Posted 6/6/01
Mayor John Pinsonneault reports on citizen survey
I would like to extend sincere thanks from the Council and myself for the citizen participation in the recent survey. We received roughly 450 responses to the survey, not quite what we had hoped for. Nevertheless, it is a start.
I have reviewed the statistical results and the responses, and have formulated some trend areas into a format that has been forwarded to each responsible department head. Their job will be to respond to the request by memo. In upcoming Council work sessions we will begin to review the surveys and the additional comments that were submitted. We feel there is some valuable information that we need to address immediately and other issues that will take some long-term planning to accomplish, but we do want you to know that we will use this survey in our upcoming planning sessions.
I would like to be able to address all of the concerns through the press. However, based on the number involved, the newspapers would need to reserve a few pages for my comments! But rest assured, copies of the survey results are available by contacting City Hall and I encourage you to get a copy and review the results.
Some of the trend areas still waiting for response include water conditions, library facility improvements and longer business hours, ordinance enforcement, property maintenance (cluttered yards), noise control, revitalization of the old downtown area, attraction of more industrial business and larger commercial business, an additional grocery store, community swimming pool, recreational facilities for youth, community center, affordable housing, the I-35/95 bridge expansion, street improvements, proper law enforcement coverage and, as expected, slow growth.
While I wish I could address all of the concerns here, I want to comment on a few of the more prominent issues. First, Council has been working very diligently, along with staff, to ensure we do all we can to open the lines of communication with the citizens. Please remember, this is a two-way street! I could tell by a number of the responses that the citizens were not informed as to what is happening with things such as the bridge, growth, and police, to name a few. Donít allow rumor control to take advantage of you! Take initiative to call City Hall when you need information or clarification.
Next is the industrial and commercial growth that dramatically increases our tax base and provides potentially more quality job opportunities. We have already added a contracted firm to help us with the process of recruiting more quality businesses to North Branch. And, we have brought the financial wizardry of our Finance Director Dave Stutelberg to the plate.
Regarding property maintenance, we have a Code Enforcement Official who handles those tasks. As our community grows, Council firmly believes that we need to take care of what we have. That means cleaning up our questionable property that violates City codes. Violators beware! Rich Meyer will be taking a much more aggressive role than he had previously. He has been involved with much of the building inspection and plan review processes to this point.
Council is sensitive to the needs of the youth of our community and will be discussing what we can do to provide opportunities for them to do constructive activities, as well as what role we can play in providing facilities.
Staff continues to focus on the bridge issue. However, this is an issue that falls out of our hands to a great degree. I-35 is a federal highway and Highway 95 is a state highway. This means the City must wait for action to be taken by other government agencies. Know that we are working diligently to push our bridge project to the top of the list. Additionally, I have met numerous times with Congressman Oberstar, who is very supportive of our position. And, we all know that Senator Ring drives over that bridge every day ñ a healthy reminder! For those of you interested in the County Road 17 bridge, be aware that this is not within the City boundaries and, therefore, we have little influence over what happens with regards to this bridge.
As for police protection, yes, you do have 24-hour service by the North Branch Police Department. We are in the process of looking at hiring an additional part-time officer for high-profile hours - Friday and Saturday nights. We are also screening for an additional officer so that we can move one of our current officers into an investigator position. At this point, we rely a great deal on outside sources for investigative services, which can be detrimental to a quality investigation. Council will also be looking for resolve to pedestrian traffic issues, along with tighter enforcement near schools during peak hours ñ mornings and afternoons.
For those interested in paving their current gravel roads, our planners will be looking into their magical crystal ball in an attempt to predict what areas are going to be most affected by the increase in traffic, and providing potential solutions to the target areas.
And, finally, at the center of controversy ñ growth. We sent staff straight to work on producing an update to our Comprehensive Plan. As Council awaits the outcome, please rest assured that we are hearing both sides of the issue and there is no clear-cut answer at this point. Council is looking to staff and their resources to produce evidence of the overall affects of long-term growth. A fair assumption can be made that Council is in favor of growth, but at what pace? There is little doubt that we can grow at a dramatic rate, should we choose, or at as reasonable a pace as we choose. This will by far be our most complex issue. We have to base the decisions that involve growth on facts. What are the environmental impacts based on our current growth pattern? What is the short- and long-term impact on our infrastructure? What about the tax implications in relation to growth? And the list goes on. Naturally, there is an emotional side that falls into play through this process and will not be overlooked.
So, as you can see, many of the issues that were most important in the surveys are already in the works or will be on the table in the very near future. I encourage all citizens to come to a Council meeting, work session or Commission meeting and get involved in the areas that concern you most. Without your input, Council makes its decisions based on the best assessment of the situation.
Recently, a letter to the editor was printed regarding who served on the Conservation Subdivision Subcommittee. I would just like to take this opportunity to clarify that, in addition to two developers being on the committee, Jack Kopp and Steve Vanden Heuvel, there were also many others. Representing the Park Commission were Jim Deming and Charles Heinzel. The Planning Commission was represented by Kevin Engel and John Philipsen. Tom Borchardt brought his septic expertise. Council sent Roger Else and John Pace, Jr. Two citizen-at-large members were also involved, Theresa Furman and Jacob Mayne. In actuality, we involved a cross-section of the community. Keep in mind, people donít come running through the doors of city hall very often volunteering for additional responsibilities, so we do the best we can with the resources we have. I would like to thank the above-mentioned citizens who gave of their time, and continue to do so. Their research has been very helpful and appreciated.
Included in the survey were a number of compliments on the services we provide and the manner in which they are done. We also noted that many of the newer citizens to the community were made to feel very welcomed. I think that is a great indication of the type of community we have and hope to keep.
In closing, I hope you can see that Council, Commissions and staff are, in fact, working diligently to meet the needs of the community, to provide response to community requests and concerns, and to implement solid planning as we move ahead.
I wish everyone a fun and safe summer!