Response to Commissioner Duff's Letter to the Paper

I found Commissioner Duff’s letter to the paper on storm water ponds quite interesting. Mr. Duff wants homeowners to own the land that makes up these ponds. Currently the City owns this land. He states three reasons for this change of policy:

1. Residents can claim greater ownership of land
2. Residents are more likely to collectively protect the integrity of privately held land
3. City liability on these properties may be reduced.

I am on the Planning Commission with Mr. Duff and he has not had this issue on the agenda for discussion. I hope he would avail himself of the full Planning Commission to discuss this issue. I like new ideas. There seems to be four significant issues with this proposal however:

1. Residents may be able to claim greater ownership of land, they will however have no uses of this land as it is designated as a holding pond. This may give a false feeling of ownership.

2. The resident is to maintain their section of the holding pond. This is an unfunded mandate. Holding ponds gather water from a larger area than just the immediate neighborhood. The cost of its maintenance should not be on those that simple abut the pond.

3. If the land is owned by the resident they will be taxed on the land. These will set-up the owner of the land paying a significantly higher tax bill with no benefit.

4. I am hard pressed to see how the City would lose liability for a structure it is mandating be built. Resident ownership may lead to having liability in case of a lawsuit.

I hope Mr. Duff will in the future bring such ideas to the Planning Commission so we can have this conversation in a constructive manner. I also hope Mr. Duff will support the Ordinance reforms I have laid out in the past. The Planning Commission has reformed the Driveway Ordinance and is currently working on the Exotic Wildlife and Sign Ordinance.

George Wimmer
Isanti City Council Member

Traffic Light Approved

The County Commissioners unanimously approved the Traffic Light on 5 and 23 this morning. We now will officially have our traffic light. I would like to thank the commissioners for following through on this project.

As always I will keep you posted.

Council Update April 4th

The City Council approved a cross walk at the intersection of South Passage and highway 23. This will provide a safer crossing for the many walkers, runners and bikers. I also hope this will have an impact on slowing the speeds of drivers coming into Isanti.

A Public Hearing was set for the Lexington Textile request to postpone their requirements of their city Subsidy agreement. I have asked staff to provide the following information at the public hearing:

1. The amount of total subsidy provided
2. Amount of penalty owed to Isanti if Lexington does meets its requirements
3. If allow Lexington to alter their agreement what precedent is set
4. Is there a standard that must be met in order to allow an alteration of the agreement

The Council approved the total amount for the past due School Resource Officer payments from the School District. The District did not state they would pay this amount only that they wanted the total amount owed. I will keep you posted.

Walking Tour

I will be starting my third annual walking tour of Isanti the week of April 10th. I hope to talk to as many people as possible. If you have a specific time you would like me to stop by please e-mail me at george.wimmer@genesiswireless.us.

If you have any specific questions please e-mail me prior to our visit and I will research any needed items. I look forward to meeting each and every Isanti Citizen.

City Council April 4th

The April 4th City council agenda is fairly light.

The Council is being asked to accept $65,324 as payment for the balanced owed to Isanti from District 911. The School District has not made payment since a partial payment in the 2003-2004 school year. The School District has not said they would actually pay this amount but have asked for a bill stating the total balance owed. The District and the City split the cost of this Officer.

The School District has also stated they may no longer being budgeting for a School Resource Officer starting this fall. I hope this is not true. Having an Officer working directly with the schools is an asset for all of us.

Lexington Textile is asking the City to postpone their obligation to add one new job. This is part of the business subsidy agreement. The EDA, which is supposed to represent the best interest on f the City, has recommended that the City waive this requirement for 2006. This agreement has been changed once before. Letting companies that receive City subsidies out of their agreements is akin to allowing residents slide on their property taxes. The City would not accept this from residents so I see no reason to accept this from businesses.

These business agreements have very minimal requirements in the first place. Adding one or two employees in a 3-5 year window should not be too much to ask for when receiving subsidies from the City. This is only an issue for those companies that ask for money from the City to operate their business. We must make sure they live up to their commitment.

FEC Won't Regulate Internet Politics

The FEC has stated that it will not regulate politics on the web. This means the important free speech rights we believe in will continue to be protected. Here is a link to the story. The only restriction is if there is a paid political add placed on someone else's website.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FEC_INTERNET?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-03-27-14-11-35

Isanti is a Fit City

I am happy to announce Isanti's dedication to encouraging an active lifestyle has been rewarded. Isanti has been named a Governor's Fit City. There are only 14 such designated cities to date. The purpose is as follows from the programs website

.....http://www.health.state.mn.us/fitcity/


"The purpose of the Governor's Fit City Program is to recognize Minnesota cities that are committed to creating and maintaining a city environment supportive of active living. A Minnesota city making this commitment is providing opportunities for physical activity to people who live, work and play within the city. These opportunities allow people to make the choice to be more physically active. Physical activity improves nearly every aspect of a person’s health. Therefore, the Governor's Fit City Program will contribute to improving the health of people in Minnesota. "

I hope Isanti will continue its leadership in providing its residents with activity options.

