Isanti Retail Meats Pictures

Isanti Retail Meats' Drawing

Telling the Isanti Retail Meats Story

Group picture showing the link with the School District and County

Go Vote

The Primary election is Tuesday. Decisions are made by those who show up. Primaries have one thing in common, incredibly low turnout. Your vote matters in all elections but perhaps even more in a primary. We all have different candidates we support and desire their victory. Get out and support your candidates and vote.

Website Issues Resolved

Website issue taken care of.

Website Issues

Website Issues.

I am having the site host look into why my website is not working. I hope this issue with get fixed ASAP. 

Isanti Retail Meats Ground Breaking

We are breaking ground today at 30 West Main St for the new Isanti Retail Meats. This is an exciting project that will lead to further economic renewal in our Historic Downtown. I am proud to have been working on this project from its inception last year. Past chamber President Jaysen Guthmueller and I had visited the owner of Isanti Custom Meats as part of our business retention and expansion visits.

The first words out of the owners mouth is what did I do wrong. He was assured that we were there to help him and only wanted to know what he needed. He was excited by this new approach to Isanti businesses. He talked about having a retail outlet in Downtown Isanti to accompany his existing business. City staff and I worked on this immediately. 

Now a little over a year later the project is ready to break ground. Seems long to some but in this economy the fact we are able to continue to grow our City's business sector in a downtown is borderline historic. 

Isanti Retail Meats will add much needed jobs, services and traffic to continue to move forward into a better future for all our Citizens. 

September 2nd Council Meeting Audio

The audio is up from the Septmeber 2nd Council meeting, including the budget debate, at

http://www.cityofisanti.us/govern_citycouncil_audio.php .

I hope everyone takes the time to listen.

2009 Budget Update

We had an active meeting tonight debating the budget and levy. There were many strong opinions shared but it was all done in a respectful and professional manner. The audio should be posted in a day or two on the City website (www.cityofisanti.us) so you will be able to listen first hand. The Finance Committee which is composed of select city staff, CM Kolb and myself worked the last few months on several budget scenarios. The scenarios had a 3% increase, 0% increase and a 3% decrease to help frame the different options and cuts that would be needed to match the different levels of spending.

I recommended that we pass the 3% decrease option with two additional changes. The first change was to use the technology fund, which is financed by the cable franchise and not tax dollars, to pay for the $14, 245 in technology improvements for 2009. The other item was a bit more difficult. I recommended that the City no longer fund the Administrative Assistant position in 2009. Eliminating this position would save the City $56,000 in 2009. The 3% decrease option already had the elimination of a PT police secretary position. 

In 2007 we eliminated one of the two building inspector positions because of the decrease in activity. I followed the same logic in trimming these cost.  Both positions were hired in 2006 when city activity had already been on the decline. I voted against adding extra staffing at the time for the same reason I recommend that we cut the positions tonight. It was made clear tonight that this in no way  reflects on the individual people holding these positions but that this was a financial decision. 

I discussed that Isanti needs to reduce spending to live within our means. I used the example of our surrounding cities and their budgets compared to their tax bases. I used the 2007 numbers for East Bethel, Cambridge, North Branch and Isanti.

East Bethel $4.6 million budget and a tax base of $11.6 million or a 40% budget/tax base ratio.

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North Branch $4 million budget and a tax base of $9.6 million or a 42% budget/tax base ratio.

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Cambridge $5.6 million budget and a tax base of $7.5 million or a 76% budget/tax base ratio.

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Isanti $3.5 million budget and a tax base of $3.9 million or a 90% budget/tax base ratio.

I have used many different numbers and examples to illustrate why Isanti needs to cut spending and reduce our tax and fee burden on our residents and felt this ratio really shows how Isanti stands out compared to our region. 

After much discussion CM Kolb and Duff motioned and seconded the necessary Council resolutions for the budget and levy to be passed. Many difficult decisions had to be made but the final votes were unanimous.

One more word on property taxes. I have for years tried to stress that essential regressive nature of property taxes. This means rich or poor you pay the same rate. Property taxes hurt the poor the hardest. Many of our working families feel the dramatic pain of increased property taxes whether it comes from a higher levy rate or a higher assessed value from the county assessor. Property taxes are one of those issues that our state's political parties agree needs to be fixed even if they do not see the same solution. We need to protect our tax payers, especially those among us that are most vulnerable, our seniors on fixed incomes that can be quickly taxed out of their homes. 

