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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009 Fall Newsletter Hugo City Hall • 14669 Fitzgerald Avenue North • Hugo, Minnesota 55038 �s ILI0 Mid-Year Budget Review 130th and 147111 Street Hugo's Property Tax Rate Will Decline Improvements For the seventh consecutive year Hugo's prop- For several years the City has erty tax rate will decline. Based on a prelimi- ROAD recognized a need for traffic nary levy of$5,252,787, a fiscal disparities re- AHEAD improvements on Highway 61 duction of$556,789 and a county tax capacity at the intersections of 130th of just over$14 million,the urban tax rate will and 147th Streets. Growth within decline by over one-half of one percent. This Hugo and its surrounding neighbor- represents a tax reduction of $109.31 or 11.9 hoods, as well as safety concerns for safe traf- percent on a median value homestead. City Fi- fic flow, prompted the City Council to seek • nance Director Ron Otkin adds,"Our proposed funding from the Minnesota Department of • tax levy is $600,000 lower than the maximum Transportation (MNDOT) for street improve- allowed by state statute and provides for a bal- ments at these sites. After several years of anced operating budget." applying,funding for these projects was award- ed to Hugo in 2008. ' - - • Otkin's presentation at the City Council's Sep- tember 8, 2009 meeting also highlighted the Through joint funding with MNDOT,construc- • following specifics of Hugo's 2010 property tion on these projects is scheduled to begin in taxes: the spring of 2010. "The projects have been • ••a approved, and the City is waiting for final b• ••o Decline In Median Value Homestead approval from MNDOT for actual construc- _" According to the 2010 assessment report pre- tion plans," states Hugo City Engineer Jay pared by the County Assessor,the taxable value Kennedy. The construction plans will include traffic signals, turn lanes drainage and utility of the median value residential homestead in g � g Hugo has declined from$280,300 to$253,100. improvements. The intersection at 147th Street • will also include sidewalk construction. • Debt Service Tax Levies These taxes are used to make principal and in- "MNDOT is contributing to the funding of the Budget Review: Page 5 Improvements: Page 3 E, x a k r j f y Meet Your NewSign Ordinance Due to growing confusion over acceptable sign permit — for up to 90 days per calendar year. usage in Hugo and an increase in the number "These don't have to be consecutive days, but of requested variances, the City Council has can be spread throughout the year," states Si- adopted a newly updated sign ordinance. Ac- mone. cording to Associate Planner Rachel Simone, the new ordinance is designed to be more"busi- pylon Signs ness-friendly" and will ultimately be beneficial to residents as well. Defined as signs held up with either a single pole or a pole on each side,pylon signs now require a Conditional Use Permit. "The new ordinance The new sign ordinance involves changes in only allows for monument signs,"says Simone, four major areas: "where the base is as wide as the sign." Wall Signs New Development Sites The old ordinance allowed only one wall sign For a more consistent look, the new ordinance to be attached to a building and required it to requires development sign criteria be established be at the main entrance. "Wall signs are now for any new commercial or industrial develop- allowed on any portion of the building that is ment in the City. There will be"a unity with all visible from a public street,"explains Hugo As- business signs on multi-tenant buildings,"notes sociate Planner Rachel Simone. "All four sides Simone. Development sign criteria will allow of a building could now have a wall sign." for flexibility within the sign ordinance. Temporary Signs For more information or clarification on thL Typically in place for special,short-term events, new ordinance,please contact Hugo City Hall temporary signs can now be posted — with a at 651-762-6300. Business RetentionAnd Expansion Oprouram Kicks Off In Hugo The Hugo Economic Development Authority effect to "demonstrate community support for (EDA) is responsible for economic develop- the local businesses and to maintain and bal- �• `'"fir ment issues concentrating on three areas: keep- ance the strong relationship between the City ing businesses in the and its businesses," community, helping comments Simone. existing businesses She adds, "We want Team members that want to expand ea.