11-14-07 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 14, 2007 COUNTY Ramsey County Commissioner Jan Parker appeared before the Council REPORT to provide an update on activities within Ramsey County. She submitted a packet containing various County publications which include information on yard waste sites (open until the end of November) and hazardous waste collection sites (open on Saturdays from December through March). Parker also informed the Council that the County's Truth In Taxation hearing will be held on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 at Arlington High School. This TNT hearing will be held jointly with the School District and the City of St. Paul. There will be property appraisers at the hearing one hour prior to answer questions that property owners might have. Parker reported that she is involved in Active Living Ramsey County which is working to make the County more accessible for pedestrians and bikers. She reported that this committee is looking for a representative from the City of Little Canada. If there is anyone interested in serving, they should contact Commissioner Parker. Parker then reported that the County's proposed 2008 Budget includes a 2.7% overall increase and a 5% property tax levy increase. Parker reported that the County is experiencing more funding cuts from the Federal and State governments resulting in the need for the County to increase its property tax levy. Parker reported that the County, just like the City, works hard to keep its budget down and prioritize the services that are most important to taxpayers. Parker noted that the largest cost increases are in the areas of corrections and public safety programs. Parker reported that the County recently received a grant from the Annie Casey Foundation for work in the area ofjuvenile detention alternatives. The County is looking at alternatives because it has been found that kids that end up in juvenile detention do worse than kids that don't. Parker introduced Judge Gary Bastian who is the co-chair to the County's Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative & Disproportionate Minority Confinement (JDAI/DMC) study committee to discuss what the County is doing in this regard. Judge Gary Bastian reported that corrections and public safety programs are the fastest growing part of the County's budget. He noted he has worked in the juvenile court system for• the past three years. The cost of having a juvenile in detention is over $100 per day, and there were 3,400 admissions last year. Most of these juveniles came from the suburbs, and a disproportionate number are minorities. Bastian reported that a juvenile put into placement costs the County $70,000 to $90,000 per year versus an adult in Stillwater at approximately $37,000 per year. Bastian noted out that the cost of secondary education is approximately $7,000 per year.