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Home My WebLink About2018-2019 Winter SourceWinter 2019 City Hall - 3800 Laver ne Avenue Nor th - Lake Elmo, Minnesota 55042 (651) 747-3900 2019 Budget Update City Hall - 3800 Laver ne Avenue Nor th - Lake Elmo, Minnesota 55042 (651) 747-3900City Hall - 3880 Laverne Avenue North - Lake Elmo, MN 55042 (651) 747-3900 On September 18, 2018, the City Council adopted a 2019 Preliminary General Fund Budget of $4,189,837 which is an increase of $593,236 or 16.5%. The City’s Preliminary Tax Rate was set at 22.902% which is a 2% increase over 2018. 2019 Preliminary General Fund Budget The operating budget has increased revenues of $1,000,275 over the 2018 budget. This increase is due to the increase in the property tax levy for the General Fund, building permits as the City is still in an expan- sion phase, Cable Franchise revenue as the City builds out, and two additional leases on the water tower for cell phone antennas. The operating budget for expenditures has an overall increase of $930,275. The major changes to this are an increase in Assessing Services as we are now contracting with Washington County, Keats Avenue Acceleration Lane, Sealcoating and Crack Sealing to maintain our roads, and an additional Public Works employee. Transfers have also been added to this budget for the Vehicle Replacement Fund of $610,076 to build reserves and reduce future borrowing, and transfer to debt service funds to replace revenue due to the reduction in special assessments for Old Village Phase 3. 2019 Preliminary City Property Tax Rate The tax rate is calculated using the City’s Taxable Value on property divided by the levy. The levy is made up of the General Fund property tax levy needed to balance the budget and the City’s required debt levies on its outstanding bonds. This table below shows the impact on this to various home values in the City. ...Article continues on page 2 2 Winter 2018 Snow Plowing in Lake Elmo Winter weather is never a popular subject, especially for plow operators who are trying to keep roads clear and safe for traffic. The follow- ing are a few tips and information that will hope- fully make winter a little easier for everyone. • Do not deposit or push snow across any street (MN State Statute 160.2715) • Please keep garbage and recycling containers off the roadway. • Make sure your mailbox is at its legal height and properly secured. The city will only replace mailboxes that are physically hit by city plows. • Priority will be given to roads with higher amounts of traffic. Roads serving residential areas and cul-de-sacs will be plowed secondary. • Depending on snowfall timing, crews will be- gin operations between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM. • Please leave plenty of room when following plows. These units do frequent turning and backing. Remember, “If you cannot see their mirrors, they cannot see you!” 2019 Budget Continued Public Hearing on the 2019 Budget and 2019 Final Tax Levy A public hearing is scheduled on December 4, 2018 at the Regular City Council meeting at 7:00 PM. After the hearing the City Council will consid- er adopt the Final Budget and Tax Levy for 2019. Winter Parking Ordinance Now in Effect Winter parking ordinance prohibits parking on Lake Elmo Streets from Nov. 1 through March 31 between 2:00 AM and 7:00 AM. Public Works can't clear the roadways with cars blocking their paths! 2018 Wash. Co. Tax Rate Comparison 3 Winter 2018 New City Council Members Council Member, Dale Dorschner Lisa McGinn is a retired St. Paul police officer, and has been serving on the City’s Public Safety Committee for two years, along with being a member of the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Panel. She has remained active in her retirement serving on several boards including eight years with the Minnesota Zoo. Council Member, Lisa McGinn Dale Dorschner has been a Lake Elmo resident for over 20 years, and his family has roots in the area for generations. Prior to being elected to the Lake Elmo City Council, Dale was a member of the City’s Planning Commission. 2018 City Council Election Results The 2018 election included local races for two City Council seats. City Council elections are nonpartisan and the candidates run for their seats at-large. Terms for these Coucnil positions are fours years begin- ning in January of 2019 and ending January 2, 2023. Three candidates filed for the two seats. The election results are provided below. 4 Winter 2018 New City Staff Ken Roberts started in Lake Elmo in early November. Ken has over 25 years of experi- ence working in municiple government in a plan- ning capacity. Most recently he was the planner for Chisago County. Ken Roberts, Planning Director Mike Belde, Public Works Mike Belde joined the City of Lake Elmo as a Public Works Operator in September. Prior to coming to Lake Elmo, Mike worked as a Grounds Equipment Manager for Minneapolis Public Schools. Mike currently lives in Lake Elmo. The City has been participating in workgroups related the the Minnesota 3M PFC Settlement since July. Summaries of the workgroup meetings of the Government and 3M Working Group and the Citizen-Business Group are now posted on the 3M Settlement website. Also available is a presentation from the Minnesota Department of Health on the spatial extent of the PFAS contamination. Information on these workgroups, past meetings, or other details relating to the 3M PFC Settlement can be found on the settlement website at: https://3msettlement.state.mn.us/. The next workgroup meetings are scheduled for December 18 and 19. Meeting agendas will be available soon. All 3M Settlement work group meetings are open to the public, and time is reserved at each meeting for questions from attendees. 5 Winter 2018 Will Your Mailbox Survive the Winter? Below are proper installation instructions from the USPS 1) Position your mailbox 41” to 45” from the road surface to the bottom of the mailbox or point of mail entry. 2) Place your mailbox 6” to 8” back from the curb. If you do not have a raised curb, contact your local post- master for guidance. 3) Put your house or apartment number on the mailbox. 