2005 Police Report

I have just read my Isantian and was a bit surprised by the Police Chief's representation of the dramatic crime increases as "normal". I respect and understand our Chief's difficult position of not being given adequate staff to keep crime low. I do not believe that a 70% increase in assault, 42% increase in theft or a 24% increase in narcotics should be deemed normal.

We can not accept these high levels of crime as a simple by-product of rapid residential growth. Isanti must be committed to keeping crime rates low for all current and future Citizens of our City. Isanti must make crime prevention a priority.

The City Council has added 4 Administrative position in the last 2 years. This does not include the public works employees added. Zero Police have been added in the last 2 years. My request for a Police Officer starting in July of 2006 was rejected by the City Council and they hired an Administrative Assistant instead. My fellow Council Members must take these crime increases seriously.

I have included a link to my website page that has the full 2005 Isanti Crime Report.

http://www.georgewimmer.com/Police%20Report.html

March 21st City Council Update

The Isanti County Environmental Coalition presented information on the need for Conservation Corridors and advised the Council to consider this need when we are considering future development.

The Council moved forward on the process for the 2006 Street improvements. The following time table was presented by the City Engineer:

March 29th the project is advertised for bid
April 20th the City receives bids
May 2nd The Council holds an informational meeting and awards the contract
May 15th Contractor begins work
October 13th Contractor substantially complete
October 17th Council Receives assessment rolls and orders public hearing
November 21st Public Hearing
June 2007 Construction complete

I was appointed to the Development Review Committee. I believe this Committee can act as a check to make sure development pays for itself. Each Development Agreement must be fair to the citizens of Isanti. Each developer must be treated equally giving no special treatment to anyone.

The Mayor and Council Member Larson were appointed to the School liaison positions. I will be asking that they press the School District for payment of the money owed for the School Resource Officer.

The City Engineer will have specific office hours on Tuesdays. For more information call City Hall 444-5512.

Repost: Website

I have launched a website at www.georgewimmer.com. The website is another communication tool I intend to use to share my vision of Isanti. I detail my 2005 record and set forth agressive goals for 2006. I will also use the archive section to maintain articles and position papers with broader themes.

The website will be as all things are a work in progress. I hope you have a chance to check it out and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day is here and once again we all need to be safe. Please do not drink and drive. Call for a ride if you drink. Everyone be careful.

If you are interested in the Real St. Patrick here is link to a quick history.

http://www.st-patricks-day.com/about_saintpatrick.asp

Another Housing Indicator

Interesting item to keep in the back of our minds. Another reason to keep City spending low in case the housing industry does slow in Isanti.


http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=121125

March 21st Council Meeting

I have chosen a few items from the March 21st council Meeting.

1. Council will consider the resolution for 2006 Street Improvements
2. Isanti County environmental Coalition
3. Banksite Development Agreement
4. Development Advisory Committee
5. School Liaison Committee

1. The City council will consider going out for bids for the scheduled 2006 street improvements. This is the first step in the improvements project. This will allow the Council to get a true cost of the project construction cost for all the proposed projects.
My priorities center on extending the sidewalk on highway 23, repairing West Main Street and replacing clay sewer lines with PVC piping.
2. The Isanti County environmental Coalition will present materials on the need to preserve Conservation Corridors in Isanti. They will also share other important information regarding our Rapid Residential Growth has on our natural environment. They are an important voice to listen too.
3. I have championed City Council approving developer agreements. These agreements have more to do with Isanti's future than any other single item. The Banksite agreement is the first such agreement to come before the entire City Council for approval. This is a city Government Reform I am very proud of. Previously these were negotiated with staff alone and the full City council would never know what was approved.
4. I hope to serve on Development review Committee. The nuts and bolts of development agreements happen at this stage. I believe it is important to have a watch dog make sure development agreements are fair and equitable. The future of Isanti depends on having development agreements that do not mortgage our future.
5. The City Council will discuses the importance of having a standing Committee to work on issues that arise with the School District. I hope this body will be preventive in nature. The key outstanding issue is 2 1/2 years of non-payment by District 911 for the School Resource Officer. Isanti Taxpayers have been paying this district wide expense. The other issue is the possibility that the School District will no long fund a Resource Officer in Isanti and Cambridge. I hope everyone lets their School Board Members know that these Officers are key to a safe environment in our schools.

Picture from the Artic Plunge

Sometimes we all have to jump in feet first to know what awaits us on the other side.