�`', ., to make sure the busi- F and attracting new nesses know that will spend six businesses to Hugo. ,} we're here if they need The EDA continues to = ` - something, and we to eight weeks act on these goals with Y- want to be ready when conducting site the establishment of a they do." local Business Reten- visits and com- tion and Expansion r The fact-gathering (BR&E)Program,de- _v portion of the Program plating compre. signed to discover the , will be completed by needs of local busi- the end of November, hensive surveys nesses and determine with surveys sent to with area busl- whether they are be- the University of Min ing met. "We essen- nesota Extension be- nesses. ially want to find out if business owners are fore the end of 2009 and a final report expected getting what they need to successfully run their in January 2010. According to Simone, "The businesses in the City," explains Hugo Associ- U of M will then analyze everything. They'll ate Planner Rachel Simone. tell us what the City is doing well, and they'll tell us what Hugo business owners say they still The BR&E Program got underway in early Oc- need from us. Based on these findings they will tober with the training of leadership and task also provide strategic implementation plans for force teams whose members represent a wide the next three to five years." range of disciplines—from economic develop- ment and education to business owners and City staff. These team members will spend six to eight weeks conducting site visits and complet- Improvements: From Pagel ing comprehensive surveys with area business- es. Survey questions focus on topics such as Project, but the City of Hugo is leading the labor force and customers,community factors, construction," notes Kennedy. "For example, telecommunications and technical assistance. the City is hiring the contractors." In addition to funding from MNDOT, Wilson Tool is also The goal is to have 60 completed surveys;how- a contributor to funding the traffic signal at the ever,every business in Hugo will receive a let- 130th Street intersection. ter inviting them to participate. "We randomly picked 60 businesses that will receive the sur- These projects will take several months to vey and have a site visit," notes Simone, "but complete, but no major detours are expected. any business that wants a site visit will deft- "There will be challenges. Drivers will need to iitely get one." proceed slowly through construction areas, but we don't expect to be shutting down any roads," Working with the University of Minnesota Ex- notes Kennedy. Both projects are scheduled for tension, the BR&E Program is being put into completion before the end of 2010. Parks n Second Phase Of Hanifl Fields Athletic Park Completed The first phase of development of Hanifl Fields Athletic Park next to the Rice Lake Centre is now complete. Started in 2008,the first phase consisted of grading the site,installing irrigation and utilities,planting turf and building a parking lot and access roads. The park has space of five adult soccer fields and many youth sized soccer fields. The City of Hugo is now working on the second phase. With plans nearly complete,construction will likely start in the spring of 2010 to build a shelter with an open-air pavilion,gathering room,concession stand and restrooms. Also, children's play equipment and landscaping will be installed. a The newly completed athletic fields will be open for play in the spring of 2010,but reservations a for practices and games are already being accepted. While use of the fields is open to all,prior- ity will be given to Hugo youth and residents. "Our hope is to have practices and games every Tuesday, Nov. to — evening," states Hugo Economic Development/Parks Intern Shayla Syverson. She adds,"These Hugo"Pizza and Parks" are high quality fields and are ideal for tournaments." Open House For more information regarding reservations,call Hugo City Hall at 651-762-6300. Please join us at the Hugo Parks, Recreation Programming Sub-Committee & Open Space Open With the completion of the Hanifl Fields Athletic Park,the Parks and Recreation Programming Sub-Committee will be shifting its focus to new projects. Its primary focus will now be to gather House from 6 to 8 p.m. input from citizens regarding the future use of parks and the need for recreational programming in the Oneka Room at in Hugo. Hugo City Hall, 14669 By obtaining input from residents and City staff,the Sub-Committee will look at a range of is- Fitzgerald Ave. N., to sues, including the City's potential need for a Parks and Recreation Department, recreational address the City's cur- programming and other recreational amenities. rent recreational pro- gramming opportunities City Acquires land The Hugo City Council approved the purchase of 125 acres of land located near County Road 8 as well as future needs. and Irish Avenue,which was owned by the Hansen family and had once been a gravel pit. City Parks Commission mem- officials have already met with neighbors of this property to discuss both its short-and long-term bers seek input on the future use. The City is expected to close on the land purchase by the end of October 2009. community's satisfac- tion with current parks and recreation options, as well as ideas for the future. Pizza and Bever- ages will be served. . Budget Review: From Page 1 Market Value Homestead non-property tax revenues, to Credit Unallotments fund general government,pub- terestpayments on existing City This is a program whereby lic safety, public works and bonds. The total levy for debt the state reduces the property other City operations. service in 2010 is $496,296 taxes on homestead properties compared to$410,650 the pre- with the intention of reimburs- Fiscal Disparities vious year. ing the taxing jurisdictions Fiscal Disparities is a program Tax Abatement Levy for their share of the credit. designed by the State Legisla- This levy is comprised of two However,beginning in 2004,a ture to distribute a portion of portion of this reimbursement the growth in commercial