By Clark Natalie

Harris Mayor Rick Smisson gave a State of the City address Thursday, Aug. 17, updating citizens on six goals that had been set and how those goals are being reached.

He said one of the most important objectives was to update the city ordinances which were inconsistent with state statutes and did not reflect the standards of other communities. Updating the ordinances has been expensive, he said, but will be recouped in the long run as the city is less susceptible to law suits.

Another objective was to update the City Code and bring the building code in compliance with state code. This included updating the Zoning Map. At one point, the city had five zoning maps which, the mayor said, gave the impression of possibly using different maps in preference to certain people and projects. There is now one zoning map, approved by the Planning Commission and City Council.

A third objective was to organize the office process and accounting methods. This has been done by part-time contract workers. The accounting is now compatible with the State Auditors Office and can be filed electronically, he said.

The fourth objective was to develop an Economic Development Authority and the process has been started.

The water treatment plant is under construction and should be on line in 2007, as required by the state. It will reduce the radium in the water and make it look and smell better than it has been.

The final goal was to find the most economic and efficient means of dealing with wastewater. The present system has been condemned, the mayor said, because 25 percent of the sewage leaks into the ground water. The first plan was to connect to the North Branch system. This would have been the cheapest upfront but would have been more costly for the users in the future.

The city is in the process of constructing a new wastewater treatment facility. Because of the process, the cost of construction has continued to rise. According to the mayor, the city has modified the original design which will not affect the quality of operation, but will reduce the construction costs. The system will be easily expandable as more users come online and can help pay for the costs, he said.

Smisson reviewed the funding options and how they have been structured to push the greatest cost to the future. This will allow for the system to be online and serving users before it has to be paid for. Also, a system of sewer and water access fees, along with area charges have been incorporated. Smisson said as developers construct houses, they will pay these charges and pass them along to the new houses. These charges will also help to reduce the cost to the taxpayers of Harris.

Smisson said that the bottom line was that the water treatment plant will cost $1.6 million and will be funded in such a way as there will be a small increase in the monthly rate and a slow increase in usage charges, but taxes will not be raised to fund it.

The wastewater facility will cost $4.5 million and will also result in an increase in monthly usage charges and usage fees, but slowly, he said. If construction growth outpaces projections, this impact will be lower, he said.

Smisson reviewed the improvements in the fire department saying theyíve had minimal impact on the taxpayers by obtaining equipment through the DNR. Also, the fire department is now set up to bill insurance companies for fire calls and governmental agencies for grass fires.

The maintenance department has been upgraded by replacing older items with quality equipment.

Smisson said that he is committed to seeing taxes drop for residents. but the city cannot ignore problems. Money needs to be spent to solve the problems instead of pushing them forward to deal with later.

Smisson said heís heard from residents who want to keep the small town feel of Harris, but know that growth has to come.

The residents want to control growth and direct it in a way that is beneficial, he said.

Public meetings will be coming up and Smisson wants everyone who is interested to participate.