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City Council Minutes December 7, 1994 Page 2 Falcon Heights proposes to levy Tess revenue in 1995 than in 1994. In 1994, the city levied $527,852 and in 1995 is proposing to levy only $520,867. However, the average single family homeowner will still see property tax increases due to two reasons: 1) a decrease in commercial industrial property values and 2) rising residential property valuations. Councilmember Gehrz noted that 2/3 of the land in Falcon Heights is owned by the State Fair and the University of Minnesota neither of which pays city taxes. Mayor Baldwin opened the public hearing at 7:20 p.m. Dan Stout, 1914 Holton Street, asked what the city would be getting for the extra $70,000 that it will cost to have the St. Anthony Police contract. Mayor Baldwin responded that St. Anthony would be providing an officer in Falcon Heights 24 hours per day. The contract with Roseville had Falcon Heights as a part of a larger patrol district and the assigned officer was not always available to patrol Falcon Heights. The council decided to contract with St. Anthony after receiving numerous requests from residents for more police visibility. These comments were received both informally and at community meetings held on the subject. Ann Stout, 1914 Holton Street, admitted that she was not involved in the meetings that were held on policing, but that she has a very hard time justifying an additional $70,000 in police expenses when the current provider is winning awards such as the National Night Out award presented earlier in the evening. She also noted that she sees the police quite often in her neighborhood. Councilmember Hustad stated that while he was running for office a year ago, police visibility was the number one issue among constituents. The Roseville Police were only patrolling Falcon Heights an average of nine hours per day. The St. Anthony Police Department will provide 24 hour patrol, plus work with businesses and crime prevention. Councilmember Hustad also noted St. Anthony's excellent record of crime resolution. Dan Stout replied that Falcon Heights really has very little crime and again asked what the $70,000 was going to buy for the residents of Falcon Heights. Councilmember Gehrz stated that she too ran for office last year and discovered that the only people who were satisfied with the level of police patrol were those living near Roselawn Avenue, where Falcon Heights borders Roseville. She suggested that since the Stouts live on Roselawn they may see patrols more often. Gehrz further remarked that the council held numerous meetings and solicited comments and input on this decision for many months prior to selecting St. Anthony as the police provider. The council feels that the decision is the right one based upon the input that they received last spring. Patty Holmes, 1524 Iowa Avenue, thanked the city for explaining the budget in a clear and fair manner. She stated that it was refreshing to hear a straightforward presentation, rather than a bashing of the state legislature. Ms. Holmes had a question regarding the mathematics of a specific property tax increase that was used as an example. The question was answered by Administrator Hoyt.