You can blow the picture up by clicking on it.

Censorship

Censorship can raise its ugly head anywhere. There are always some individuals or groups who feel they need to control the flow of information. WE can never allow that.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=120661

4 Way Stop Update

Everyone be careful. The 4 way stop on 23 and 5 has a sign in the middle of the road. There also is no flashing light to let people know that the signs are there. I am hoping this will be resolved by Friday. The flashing light for night would be especially helpful because of the sign in the middle of the intersection.

The City of Isanti will have a squad car with the yellow lights flashing to warn people of the new stop signs. the Squad car will be in place through Saturday Morning. We are waiting from a response from the County for a flashing light on the stop signs in the middle of the road.

I will keep you updated.

4 Way Stop

The 4 way stop is in at 5 and 23. I have already received some complaints. There are two benefits. First, perhaps some officials will get a better appreciation for the traffic flow. Secondly it does make this crossing safer for our children to cross. The pain will last until the traffic lights are installed this summer. I will keep you updated.

We also better as a City have a plan in place for all the traffic that will be generated from the East of 65 construction. The intersection of 5 and 65 will be 10 times worse than 5 and 23. Plan plan plan. This is a question that all candidates for office this fall had better answer. I know my plan.

March 8th City Council Update

I picked a few highlights from last nights Council meeting are:

Amending Fee Schedule
Small Grants Presentation
MCCF Information
30 West Main
Blue Cross Blue Shield Contract
New City Hall Costs

The City Council tabled action on raising City Fees. Council Member Johnson did not feel it was appropriate to raise the Park and Recreation fees. The Park and Recreation fees are charged to developers. The money raised from this fee can only be used for new park construction or new land acquisition. Isanti is well below the region in the fees charged. Developers are getting a bargain and should pay a fair rate for developing in Isanti. I do not believe the Council should give developers special protection

I had a problem with the fees Isanti Citizens pay. These include a 38% rate increase for garage additions, 13% increase for decks, 40% for re-siding and a 50% increase for re-roofing. Council Member Kennedy and I felt that it is wrong to raise the rates on our citizens so much. The idea that we are keeping rates low on developers and raising them on individual citizens is wrong.

The rate structure was tabled so we could further debate the proposed rate increases.

The Small Cities Grant was tabled because the funds were not available to pay for the grant writing. The Council will debate whether we want to use taxpayer funds to pay for this activity.

The original funds for the grant writing were to come from a TIF district. Unfortunately a business has not paid their taxes from last year.

The Minnesota Community Capital Fund, MCCF, was presented. The MCCF is a financing tool used to give low interest loans to member community businesses. This financial tool can help businesses to grow and expand in Isanti. This is critical to all existing businesses. I have included the link to their website for more information. http://mncommunitycapitalfund.org/. I hope all area businesses take a look and give me feedback if they feel this is important to Isanti.

30 West Main was discussed last night. This is the City owned property that is at the corner of Main St and 1st. It is often used as a quasi parking lot. The City Council has direct staff to include this at the next work session. We will need to see options for this lot. I believe we should sell this excess property. The key however is it needs to be apart of an overall plan for Downtown parking. Isanti has the familiar problem of parking downtown. This lot has been used as overflow parking.

If we simply shut it down, and sell it without an overall plan we will cause more parking issues and will be a detriment to downtown businesses. We must help create a solution and not cause even more pain to Main Street.

The Council last night approved a Park and Recreation action to apply for a Blue Cross Blue Shield funds. These funds will be used to pay for various marketing of our Cities Trails and Parks. I believe it is important to pay for these options with grant type money. This is a tremendous cost savings for our Taxpayers.

We had an update to City Hall Cost. The total cost for City hall to date is $1,555,784.21 with a $25,000 contingency. I have stated repeatedly that we can not afford to spend anymore on City Hall. We are already 30% over budget. If there is a need for more spending it must be taken out of other spending. We must stop this slow bleeding of money.

Fee Schedule Update

I have received an update from City staff on the 1994 to 1997 fee schedule. The following are the 3 new percentage increases.

Garage 38% increase

Addition 12% increase

Deck 13% increase

This on top of dramatic increases in other fees to our citizens, some reaching 50%. I have seen no logical or legal reason for raising fees this dramatically.

Main Street Development

I have talked to a few Main Street businesses about a comprehensive plan of action for revitalization. This was started due to the City possibly selling 30 West Main. This is the corner NE corner of Main and 1st. This is currently used as over flow parking.

I have stated that I approve of selling excess City land. The issue now is where do we allow parking when Main Street traffic increases. I will be asking we table the sale of the land until the EDA has a comprehensive plan for Main Street.

We can not take action in an ad hoc fashion. We need to plan for the future or we will have tremendous cost in solving future problems.