4) If your mailbox is on a different street from your house or apartment, put your full street address on the box. 5) If you are attaching the box to your house, make sure the postal carrier can reach it easily from your sidewalk, steps, or porch. Street Light Outages City Staff has recently been receiving an increased volume of calls relating to street lights that have burnt out throughout the City. These lights are the respon- sibility of Xcel Energy to maintain and replace. If you notice a street light that is no longer working, please visit: https://www.xcelenergy.com/outages…/ Outdoor_Lighting_Outages to report the outage. You will need to provide the approximate address, or gen- eral area where the light is located. 6 Winter 2018 Fire Department Update Your Lake Elmo Fire Department by the Numbers: As of 10/31/2018, we responded to 381 emergency calls. 8 Structure Fires 27 Wildland and other fires 22 CO and Fire alarms 221 Medicals 103 Car accidents and other Misc. Rescue calls STAFFING is an on-going struggle with an upward trend of emergency call volume. Our current staffing is as follows: • 14 (32 allotted) Active Paid-on-call Personnel, with 1 on leave of absence and 2 new recruits in training. • 4 of 6 Part-time Firefighters with 2 in the hiring process. They provide minimal daytime response. • 1 Full-time Chief Your Lake Elmo Fire Department needs you as a Paid-on-Call Firefighter, now more than ever. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes, give us a call. We are “neighbors helping neighbors.” SAFE HAVEN is a simple residential self-assessment of home safety and security jointly sponsored by the Lake Elmo Fire Department and Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Our goal is for you to be as safe as possible in your own home. We hope the only time you see a fire truck is during a parade and avoid the need to call us for an emergency, by providing these home safety tips. We can accomplish this best through education, prevention, and an on-going partnership as your Fire Department. That is exactly what Safe Ha- ven is about. If you have questions or know that you would like some services, please call the Lake Elmo Fire Department at 651-770-5006. We hope to hear from you soon. In the meantime, have a GREAT and SAFE winter! Winter tips: With the cold and snowy conditions of winter, come many related safety concerns. While too numerous to list, we have some of the more common ones below along with links for more information. • Slips, trips, and falls - Make sure you keep your walk and driveways clean and clear of snow and ice. • Never discard hot ashes or coals into a combustible container, use a metal pail. They may seem cool, but could re-ignite and start a fire. • Smoke Alarms - https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/sfm/for-families/Documents/Fact%20sheets/Smoke-alarm- fact-sheet-final.pdf • Carbon Monoxide Detectors - https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/sfm/for-families/Documents/Fact%20sheets/ CO-alarm-fact-sheet.pdf Additional safety tips can be found with the MN State Fire Marshals, Fire Facts and Tips – https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/sfm/for-families/Pages/fire-facts-tips-what-you-need-to-know.aspx FIRE HYDRANTS – Along with the snow comes the need to make sure fire hydrants are accessible at all times. If you are able, please clear the snow from around any hydrants near your home and neighborhood. Our Part-time Firefighters will also be out clearing snow from hydrants. Thank you in advance. 7 Winter 2018 Online Bill Pay Now Available! Lion’s Park Signs The City is taking orders for new signs at Lion’s Park for the 2019 season. If you’d like to purchase a sign to advertise on the Lion’s Park ballpark fence, or renew your current sign, the deadline to do so is April 1, 2019. The cost of the signs are $500 per year for a 4’x8’ sign, and $900 per year for a 4’x16’ sign. To begin work on designing your sign, email Kathy Weeks at weeksendsigns@aol. com. For all other questions contact City Administrator, Kristina Handt at khandt@lakeelmo.org or 651-747-3905. The City of Lake Elmo has launched a new online bill pay option for utility bills. To pay your bill online, visit the City’s website at: www.lakeelmo.org. Once on the website, click on the “Online Bill Pay Now Available!” article under the City News & Events heading. Click the “Pay Online” button and create new account using the “First-time User” button on the next page. Once your account is created you will be able to login with your email address and your newly created password. Please note that your “Utility Account Number” will be required to create a new login, so have your utility bill ready! 8 Winter 2018 Mayor Mike Pearson Council Justin Bloyer Julie Fliflet Jill Lundgren Christine Nelson City Administrator Kristina Handt Internet: www.lakeelmo.org Email: comments@lakeelmo.org POLICE-FIRE Emergency: 9-1-1 Non-emergency: (651) 439-9381 A publication of the City of Lake Elmo 3880 Laverne Ave. N., Lake Elmo MN 55042 • 651-747-3900 PRSTD STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 19 LAKE ELMO, MN 3880 Laverne Ave. N. Lake Elmo, MN 55042 POSTAL PATRON LAKE ELMO MN 55042 www.facebook.com/LakeElmoMN Public Works Contact Info:Winter activities in Lake Elmo Parks Public Works: 651-747-3940 Emergency: Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. City Hall: 651-747-3900 All other hours and weekends, Washington County Dispatch: 651-439-9381 Are you looking for something to do outdoors this winter? Below are a few activities you can enjoy doing in Lake Elmo City Parks. • Ice Skating – Lion’s Park has a Hockey and Pleasure Rink along with a Warming House. The rinks will open once the weather becomes cold enough to sustain hard ice. Warming House hours are 3-9pm Monday-Friday and 12-9pm Saturday-Sunday and days when school is out. • Cross Country Skiing/Hiking/Sledding – Sunfish Lake Park has groomed trails for those that enjoy skiing, snow shoeing and hiking. You can also enjoy the sledding hill located in the park. • Sledding – Tablyn Park boasts a sledding hill that is a popular spot for many to come and test their skills at downhill sledding