Agenda - Charter Commission - 07/18/1996

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CITY JULY/AUGUST 1996, VOLUME 11, NO. 5 CHARTER UPDATE On May 21, 1996 there vas an election held to determine if changes should be made to the Ramsey CityCharter. The Charter is the document that dictates the rules under which the Cit~ Council must operate in the administration of City affairs. Three questions appeared on the ballot. One of the three passed. The result was a change in fights of pro~ny owners when or if municipal water and sewer comes to your neighborhood. ?asr practice has been that if 35 % ora neighborhood requested municipal serviceslthe City conducted a feasibility study. This study estimated the cost of the public improvement. Upon completion of the study the neighborhood had the opportunity to decide if the project should be constructed. If 51% or more of the nei~[hborhood opposed the project, it could not be constructed. If less than that~number was opposed, the City Council generally ordered the project. Upon co~npletion, the cost of the project was assessed to the benefitted properties, which Were also required to connect to the system within two to three years. Under the new Charter amendment just passed, the City cannot assess any costs to property owners opposed to the project un til they connect to the municipal system. The City also canno~, require connection to the system without consent of the property owner. This pj'ovision apparently allows property owners within the urban service district (~e southeast portion of Ramsey generally east of Ramsey Boulevard and south lof 153rd - the exact location varies somewhat from that) to avoid all costs for ini~rastructure improvements when they are part of a water or sewer project The City Council has n°t yet discussed how public improvements will be funded in the future when a neighborhood makes a request but not every property owner is in favor of the projeot. For instance, in a neighborhood of ten homes, if nine request the improvemen[ and one is opposed, it appears that either the other nine homeowners will have to_ pay for the revenue shortfall, the City will have to cover the expense in some other way, or the City will have to delay the project until all ten homeowners are in favor of the project. It is expected that Council will be discussing these and any oth6r funding options in the near future. RED CROSS BLOODMOBILE TO [VISIT RAMSEY TheRed Cross Bloodmobile will be in Ramsey on Monday, August 12,1996 at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 14501 Nowthen Blvd. NW, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. The need for blood is constant. Everyday someone needs blood to survive a serious accident or disease. The only source for blood is volunteer blood donors. Please do your part to save li,~es this summer by donating blood on August 12. People with all blood types are needed, but there is tm especially big demand for type O blood. For an appmntm~ent or information, please contact the church office at427-1100. CITY OF RAMSEY iiii 1995 COMPREHENSIVE i ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT The City of Ramsey is required to annually undergo iili a certified audit of all of its funds and account groups. i:i! The audit for 1995 was performed by the certified public !ii! accounting firm of Malloy, Montague, Karnowski, !i!i Radosevich & Co., P.A. The preparation of the iiii Comprehensive Annual Financial Report [CAFR] is i::!:: done internally, by the Finance Department. i ' The net worth of the City at the end of 1995 was approximately $15.1 million. A large portion of this net worth, over $14 million, is restricted for specific uses, ~iil such as those restricted by laws, designations, or Council ii~i adopted policies. The remaining $1.1 million is ~iil available for general operations of the City, including iiil the operation of City owned utilities. iii:: Included at the beginning of the 1995 CAFR is a ilii detailed report of the City's activities during 1995, and a iii~: brief description of all funds and account groups. This ::i::i report is available for review at City Hall and at the ii~i Anoka County Library-Rum River Branch, located at 5910 - 167th Avenue N.W. in Ramsey. Questions iii: regarding this report can be forwarded to the Finance !!ii Officer at 427-1410. ii i!: FILING DATE FOR MAYOR,' iiiiCOUNCIL NEARS :5: .. Ramsey residents who are registered voters are eligible to file to run in the 1996 election for the mayor's seat and two councilmember seats. Applications can be obtained and filed at the Ramsey Municipal Center, 15153 Nowthen Blvd NW between August 27, 1996 and .... 5:00 p.m. on September 10. There is a $5 filing fee. The i~i:: mayor's term of office is two years; councilmembers !!i:- serve for four years. I[I Ramsey City offices will be closed on July [~in observance of Independance Day.