Now the good news. We have cut spending and taxes each of my 2 years as Mayor. Spending was cut by 3% and the levy rate was cut from 59.886% to 55.51%. The levy rate cut equates to a realized 7% City property tax cut if your 2008 and 2009 assessed value stays the same. Last year I promised to work to lower taxes from the 65% rate we had when I was sworn in to the state average of 55% in 3 years. We are but a fraction of the way there in just 2 years. I promised to cut spending and work to have Isanti live within it's means - we are well on our way. 

Another piece of good news is that we were able to keep an enhanced economic development marketing program in place. We will have more resources to continue to attract businesses to Isanti and those new businesses will enjoy lower tax rates along with the rest of the residents of our great City.

Stolen Signs

Another few days of stolen signs. Looks to be about 2 dozen from at least 4 different candidates... If you have had a sign stolen please let the candidate know so they may replace if possible.

Please report anyone who has stolen signs as this is not only harmful and costly to a candidate it is also limiting the free speech of the property owner. 

September 9th Primary Repost

The September 9th primary will play a critical role in City politics. The primary will reduce the Council contenders from 5 to 4 and more dramatically the field of 5 Commissioner candidates to 2. Turnout will be the name of the game so I thought I would pass on a few stats:

Minnesota had a 78% turnout in the last presidential election year in 2004. This is a great rate which we will most likely beat this year. Primaries however are a bit more lackluster. When only a U.S. Senate race is in contention and no governors race on the primary ballot the turnout is just 17%.

In 2004 Commissioner Pagel received 1206 out of 1594 total votes cast in Isanti and 1487 out of 1904 in Bradford in an uncontested race.

The area has grown considerably in the past 4 years and the City of Isanti total vote share has increased. But if we simply extrapolate the 2004 numbers and take 17% of the total votes cast we end up with only 595 votes deciding the primary. Each voter will be asked to vote for 1 candidate in the Commissioner race and 2 in the Council race in the primary. Each candidate will have to work hard to get their voters to the polls. I hope this energizes the district into greater voter turnout as our Citizens takes a look at each candidate and what they have to offer.

Our participatory democracy only works if we participate by knowing the issues, candidate history, candidate positions and then go vote.

Commissioner Poll Results

I want to first state this is not a scientific poll but a fun exercise. Remember the primary is September 9th. Polls open in the City at 7am and close at 8pm. Decisions are made by those that show up.

Alan Duff-----------136---44%

Gail Genin----------85---28%

Timothy Swanson-48---16%

Thomas Anderson-19---6%

Ralph Johnson-----18---6%

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Day

The last 2 days have been filled welcoming back and thanking our wonderful teachers and staff. I had the honor of speaking at the official welcome back to District teachers and staff Wednesday morning at the High School in Cambridge.

Today at Community Pride Bank's welcome back lunch for Isanti teachers and staff I presented our 3 school principals with Mayoral Proclamations. I would like to thank Community Pride Bank for hosting an amazing thank you to our hard working teachers and staff.

Isanti Redbirds

The Isanti Redbirds, our great hometown team, continue their great run.

http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4156&Itemid=1

Their website:

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

We are all so proud of their hard work.

My Record

My Record

Economic Reform

• I created the Finance Committee to work on our fiscal issues.
• My budget for 2008 reduced spending for the first time in Isanti's modern history, allowing us to cut property taxes.
• Proposed and passed a Long Term Financial Plan to guide Isanti's fiscal decisions.
• Passed in 2007, the City Council will now know the full impact of their spending decisions in each budget year.
• We passed development fees in 2007 that will for the first time make development pay for itself. No longer will residents of Isanti subsidize development through taxes and fees.
• We passed a Tax Abatement and a Revolving Loan Fund to help spur more commercial growth.
• Over 300 new jobs since my swearing in, a 29% increase in job growth.
• Chamber of Commerce President and I meet with City businesses to thank them for their hard work and dedication to Isanti. We also listen to any concerns or questions. Our personal visits have retained businesses in Isanti and helped foster several business expansions.
• In 2007 we had 15 new and relocated businesses in Isanti.
• Employer Recognition Awards to propmote Isanti businesses.
• The last 18 months has seen great commercial growth in Downtown Isanti with new businesses, relocations and the planned Isanti Retail Meats. This will be a meat and cheese market that will also provide everything from rotisserie chickens, all kinds of side dishes and catering. Isanti Custom Meats will continue to operate in their current location. Isanti Retail Meats planned for 30 West Main St.
• Our hard work is paying off with the locating of the revolutionary/green technology company Ever Cat Fuels in Isanti. This company will provide high paying jobs, greater business travel, increase the tax base and help solve our nations energy crisis.
• 
  Responsible City Government

