06-02-14 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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4 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 20,700. The population has more than doubled from the 1990 census figure of 8,807 and has grown by 2 3% 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, for overseeing the day-to-day operation 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, p ublic safety (police and fire), public works (streets and fleet), parks and recreation, conservation of natural resources (environmental and solid waste abatement), 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 28. 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 this report beginning on pages 60 and 80, 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. The economic development effort established by the City Council in 1993 increased the commercial/industrial tax base in the City from 3% of the total tax base to 9% in 2011. Development of three industrial parks - Apollo Business Park on 35W, Marshan Industrial Park on Lake Drive, and the Clearwater Creek Development Center on 35E, provided excellent opportunities for manufacturing and distribution businesses to move their headquarters to Lino Lakes. Before the recession began in late 2007 the Lino Lakes Town Center, comprising approximately 200 acres surrounding the 35W/Lake Drive interchange, was developing at a rapid pace. SuperTarget and Kohl’s anchor the shopping center quadrant, while Apollo Busi ness Park brought approximately 1,000 new employees to the area. Land was purchased by Anoka County on a third quadrant for future development of a regional library. Due to economic conditions, the County has pushed back construction of the library to 2015.