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ANNUAL MAYOR'S MESSAGE <br />JANUARY 5, 1981 <br />In this annual message I would like to focus attention on what I see as <br />the main challenges we will face over the next two years and for years <br />into the future. These are the push by the Metropolitan Council for <br />higher density housing, the need to preserve as much as possible of our <br />remaining wetlands and demands by developers for expensive services. <br />I believe most of us choose to live in Mounds View to avoid the urban <br />problems-- traffic, pollution, high taxes, and so on-- that often <br />seem to be associated with highly built-up, high housing density areas. <br />Another specific cost factor to be concerned about is that today many of <br />our utility services are at or approaching capacity, so that major new <br />demands on those services would likely require expensive additions. <br />Because lot sizes in Mounds View tend to be relatively large, we are <br />vulnerable to pressure for lot splits and for multiple family housing. <br />The consequence of what could amount to doubling of our housing is that <br />existing services would have to be duplicated at a cost of many millions <br />)f dollars to present residents— costs that are unlikely to be fully <br />recovered - by new tax revenues. I therefore see it as being an <br />obligation of the City Council to resist these housing pressures unless <br />benefits to the City can be clearly shown to outweigh costs. <br />I have discussed before the many reasons for preserving our remaining <br />wetlands, but I want to emphasis here the fact that they have been found <br />to be effective in cleaning up storm water. This function will become <br />highly important to us in the near future because the Federal Government <br />will be requiring cities to do the cleaning job-- if not by natural means <br />then by very expensive treatment plants. An ordinance has been in <br />preparation for some time which, if adopted by the new City Council, I am <br />sure will go far toward meeting this second challenge. <br />Lastly, it has been widely accepted practice in the past to supply services <br />to developers based on the assumption that such investment will be returned <br />through new tax revenues. It has become clear that this can be bad <br />business for the City. Recognizing this, we are now requiring major <br />