Council Candidate Race

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

NLX Rail Line may be Dead

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

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

5 Filed for District 4 Commissioner Seat

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

Michael Warring

Terry Thomton

Barb Kilpatrick

Wayne L. Anderson

Ron Collins

65/5 Overpass Update

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

The grants awarded under this program are for interchanges at:

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

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

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

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

Blog Improvements

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

65/5 Overpass

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

Community Center Reality

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

Blog Changes

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

March Special Election Update

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

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

Special Primary Election January 11th Update

Lundeen 50
Strieff 28
Collison 14

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

Special Primary Election January 11th

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

Interesting Development in East Bethel

Radical changes in East Bethel

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

Michael Streiff Candidate for Isanti City Council

Michael Streiff For Isanti City Council

“The Better Choice”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

January 4th Council Meeting

City Council meeting Agenda for this evening

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

Dan Collison Post

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

 Dan Collison said...

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

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

January 11th Special Election

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

A bit of a Break

I will be posting again next week on the topics ranging from a disappointing start to our Police Union mediation when they threatened to sue if we were forced to eliminate a position... this is what we get for taking another 3 months to hopefully get a good resolution... perhaps they wanted us to terminate the position a month ago...

Will be answering a goofy letter sent by the School District to parents of the primary school... The City did not deny the school district use of the parking lot... we simply asked that the district pay at least half the cost to repair the damage done to the parking lot done by their plowing... the superintendent refused... interesting considering all the fees the schools charge for use of their facilities....

Will be posting on the infrastructure debt the City accumulated before I was Mayor and our options to handle it... and about a dozen other topics.... follow my active Twitter and Facebook Account for daily updates... 

http://twitter.com/#!/MayorWimmer

http://www.facebook.com/GeorgeAWimmer

Isanti Home Invasion Press Release

ISANTI POLICE DEPT.

401 1^ST AVE. N

PO BOX 428

ISANTI MN 55040

763-444-4761

Chiefsager@cityofisanti.us

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

On December 15^th 2010 at approximately 12:09pm there was an armed home invasion.

Two armed suspects assaulted the lone male resident and he received minor injuries.

He was then able to free himself and ran down the driveway to where a Good Samaritan gave him a ride to the police department.

Suspects Description:  Two males; one shorter and stockier and the other taller and skinnier.  Both were wearing black gloves, sunglasses, black ski masks and black jackets.

They left in a dark blue Oldsmobile Intrigue.

Chief Ronald A. Sager

2011 Budget Update

When we started this budgeting process I predicted we would need to be at the 2006 spending limits.... well we are right on the number or actually .008 from the number so pretty darn close.....I think you would be hard pressed to find any government entity that can boast this type of budget discipline and reduce actual spending over 5 years.. .not a cut in increase but an actual dollar for dollar cut.....our tax levy is also looks like a ski slope going from 74% in 2005 to 54.47% for 2011.... we actually cut our levy rate by 2.5% from last year.... again the best i have seen out there is keeping the rate flat and many of our neighbors have increased their property tax levies.... Now there is real pain in this budget and that will been seen even more so as time goes on but with declining property values and state cuts we have to make the painful systemic cuts now to lessen the impact later.

The Council will be finalizing the 2011 budget Tuesday night and we will be discussing a possible cut of a police officer position due to the police union's insistence to be compensated at a higher rate than all over City workers. The City might be able to float a year with this inequity but the longer we wait to fix the problem the more expensive it will be and the greater harm it will do to City moral.

The biggest saving to the general fund budget was refinancing our City Debt with our higher credit rating - saving us over $100,000 a year.... We have this better credit rating due to our strong fiscal discipline and maintaining a prudent fund reserve to ensure we can be self sustaining as a City. If we leave this path for feel good spending measures we will soon be in dire financial straits.

There will be much more to say after Tuesday's Council meeting. I hope everyone understands where we are at from a budget stand point. The next two big issues are the sewer and water fund balances that were used by previous Council's and Mayor to fund the irresponsible rapid residential development. These are loaded with unsustainable debt and we are obligated to fix this problem just as we did with the our general fund budget crisis. The option for these two funds however are very limited and the answers seem painful... this will be one of the top topics at our upcoming community meetings....

Tweets on State Budget Deficit

MayorWimmer George Wimmer 

$6.2 billion deficit does not include the school shift.... so are we not really talking roughly $8 billion deficit?????

23 seconds ago Favorite Reply Delete

MayorWimmer George Wimmer 

$6.2 billion deficit over the next two years for the State of Minnesota.... all local governments and school districts are on their own

2 minutes ago