and components: (1) $246,664 to has been withheld through a industrial tax values to cities in pay a portion of the principal and interest on tax abatement Process known as unallotment. the seven-county metropolitan bonds issued to defray the The State Legislature is allow- area. Historically, City of ing local governments a one- Hugo has been a winner in City's share of the CSAH 8 time chance to levy back the this program because we re- Reconstruction Project, with amount of unallotments that ceive more from the value pool the balance being contributed occurred in 2008 and 2009, than we contribute. Washing- by the White Bear Lake School which totals $297,630 for ton County has certified the District; and (2) $195,172 to Hugo. It is important to take 2010 amount at $556,789, pay the principal and interest advantage of this opportunity, an increase of $66,200. This on tax abatement bonds issued since the City has also been in- amount serves to lower the to- to finance parkland acquisition formed by the Department of tal property tax dollars paid by (Hansen property) and park Revenue that it will lose all of residents of the City of Hugo. improvements(Rice Lake Park its 2010 reimbursement. shelter). The final budget and tax levy Equipment Replacement Levy General Operating levy hearing is scheduled for De- An amount of $35,000 will The levy for general operat- cember 7, 2009. The public is ing purposes is $3,588,728, a invited to speak at this hear- be added to funds on hand to decrease of $62,944 from the ing prior to the City Council's replace big ticket equipment A recycling items in the Public Works Previous year. The general op- adoption of the final budget Department that have exceed- erating levy is used,along with and tax levy. container ed their useful lives. These _ _ - --- is available items include a dump truck, plow truck and several pickup City Tax Rates 2003 - 2010 from your trucks. Park Improvement levy 2003 38.762% refuse hauler This levy is used to finance 2004 35.966% -7,213% or by calling capital improvements to the City's park system and has 2005 35.931% -0,001% City Nall at been reduced from $296,000 651-762-6300 to $101,000 to account for the 2006 35.826% -0.029% principal and interest on the 2007 35.144% -1.904% tax abatement bonds issued in October. 2008 34.941% -0.578% ^— Capital Improvement Levy 2009 34.443% -1.425% An amount of $292,200 is in- 2010 34.222% -0.642% cluded to fund the City's share of street reconstruction proj- ects. DECREASE SINCE 2003 -11.792% Not News From The Hugo Good Neighbors Hugo Fire Department Food Shelf Duty Crews At Hugo Fire Department The Hugo Good Neighbors Food Shelf opened its doors on May 1, 2009 and held its grand The use of duty crew assignments for the opening during the City's Good Neighbor 1 night shift and weekends started at the Hugo Days celebration this past summer. Located ' Fire Department(HFD) in January 2009. A at 5524 Upper 146th Street North, (behind duty crew consists of six people—five fire- Hugo City Hall in the former Youth Garage) fighters and one officer—who then respond the facility has already established itself as an to all rescue calls during their assigned important part of the community. "We have time period. Hugo Fire Chief Jim Compton an average of 85-90 families that rely on the explains, "Each duty crew works a 12-hour Food Shelf," says Executive Director Debbie shift once a week [Monday through Friday] Peterson. and a 24-hour weekend. This makes it easier for firefighters to schedule their personal time Open Monday through Friday from 4:00 because now they know when they'll be on to 7:00 p.m., the Food Shelf accepts both call." food and monetary donations. In addition, paper and household goods are also needed. The HFD has five duty crews with specific According to on-duty hours; however, Compton says, "all- "`Peterson, the facil- Suggested Items✓ calls will still take place for heart attacks, car ity provides an For Donation: accidents,water rescues or structure fires." average of 4500 pounds of food to Condiments Accolades For Hugo Fire Department Hugo residents each Boxed Dinners The Hugo Fire Department has been recog- month. Crackers Fruit Juice nized by Regions Hospital for its fast and effective response to heart attack patients. Those in need must Healthy Cereals Hugo firefighters have been working closely be residents of Personal Hygiene Products with paramedics to begin STEMI activation Hugo and provide Laundry Detergent procedure that assists in the initial care two forms of identi- for a heart attack patient. `Because fication—a driver's license and current utility our crew knows when a change in bill, for example—in order to receive food. EKG requires this procedure," says Participants are served once per month with a Compton, "they can save time by week's worth of groceries. notifying the paramedics to start the STEMI activation and they The Food Shelf Board urges residents to think can also contact the hospital about buying an extra bag of groceries when cath lab team." shopping or to make food donations a part 5 of upcoming community meetings or events. "We'll even pick up the donations,"notes Peterson. The Food Shelf relies on a volunteer staff of 25 to 30 people to keep things running smoothly. Peterson comments, "All of our volunteers are so dedicated, but we can always use more help." For more information about the Food Shelf—from volunteering and mak- ing donations to becoming a recipient of all it has to offer—call 651-528-6224. / Ol.