• Proposed and passed the first codified rules and procedures for the City Council, Boards and Commissions.
• My Development Impact List was put into full force. This tool provides the Planning Commission and Council an itemized list of the complete impact of each development. For the first time true cost can be assessed to a project.
• We passed a new Comprehensive Plan that is no longer tied to a specific time frame but to the growth of our population. We have set the future land uses and borders of a fully developed City. This allows us to plan our future instead of reacting to others.
• I created the Mayor's Great Yard Award to thank those that do an outstanding job creating and maintaining their yards. The top three each month receive a certificate and cash reward.
• I have made protecting our distinct and historic Isanti neighborhoods a priority. We must be flexible enough in our planning and road improvements so as not to destroy our history and city character.
• Improving City communications with our Citizens and Taxpayers is critical to our success. We have created a new City website as an economic development tool. Our City website also has all the information I intended for my Residential Handbook in the Resident section. The newly redesigned Isantian is in full color and through our innovation of selling ads we are able to lower the cost and increase the value to our Citizens and Taxpayers.
• We have started the Board and Commission reforms by having the Council directly interviewing and selecting the members.
• 
  Citizen Safety
• We have been working on a water treatment plant to eliminate the high levels of cancer causing radium. The planning and design are complete and the construction is scheduled to be finished in 2009. An added benefit will be the tremendous reduction of the iron and manganese in our water which causes the hardness and discoloration.
• We have improved policing with the purchase of an integrated communication system so our officers are able to access information on the County and State levels.
• We hired a Police Lt and Patrol Officer position.
• We replaced a high maintenance squad car with a new one that is less costly to maintain and more fuel efficient.
• Crime rates went down in 2007.
• Our pedestrian bridge project crossing Hwy 65 has received Federal and State support. The intersection of Hwy 5 and Hwy 65 is the 8th worse in Minnesota as disclosed by MnDot. This pedestrian bridge will link the east and west side of Isanti's Hwy 65 commercial districts. This landmark will distinguish us from all other cities along this busy state highway.

Email Updates

If you want email updates for the blog email me at George@georgewimmer.com

You will be added to the confidential email update list.

September 9th Primary

The September 9th primary will play a critical role in City politics. The primary will reduce the Council contenders from 5 to 4 and more dramatically the field of 5 Commissioner candidates to 2. Turnout will be the name of the game so I thought I would pass on a few stats:

Minnesota had a 78% turnout in the last presidential election year in 2004. This is a great rate which we will most likely beat this year. Primaries however are a bit more lackluster. When only a U.S. Senate race is in contention and no governors race on the primary ballot the turnout is just 17%.

In 2004 Commissioner Pagel received 1206 out of 1594 total votes cast in Isanti and 1487 out of 1904 in Bradford in an uncontested race.

The area has grown considerably in the past 4 years and the City of Isanti total vote share has increased. But if we simply extrapolate the 2004 numbers and take 17% of the total votes cast we end up with only 595 votes deciding the primary. Each voter will be asked to vote for 1 candidate in the Commissioner race in the primary and 2 in the Council race. Each candidate will have to work hard to get their voters to the polls. I hope this energizes the district into greater voter turnout as our Citizens takes a look at each candidate and what they have to offer.

Our participatory democracy only works if we participate by knowing the issues, candidate history, candidate positions and then go vote.

Letters of Credit

The City is drawing letters of credit for numerous Iverson developments to fix the many Minnesota Pollution Control issues along with unfinished projects. We have met with the banks involved and paraphrasing one bank official 'every dollar they have to spend is a dollar they lost on backing the developer'.

This is a situation none of the banks involved wanted to be in but they have all now complied with their agreements. The failing infrastructure will be fixed and projects like the paving of 3rd by the Soccer Fields can finally move forward.

I hope this will be the final page of a sad chapter in Isanti's history.

John Bettendorf

Last night at our Council meeting I read my letter of support of John Bettendorf's nomination for Young Retailer of the Year - which he won. John has brought great honor to the City of Isanti through his hard work and dedication to our community. Following is the text of the letter.

