07-26-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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(2) PROFILE OF THE CITY The City of Little Canada was originally part of New Canada Township that was created in 1858. In 1953, a portion of the township was incorporated as the Village of Little Canada. In 1974, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Little Canada was designated a statutory city. Little Canada is a northern suburb of St. Paul and located wholly in Ramsey County. The land within the City’s boundaries covers 4.48 square miles of which 3.89 square miles is land and .59 square miles is water. The 2020 U.S. Census population for the City was 10,819 which was a 10.70% increase from the 2010 census (9,773). The City operates under the “Optional Plan A” form of government as defined in Minnesota Statutes. Under this plan, the City Council is composed of an elected mayor and four elected council members. The five-member City Council is responsible for policy-making and legislative authority. The City Council is responsible for, among other things, passing ordinances, appointing committees, and hiring the City Administrator. The City Administrator is responsible for carrying out the policies and ordinances of the City Council and for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the City government. The City Council is elected on a nonpartisan basis. The Mayor serves a two-year term and each of the Council Members is elected for a four-year term. Elections are held in the fall of even numbered years and the Mayor and City Council are elected at-large. The City provides a variety of municipal services which include: contracted services for police protection and fire protection, street maintenance, parks & recreation, refuse collection & recycling, building inspection, planning and zoning, public improvements, general administrative services, public water and sewer utilities. The City’s financial planning and control foundation is the annual budget. The budget incorporates the City’s financial policies related to operations, management policy, debt management, reserves, investments, and amendments to the overall documents. All departments and agencies of the City submit requests for appropriation to the City Administrator by June 30 of each year. The City Administrator and Finance Director use the requests as the starting point for developing a preliminary balanced budget to be presented to the City Council prior to September of each year. Before the end of September, the City Council sets the preliminary tax levy, which must take into consideration the maximum tax levy adopted at the annual meeting and must be certified prior to September 30th of each year. This preliminary tax levy can be lowered but not increased before the final budget and levy are adopted in December. FACTORS AFFECTING FINANCIAL CONDITION The information presented in the financial statements is best understood when it is considered from the broader perspective of the environment within which City of Little Canada operates. COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented challenge worldwide. While many larger urban areas experienced environmental, socio-economic, management, and transportation related impacts, suburban communities such as Little Canada were primarily health related. Since March, 2020 the City of Little Canada has been responding to all aspects of COVID-19 including the financial implications, and has endeavored to remain flexible and responsive to meeting the needs of the community. LOCAL ECONOMY As part of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, the City has experienced a strong and favorable economic environment for a number of years. The metropolitan region has a strong and diversified business base, including companies with headquarters or divisions located within City of Little