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2 Winter 2014-15 Hello again Lake Elmo, First, congratulations are in order to Council Members elect Julie Fliflet and Jill Lundgren on their successful campaigns for Lake Elmo City Council. I am certain the residents will be well served by them both. Each year at this time we reflect on what we have accomplished over the past twelve months and report how we used your tax dollars. We call this “Accountability” and you will find it as an insert to this newsletter. It is an important document to examine as we transform into a government that measures our per- formance and budgets in the same manner. It is also a good reminder of what we do each day to keep Lake Elmo an orderly running community. With that, I think the following topics are relevant in terms of what coun- cil and staff have accomplished and my accountability to you as Mayor. For example, with significant infrastructure installed and receiving subsequent development proposals, the city council was able to eliminate the Met Council MOU and the fines associated with it. Further, earlier this month we received assurances from Met Council staff that they will give due consideration of Lake El- mo’s request to drop our population estimate for 2040 to 18,500 rather than 20,500 when they develop their official forecast in 2015. The council and staff was able to secure $3.5 million in state bonding for a new water line to the I-94 corridor with help from our local legisla- tors and will not have to borrow the money to provide clean, potable water. We were able to get a commit- ment from developers to pick up the entire costs of building the new 5th street, a $13 million investment, and won’t have to borrow or tax for this infrastructure. We have made advances in the development of our Fire Department operations, specifically, inspections and “pre-plans.” We upsized our hydraulics in the old village and saved the cost of a $2.2 million water tower. Our Park Commission made great strides with improve- ments in Pebble Park, trail planning, new signage, and a plan to upgrade our tired park system to make it more user-friendly. And our employees managed their health benefits to a point that for the second consecutive year we will see no increase in our insurance premiums. This could not have happened without the dedication of a lot of “behind the scenes” residents who have gone above and beyond in serving Lake Elmo. Like Dave Moore, who, when not serving on our Equipment Com- mittee and Public Safety Committee, offers his bulldoz- er operator skills pro bono to our public works crew. Or Jennifer Turnquist and Dana Bloyer who provide valuable insight into our Human Resource Committee. Or Terry Forrest, a driving force on our Finance Com- mittee in helping to keep our tax rate flat. Or all of the sharp minds on the Economic Development Authority who will help make sure we grow fiscally smart. These folks and others made the first active year of our citizen committees a big success. Now for some “not so behind the scenes” individuals, Chairman Todd Williams (Planning), Chairman Shane Weis (Parks) and their fellow commission members who have been tireless in their efforts to keep Lake Elmo special. Finally, for two true gentlemen who have been in the “up front and center scene” for two years – Coun- cil Member Wally Nelson and Council Member Mike Reeves. As a resident and Mayor, I thank you both for your service and leadership. You both signed up a bit hesitantly, but you served with distinction and dedica- tion. I thank you for a job well done. Here’s hoping that all of you have a prosperous 2015! Mayor Mike Pearson The Mayor’s Corner The City of Lake Elmo adopted (5-0 unanimous vote) a tax levy of $3,137,000 or approximately $25,600 less than last year. Lake Elmo was one of only a handful of full-service cities to drop its levy in the Twin Cit- ies metroplex with the average tax in- crease noted as 3.68%. “With the school district referendum passing and other jurisdictional bodies increasing taxes, the Council thought it prudent to reduce the levy if possi- ble. This was done through the trans- fer of costs to the development com- munity for planning, engineering, and legal services associated with growth. In addition, the library budget was ad- justed downward by $25,600 to repre- sent their current maintenance of ef- fort,” said outgoing Finance Chairman Wally Nelson. The City was also able to hold cost flat in the area of insurances, police pro- tection, and administrative services – especially in staffing. “Most communities allocate 60% of their expense in personnel. In Lake Elmo, personnel represents closer to 40% of the general operating budget. We are lightly staffed with many em- ployees wearing three or four hats,” said Dean Zuleger, City Administrator. An unabridged copy of the 2015 Lake Elmo budget will be available for online viewing on the city website, www.la- keelmo.org after December 31, 2014. City Adopts 2015 Budget/Levy