08-21-90 CCM - Laserfiche WebLink

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LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES AUGUST 21, 1.990 PAGE 3 6. Resolution No. 90-28: Adopting the Proposed Budget and Proposed Tax Levy for 1991 Finance Director, Marilyn Banister reported the proposed levy and budget have to be certified to the County by September lst. Our levy limit is $679,756 which is the amount of property taxes to be collected in 1991 to provide our city services. In addition to the General Fund tax levy, we have the Park Bond, the Landfill Referendum and the Equipment Certificate. Councilman Williams asked the Council to consider holding a referendum on a special levy ($50,000 is the minimum at this time, but would like to have $100,000) for a public information campaign aimed at influencing the county's decision on the landfill site. Based on the 4 to 1 vote for the last referendum, Williams noted the citizens of Lake Elmo want the City to do just about anything they can to fight this landfill. Williams explained there has never been a landfill stopped in Minnesota because of an EIS and ReAPP doesn't trust the process because the process has never protected a City like Lake Elmo. Councilwoman Armstrong stated she didn't think the referendum was needed because we get free publicity from the newspapers, we have great volunteers for the landfill fight and felt $50,000 was a gross amount of money. Armstrong indicated ReAPP and the City should concentrate their efforts on influencing the Washington County Commissioners, who will. eventually decide the fate of the landfill, not the public as a whole. She voiced her confidence in DPRA in putting together a good report to give to the County. Councilman Hunt reported he was aware the commissioner representing Lake Elmo is opposed to the landfill and found little outside support had been generated for the fight. Hunt felt the siting of a landfill would be a political decision and the way you influence that decision is to rouse the public because putting a landfill in the park is more than just a Lake Elmo issue. Mayor Dunn didn't think we needed high -paid professionals to come up with a "Catchy Phrase", but felt the City and ReAPP could make a concerted.effort to send out some type of informational sheet to every neighborhood. Dunn felt the EIS process would be the way to stop the landfill. Councilman Graves suggested the City and ReAPP consider a pamphlet similar to that produced for the first landfill referendum to further inform the public about the issues which would only cost a couple thousand dollars. Graves noted the Council must cut expenses by $80,000 out of the proposed budget for 1991. Even though he hadn't made up his mind to support the additional referendum, Graves indicated he didn't want the landfill. and it wouldn't hurt to have the additional funds in the total cost of the levy.