Posted: 12/14/05
By MaryHelen Swanson
With the deadline for approving the 2006 tax levy fast approaching, the North Branch city council still cannot come to a consensus on what to approve.
A 2-2 voted at the Monday, Dec. 12 council meeting left the levy hanging in the air. Mayor Gloria Karsky, recovering from surgery, was not present to break the tie either way.
As City Administrator Joe Lynch noted, if the council cannot come to an agreement on the 2006 levy, the 2005 levy will be used for 2006.
That would be a reduction of $350,000 for next yearís budget.
The proposed levy, at $2,957,061 represents a 12.9 percent increase over 2005.
Councilwoman Theresa Furman, one of the two dissenting votes, would like that percent to be at no more than 10 percent. And she has issues with the equipment certificates which are used to fund purchases such as squad cars and public works vehicles.
Councilwoman Amy Oehlers, the other vote of opposition, is also unhappy with the continual use of the equipment certificate to purchase items ìon creditî as she put it.
She said for five years she has been voting on the equipment certificate and it is just more debt for the city. She would like to see it eliminated. She said buying on credit doesnít make sense to her.
Councilwoman Kathy Blomquist, who noted that her own taxes have gone up 14 percent (city taxes) stressed the need to better communicate with the county assessor on property valuations so the council can better determine the impact of its proposed levy each year ñ to give property owners a truer idea of where their taxes are going.
Because of the tie vote, and inability to come to a consensus after discussion, a special meeting was set for 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 19. The mayor was called and she may or may not be able to attend.
The council agreed if there is still a tie vote on the levy then, they will have to work something out.
Oehlers, as acting mayor, said she didnít think anyone would want to adopt the 2005 levy again. It would mean a drastic reduction of services for the residents, she said.
In other business, the council:
ï Adopted a resolution certifying delinquent utility bills to be paid with 2006 taxes. There are 57 delinquent accounts totalling $13,844.46.
ï Adopted an out-of-state travel policy, drafted according to one by the League of Minnesota Cities.
ï Awarded the bid for self-contained breathing apparatus for the North Branch Fire Department to Alex Air Apparatus. The department will use a $106,650 FEMA grant to make this purchase. The city will add just over $20,000 to the cost.
ï Agreed to have city addressing done in-house rather than by Chisago County. This puts the control back in the cityís hands, said planner Alan Cottingham.
ï Approved a revised project layout for submission to Mn/DOT of the Hwy. 95 bridge project. The revised plan calls for the realignment of Flink Avenue and relocation of traffic signals. Mn/DOT staff may take 2 months to approve the revised layout. NB will then be asked to provide Municipal Consent for the project. When that is given, the final design of the project can begin. City staff is saying the project is on track for design in 2006 and construction in 2007-2008. Federal money is available for a large part of the project. Local money, including state, county and city, will also be used and adjacent, benefiting, developing parcels are expected to contribute to the ìcityî share through developer agreements.
ï Supported an upcoming proposed constitutional amendment that would dedicate all of the motor vehicle sales tax (MVST) revenue to transportation. Currently, part of the MVST goes to the stateís general fund.
ï Agreed to have Springsted create a financial planning model for the city at a cost of $32,075. This is expected to be a ìtoolî the city can use to determine the financial impact of developments, industry, etc. Training on how to use the model will be included.
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