HomeMy WebLinkAboutgr00090_000055_pg002ANNUAL MAYOR'S MESSAGE
JANUARY 5, 1981
In this annual message I would like to focus attention on what I see as
the main challenges we will face over the next two years and for years
into the future. These are the push by the Metropolitan Council for
higher density housing, the need to preserve as much as possible of our
remaining wetlands and demands by developers for expensive services.
I believe most of us choose to live in Mounds View to avoid the urban
problems-- traffic, pollution, high taxes, and so on-- that often
seem to be associated with highly built-up, high housing density areas.
Another specific cost factor to be concerned about is that today many of
our utility services are at or approaching capacity, so that major new
demands on those services would likely require expensive additions.
Because lot sizes in Mounds View tend to be relatively large, we are
vulnerable to pressure for lot splits and for multiple family housing.
The consequence of what could amount to doubling of our housing is that
existing services would have to be duplicated at a cost of many millions
)f dollars to present residents— costs that are unlikely to be fully
recovered - by new tax revenues. I therefore see it as being an
obligation of the City Council to resist these housing pressures unless
benefits to the City can be clearly shown to outweigh costs.
I have discussed before the many reasons for preserving our remaining
wetlands, but I want to emphasis here the fact that they have been found
to be effective in cleaning up storm water. This function will become
highly important to us in the near future because the Federal Government
will be requiring cities to do the cleaning job-- if not by natural means
then by very expensive treatment plants. An ordinance has been in
preparation for some time which, if adopted by the new City Council, I am
sure will go far toward meeting this second challenge.
Lastly, it has been widely accepted practice in the past to supply services
to developers based on the assumption that such investment will be returned
through new tax revenues. It has become clear that this can be bad
business for the City. Recognizing this, we are now requiring major