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Authority (EDA) and the Ramsey Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA), these organizations are . <br />included as blended component units in these financial statements. <br />The City provides a variety of municipal services. These include a full -time police department, a <br />volunteer fire department, engineering services, street and park maintenance, building inspections, <br />planning and zoning, public improvements, general administrative services, and public water and sewer <br />utilities in the urban service areas. <br />The City adopts an annual budget for the General Fund, EDA Special Revenue Fund, and HRA Special <br />Revenue Fund. Legal level of control is at the function level. Department heads may transfer resources <br />within a department as they see fit. Transfers between departments, however, need special approval from <br />the City Council. <br />LOCAL ECONOMY <br />The City has an unemployment rate of 3.1% in comparison to the state's average of 4.0% and a national <br />average of 4.6 %. Ramsey has an employed labor force of 13,155. Anoka County, in which Ramsey is <br />located, has an employed labor force of 195,445. <br />There are approximately 6,508 single - family homes and 1,373 multifamily units located within the City. <br />In addition there were 67 single- family homes and 109 multifamily dwellings constructed in 2006. <br />The City has two major industrial parks with a combined capacity of 320 acres and 25 businesses. <br />Currently both industrial parks are filled to capacity. <br />The City's General Fund has five major categories of funding sources which accounted for 95% of the <br />total revenue (including - transfers) in 2006. Reliance on general property taxes has increased over the <br />past three years and in 2006 represents over 61% of total revenues. Transfers amount to over. 11% which <br />is the second largest category of revenue in 2006. <br />In prior years, intergovernmental revenue was the second largest category of revenue for the General <br />Fund. In the past three years it has dropped to approximately 6% of total revenue. Intergovernmental <br />revenue includes state aids, such as Local Government Aid (LGA), Market Value Homestead Credit <br />(MVHC), Highway Maintenance Aid, Fire Relief Aid, Police Aid, and County grants. <br />Due to severe budget deficits in the state of Minnesota, the City has not received LGA since fiscal year <br />2003. The LGA distribution formula has been revised and funding greatly reduced, with the City being <br />one of the many developing cities seeing a total reduction of LGA. In prior years, the average amount of <br />LGA received was over $300,000 annually. <br />LONG - TERM FINANCIAL PLANNING <br />As part of the City's strategic plan, the following long-term goals have been established: <br />• Complete build -out of Ramsey Town Center's residential and commercial components. <br />• Create and protect an interconnected system of athletic areas, parks, trails, and green spaces <br />throughout the city. <br />• Complete and implement the 2008 Comprehensive Plan Update. <br />• Determine needs for future municipal facilities and acquire /preserve the land necessary to meet <br />these needs. <br />• Modify Comprehensive Plan, Transportation Section, to include a multi -modal transit plan that <br />specifically includes the Northstar Station and advocate with other agencies to develop a <br />Regional Transportation Plan to support the needs of the Ramsey community. <br />• Create a Technology Plan to provide access to a state -of- the -art technology network throughout <br />the city. <br />