I have had the pleasure of knowing John Bettendorf over the past several years. John’s hard work and dedication to the City of Isanti has made our city stronger. His commitment to the business community as exemplified by his leadership in the Isanti Area Chamber of Commerce and the Isanti City Partnership has shown how a young and innovative individual can lift the aspiration of us all. The Isanti City Partnership is a group of city and business leaders that promotes economic development in our community. John brings an energy and knowledge base to each meeting that has helped guide us to ever greater achievements. His leadership within the Chamber of Commerce makes him a natural to take the helm as President in April 2008.

A hardware store in a City of 5,000 is a critical asset. I am in awe of John’s dedication to making the Isanti Hardware Hank a cornerstone of our community. He has improved the service level and product base which has improved not only his reputation but that of our City. John’s dedication to Isanti has shown through with all the time, energy and materials he has donated to community causes. He gives freely of his MC and DJ services at community events, donated paint to our volunteer Community Center remodeling and is taking the lead on a project to improve our downtown even though his own business is not located there. In the few short years John has owned the Hardware Hank he has left and indelible mark upon Isanti and shown how an excellent corporate citizen should behave.

Campaign Update August 19th

Was out last night for a short bit and the reception was once again strong. Continuing to try to catch up with sign request. I want to thank everyone that has asked for a lawn sign. It helps a great deal to hear from supporters. I have been trying to use as much of my time working on the City budget, recruiting businesses and dealing with residential developer aftermath. It is a balancing act to spend as much time as possible on City business and still run an effective campaign.

I had a comment passed on to me about nuisance ordinance. The person had thought it was a close vote that passed last year. It was a 5-0 vote to pass the nuisance ordinance changes that went into affect.

I am hoping to hear soon when the Isanti Area Chamber of Commerce will be holding their candidate forum. I look forward to see what format this will take.

The next few days after tonight's Council meeting will be dedicated to door knocking. Hope to see you out on the campaign trail.

I will be posting on the details of our Agenda for the Future over the next two months. We have a lot of great things to talk about as we set the course for our future together.

For those worried about future letters to the editor from our opponents, nothing to worry about. Each time our campaign is attacked the readership of the website and blog skyrocket. The more attention that we get even from a divisive letter to the editor helps get our positions out. The best example of this is when Mr. Iverson asked the Council in 2005 to "investigate" my blog. Readership went from only a dozen per week to hundreds. When CM Johnson wrote his letter to the editor at the end of the 2006 Mayoral campaign attacking me, readership again hit another new level and brought in more request for my email updates.

It is like manna from heaven each time they raise the profile of our Campaign. The newspapers reach thousands of readers per issue. Each time we are attacked residents Google my name to find out who this terrible "guy" is and then they reach the website and blog and start reading the history of the last few years. This then generates more supporters. I will defend myself when attacked but anything that continues to generate interest in the election is only good for our campaign.

Many candidates will have many letters written for and against them. In our little piece of the world we are looking at a Presidential, US Senate, US Representative, State Representative, County Commissioner, School Board, City Council and our Mayor's race. The local papers have these along with races in other districts to contend with. There will be much printed and at some point, if not already pasted, voters will be hit with so much clutter very little will be absorbed.

And for all of us candidates - I am reminded of a comment made by an Anoka Commissioner - paraphrasing he said an election tells you exactly how many people don't like you... it is a piece of humility I try to remember....

Council Audio

We now have the Council Audio on the City website. You may listen directly or download the audio. http://www.cityofisanti.us/govern_citycouncil_audio.php

I would love to see the whole City at a Council meeting but we generally only see those that have direct business attend a City Council meeting. I think it is especially important for the good Citizens of Isanti that may not believe what I write here to attend or listen to the audio. One more step in making City Hall more transparent to ones that pay for it.

The local papers try to cover all the main issues at a Council meeting but two problems with that, one you may not agree what is an important issue and two, each paper only has so much space for Council meeting stories.

Check it out, it is not a Hollywood production but it does bring local government one step closer to you.

Last Budget Work Session

Tuesday will be our last budget work session. The Council will then take up the budget at the first Council meeting in September. I will then detail the changes and cuts that will be needed to full fill the next two years of our fiscal goals.

The budget we are putting together for 2009 will need to be another series of spending cuts so the fund balances can be reserved for the 2010 budget. The dramatically reduced property tax collections especially from foreclosed developer property has caused significant harm to Isanti. The trap we have to not fall into is raising taxes on those that are actually paying their taxes to make up for the ones that are not.

We have an opportunity to continue the great work we did last year to keep Isanti on a sound fiscal foot.