06-01-2020 Council Work Session Packet

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Profile of the Government The City of Lino Lakes, incorporated in 1955, is a growing community in the southeast corner of the County of Anoka. It covers an area of 33 square miles and has a population of approximately 21,700. The population has more than doubled from the 1990 census figure of 8,807 and has grown by 28.9% since 2000. Within the City’s borders lies the 2,550 acre Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park. Access to St. Paul and Minneapolis is provided by I-35W and I-35E. The City Charter, as amended, establishes a mayor-council form of government and grants the city council full policy-making and legislative authority to the mayor and four council members. The City council is responsible, among other things, for passing ordinances, adopting the budget, appointing committees, and hiring a City administrator. The City administrator has the responsibility of carrying out the policies and ordinances of the City council and for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the city. The City council is elected at-large on a non-partisan basis, with council members serving four-year terms and the mayor serving a two-year term. Elections are held every two years with two council seats and the mayor being up for election each election cycle. The City provides a full range of municipal services. These services include: general government, public safety (police, fire and building inspections), public services (streets, fleet, parks and recreation), conservation of natural resources (forestry, environmental and solid waste abatement), community development, public improvements, providing and maintaining sanitary and storm sewer, water infrastructure, and two enterprise funds, the water and sewer funds. The annual budget is the foundation for the City of Lino Lakes’ financial planning and control. All divisions are required to submit appropriations requests to the City administrator for review and consolidation into a proposed budget. The City administrator is responsible for submitting the proposed annual budget to the City Council in August of each year. The city council is required to hold a public hearing on the proposed budget and to adopt by resolution a final budget and certify it no later than December 30. The budget amounts cannot increase beyond the estimated receipts except to the extent that actual receipts exceed the estimate. Division directors may make transfers of appropriations within a department, but transfers of appropriations between departments require council approval. Budget-to-actual comparisons for the general fund and the recreation program fund, the only funds for which an annual budget has been adopted, are provided in Statements 10 and 26, respectively. Factors Affecting Financial Condition The information presented in the financial statements is perhaps best understood when it is considered from the broader perspective of the specific environment within which the City of Lino Lakes operates. Local economy. Infrastructure investments made by the City in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s in anticipation of a strengthening economy, are leading to continued residential, commercial and industrial growth. Completion of the 35E/CSAH 14 interchange has spurred residential, commercial and industrial development along this corridor. The City’s largest residential development, the 864 lot Watermark project, is currently under construction in the northwest quadrant. The City’s largest industrial user, Distribution Alternatives, expanded into a 402,000 square foot building in 2016. Commercial interest continues to grow with the expansion of the Main Street Shoppes in the northeast quadrant. The 35E corridor also gained additional attention through a partnership with Anoka and Washington County’s, neighboring cities and Connexus Energy, the Minnesota Technology Corridor. Over 1,000 4