Minutes - Council - 12/05/2005 - Truth in Taxation

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complaint about a burned out street light that he reported three times. He stated there was money spent on Sunfish Road and Ramsey Boulevard. Mayor Garnet stated that Sunfish Road is a County road utilizing County dollars even though the City works with them. He acknowledged that the railroad tracks have been replaced. He stated that Ramsey Boulevard has not been finalized because of impending improvements with Town Center and some shut offs at a semaphore at Bunker Lake Boulevard. Mayor Gamec assured the resident that the City will follow up on the light complaint and asked the resident to call him if the light doesn't get repaired. Ms. Lund stated that Conexus Energy was responsible for street light replacement. City Administrator Norman stated that he would follow up on the light repair. The resident stated that for the most part, Ramsey roads were pretty good; however, he had a complaint about loose gravel on his street. Mayor Gamec stated that was required by the developer. He explained that on a new development, the developer comes in and seal coat again. He stated that is all done at no cost to the homeowner. He suggested the resident call his City Councilmember if his complaints are not being answered by staff. The resident stated he felt services haven't been that gmat for him, personally. Mayor Gamec stated there is a lot of money spent in the City when he looks around, but when someone needs a service it's available and citizens are grateful. Councilmember Cook stated he pushed to take out a public works person from the September budget this year. He stated that has to be weighed back and forth. He stated that in September, he felt it was necessary to give staff the people to do the job. However, when looking at the tax increase, he couldn't pass that on to the citizens. He stated them is a balance to get services done and keep taxation low. An unidentified resident stated he recognized the fine line, but he wasn't asking the City to cut services. He felt a change needed to be done to the entire tax system. He stated in his circumstance, he hasn't had a pay raise in the last three years but everything else keeps going up, including his taxes. He felt this meeting ended up being more of a "venting" session. Mayor Gamec acknowledged that was a good thing, because that's how the Council learns about citizen issues. He stated that he tries to look forward one more year for taxation, but never to make any promises about taxation. Ms. Lund stated when the tax notices come out, it will indicate what the 2007 market value will be. She encouraged citizens to attend the Local Board of Review meeting in April if they have questions about market value. Mayor Gamec stated that sometimes valuation can be wrong and the assessor will come out to review their property again. City Council Truth in Taxation/December 5, 2005 Page 12 of 13