� 3,5 w Winter Parking Ordinance Dog Ordinance Beginning November 1 through March 31,park- Barking dogs and dogs running at large are con- ing is prohibited on all City streets from 2:00 sidered a nuisance by many residents. If you a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Also, if we receive two (2) own a dog, the City is asking for your help. P inches or more of snow any other time during Please follow Hugo's ordinance regarding dogs , the year, parking is prohibited on City streets running at large and dogs that continually bark. x from 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. The City Council Your dog must be licensed and under your con- "a passed this ordinance in 2003 to allow the Pub- trol at all times and must not bark repeatedly lic Works Department to clear the snow from for more than five(5)minutes without at least a Please follow the roadways in a safe and efficient manner. one(1) minute lapse in time. Please be courte- ous and respectful to your neighbors. For more Hugo's ordinance Accessory Building/Garage information regarding your pet,please visit the Ordinance City's web site at www.ci.hugo.mn.us. regarding dogs running at large Taking direction from the 2009 City Focus Don't Place Snow On Public and dogs that con- Goals,the Planning Commission recently Roadways reviewed City ordinances regarding acces- tlnualiv hark. sory buildings and garages in Hugo,resulting in two major conceptual changes. First, a With winter quickly approaching, the City of detached garage is now considered an accesso- Hugo would like to remind everyone that it is ry building. (The previous ordinance made a against the law to deposit snow,in any fashion, distinction between the two.) Second, aprop- on or next to a public highway or street. Min- erty's zoning district(i.e. agricultural versus nesota State Statute 160.27 prohibits plowing, residential) is no a longer regulatory measure; shoveling,blowing or otherwise placing snow g g rY lot size alone determines the total allowed onto any public road right-of-way, and do- square footage of accessory buildings. ing so is punishable as a misdemeanor. f Snow which is moved to the public ` Ay The more specific changes reflected in the new right-of-way can create hazardous ordinance include: situations, including slippery areas, frozen ruts and ridges, bumps, ht obstructions and drain- Up to 3 accessory buildings are allowed on sight parcels greater than or equal to 10 acres. age problems. Property • Properties 10 acres or greater are allowed owners are responsible for informing 5000 square feet in accessory buildings (up g any 1 from the previous 3600 square food allow- person who performs ance). snow removal on their • Properties less than 10 acres are allowed one premises of this law. It or two accessory buildings and up to 3500 is also important to remember that sq ft depending on the size of the parcel. both the property owner and the person who • Property owners may apply for Conditional moved the snow onto the roadway may be li- Use Permits to request up to a 25 percent able should an accident occur as a result of im- increase in allowable accessory building proper snow placement. square footage. If you have questions about snow removal or would like a copy of the City's Snow and Ice Control Policy For more details regarding the accessory build- call the Public Works Department at 651-762-6300. ing/garage ordinance,please contact Hugo City Hall at 651-732-6300. Your Hugo BULK RATE Hugo City Hall•14669 Fitzgerald Ave.N.•Hugo,MN 55038 POSTAGE PAID HUGO, MN 55038 PERMIT NO. 21 i 9 Visit our website: www.ci.hugo.mn.us City Directory city starServibo City Administrator Mike Ericson 651-762-6312 Directory City Clerk Michele Lindau 651-762-6315 Community Dev.Dir. Bryan Bear 651-762-6320 Public Works Director Scott Anderson 651-762-6326 Building Official John Benson 651-762-6313 City HallGeneral Building Inspector Chuck Preisler 651-762-6302 Information ' Building Inspector Scott Baller 651-762-6322 i : . Sr.Engineering Tech. Steve Duff 651-762-6316 11 • 1 • -x Community Dev.Asst. Dennis Fields 651-762-6311 Mondayexcept ' 651-762-6300 Associate Planner Rachel Simone 651-762-6304 Bldg.Department Tech. Debi Close 651-762-6300 Billing Clerk Jodie Guareschi 651-762-6309 City Hall FAX Number Finance Director Ron Otkin 651-762-6314 Accounting Clerk Anna Wobse 651-762-6338 •51 • • i Fire Chief Jim Compton 651-429-6366 Washington I City Council Sheriffs Department Mayor Fran Miron 651-429-5961 (Police non-emergency) • • -9381 Ward 1 Becky Petryk 651-426-4722 Ward 2 Phil Klein 651-762-6340 Ward 3 Chuck Haas 651-247-0354 Fire Hall Council-at-Large Tom Weidt 651-334-4076 • • Monthly Meeting Schedule 651-429-6366 City Council 1st and 3rd Mondays at 7:00 p.m. Fire a Police Emergency Planning Commission 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. 911 Parks Commission 2nd Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Historical Commission 3rd Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. EDA Commission 2nd Monday at 8:30 a.m.