughout the country and beyond. Seeing the technology in production I can confidently say there is no adverse smell or noise and there is no water usage in the process. My space is limited here so I hope if you have any questions you will contact me at george@georgewimmer.com or call me 763-444-7158.

April 1st 2008 Council Update

I wanted to discuss a few items from tonight’s Council agenda. Yes a Council meeting on April Fools day is ripe for more jokes than we could ever have time to tell.

The first item I want to discuss is the abatement policy we passed tonight. This an economic development tool I have wanted and the City has needed for quite some time. The situation Isanti faces with the cost of the development of the east side of 65 and roughly $6,500,000 in debt the City incurred needs to be paid through development. This is especially true of commercial development. I did not agree with the way the city built this infrastructure and believed then as I do now that the developer should have paid the way. We are however in the situation and as I have been quoting about this…sometimes you make the right decision and sometimes you make the decision right. My job as Mayor is to make the City’s past decisions right. This can only be done by developing our commercial property or raising taxes on individual home owners drastically …and regular readers of this blog know I will never do that.

I have written and spoken about Tax Abatement often and believe it will be an integral part of attracting a hotel/motel project to Isanti. I had asked last year that the Isanti City Partnership, which is a group, composed of Chamber of Commerce and EDA members, to make a Tax Abatement policy a priority. Several members of the ICP worked out a draft proposal that was then refined by city staff and me. We then brought this before the EDA with our changes and additions and received approval. Tonight the Council voted unanimously to support this policy. A quick example of how it will work is that a hotel project is built with a tax assessment of $60,000. The former empty lot paid $1,000. A hotel that scores high in the tax abatement policy would be eligible for an abatement of 50% of taxes or $30,000 in this example. This is a refund so the taxes have to be paid first, the empty lot that was paying $1,000 in now generating a net total of $30,000 in this example. The policy is for 5 years and steps down 10% per year so 2nd year 40%, 3rd year 30%, 4th year 20%, 5th year 10% and by the 6th year the total taxable amount is paid with no refund. It is not a silver bullet but does help considerably for those businesses that will be paying a significant amount in taxes. The tax abatement grading matrix our Community Development Director (CDD) and I developed from the original concept takes into account the follow criteria:

· Amount of jobs and wages paid
· Type of business
· Environmental and City services needed
· Tax base creation
· EDA priority businesses
· Location

The CDD and I ran this policy through many example situations to refine the process. We worked very hard on this policy and I would like to thank all those that participated along the way. This by the way is also a boon for the County and the school district which is facing tough economic times. The more business tax base we can develop the better it is for everyone.


This will be the first of two important economic tools the Council will be reviewing. The other economic development tool is the Revolving Loan Fund. I had asked the ICP, EDA and then the Council to support a RLF to help current and new businesses with low interest loans. Staff and I are currently reviewing the draft proposal from the ICP and will have this item ready for the EDA meeting at the end of April and then before the Council in May. I will keep you informed as we progress.

The City of Isanti has created a process to monitor homes going into foreclosure or are already in foreclosure. This is a difficult situation for everyone involved. Isanti has at this time 68 homes in foreclosure. Our interest is to maintain property values and protect our citizens from the adverse affects of this blight on our City, state and country. The mortgage crisis has not ended and unfortunately we will be facing more of these situations in the months to come. We believed it was incumbent upon us as City official to protect the interest of the City as a whole. This will mean making sure that homes that are empty are tracked so they do not become targets of vandals or target as party houses. This means in some instances that water or other services are cut off to avoid damage to an empty home. We are also looking at contracting the extra yard maintenance to keep City cost down as we are maintaining these properties. We will be charging for this service but will not get paid until the home sells at some future date. By contracting this service we save money and will be able to respond quicker to yards that become overgrown. The contracting option will be before the Council in the next month. We have just begun this process and will learn as we go but we are dedicated to keeping the City as a whole moving forward.

The last item I want to touch on is the City Administrator contract. We renewed our City Administrator’s contract with 3% pay increase which is exactly the same as our Public Works employees, non-union employees and the proposal before our Police Union. We are lucky to have an excellent City Administrator working for our City but we as a Council also have to live with the means of the City budget.