Ramsey Resident - 1985 - September/October

Home

;.:-~-= ---~ I I Tri.City Newsletter, September/October 1985 - Page 5 .. Mayor's State Of The City Report I Even though I have only been in office since January, I am finding that the job of Mayor is very interesting and contains many challenges. As you know, many of Ram- sey's residents came from full service communities and mov- ed to Ramsey for more open space and a more rural life- style. However, many of these residents are now.demanding some of the services they en- joyed in the full service com. munities. This situation is common among developing suburbs and presents many challenges to the City policy- makers and staff. . To give Ramsey residents a little background into City operations, I will briefly high- light .Ramsey's government and its legislative controls. The City of Ramsey was in- corporated in 1974 and oper- ates under a mayor-council form of government. The Council, which consists of the mayor and four councilinem- bers, is elected at large and on a non-partisan basis. The mayor serve.s a two-year term and councilmembers serve four-year overlapping terms so that no more than two council- members' terms expire in any one year. The City Council provides policy direction and relies on two standing committees (Budget and Personnel) and a professional administrative staff to study and recommend specific policies. The Budget Committee is instrumental in the development of the annual operating budget and in deter- mining the content of the long term financial plan including the capital improvement pro- gram. The residents of Ramsey adopted an extensive City Charter in 1984 and it assures that your voice will be heard. Copies of this charter are available for review at City Hall and Anoka County Library. You may also purchase a copy of the charter at City Hall. The City is divided into ur- ban and rural areas. Municipal water and sewer is currently being constructed in those portions of the urban area where owners of 100% of the property have petitioned the City for these services. These portions include the River's Bend plat and Flintwood Hills Second Addition Planned Unit Development. However, water and sewer will not be ex- tended to residents in the ur- ban area unless they petition the City for such services or the County Public Health De- partment determines that such services are necessary for the health of those resi- dents. There is a second sewer connection available to the Metropolitan Interceptor which will ultimately serve Ramsey's commercial and in- dustrial area when demands are made for this service. Ram- sey has a Comprehensive City Plan in place which provides direction for the placement of the utilities within the City and is intended to prevent leap- frog development. Also, the City Charter gives residents all the necessary tools to stop un- wanted improvements that result in special assessments (increased taxes), providing health hazards or a higher legal authority do not dictate that such improvements are required. LANDFILL The City has accomplished the following regarding the landfill. 1) Tt-te CH) Co...nc has ap- pointed a Landfill Ad Hoc Comrximee which advises the City Council on various landfill related matters. This Commit- tee was appointed by the City Council earlier this year. 2) Ramsey has proposed draft legislation which has been submitted to Senator Dahl and Representative Hart- inger regarding compensation and mitigation measures for communities hosting landfill facilities. This legislation was not introduced this past ses- sion but will be in 1986. How- ever, it is my understanding that hearings will be conducted on this legislation during the interim legislative sessions. It is also my understanding that there will be hearings held in the City of Ramsey regarding . these issues. The proposed legislation is designed to ad- dress the major economic ef- fects of the landfill on the City (Le. protection of homeown- ers' investment, providing re- muneration homeowners from a regional fund in cases of contamination created by the SAVE LIVES Fire Prevention 'Week October 6-12, -1985 I I I, I~ II I '---- landfill, and the ability to reim- burse the City for any tax losses incurred due to de- creased market values). AIRPORT The Airport Master Plan Study is nearing completion and will be coming before the City Council for a policy de- cision this year. Several public hearings have already been conducted 0'1 this critical issue, IT'OS' 'ecently in August 1985. C' ze'" Input to the City Cou,,<: ft be cons'dered 'it "e'" ma. "g H'e dec sO" 0" this matter. It is my sincere hope that you are taking the time to get informed on this technical issue due to its po- tential for long-term eflects on the City. OTHER PROJECTS There are several other issues that will be before the City Council later this year. A study of a possible highway connectibn between Anoka's Thurston Avenue and the City of Ramsey is in progress. As you know, the Rum River Bridge crossing is currently at a standstill due to the lack of federal funds for this project. It should be noted that this is a county project with the City dedicating right-of-way land on the Ramsey side. CITY COMMISSIONS The Ramsey Planning Com- mission is currently working on a major undertaking - re- vamping the zoning and subdi- vision chapters of the City Code. The City Council will be receiving a draft of these revis- ed chapters in the near future. In addition, the Planning Com- mission is responsible for re- viewing all requests for plat- ting, subdividing, conditional use permits and rezoning. The Ramsey Park and Recre- ation Commission is currently completing a lighting study for the soccer and softball field at Central Park. This Commis- sion also plans for other park improvements. The Ramsey Economic De- velopment Commission is concentrating on assisting and encouraging the expan- sion of businesses located in Ramsey as well as encourag- ing new businesses to locate in Ramsey. The Ramsey Airport Com- mission is overseeing the de- velopment of the Airport Master Plan that I mentioned earl ier. CITY ACCOMPLISHMENTS 1) Long Term Financial Plan: The City's Long Term Financial Plan was completed as required by the City'Charter. This plan requires an exten- sive layout of the City's plans for spending tax dollars and other revenues that the City receives during its fiscal year. It further requires the City to establish expenditure pla'1s '0' ....e "le.' '.e .ea's 2 "985 Ope-a' ana B...~ge This document IS very compre- hensive and fully explains the City's operations for 1985. Both are unabridged versions Wlln 'u deta ard aro ab- dged .erSlor> S a,so a,'allab e '0' Pub c 'e. e.. 3, ,~ C,', A...d Comp'€,- hensl.e Annua, ;: na"c a Qe port for the i ear e"ded December 31, 1984): The G,l] of Ramsey is one of the few cities that prepares its own Comprehensive Annual Finan- cial Report. An independent audit firm reviews this report and renders an opinion on it. It should be noted that the City also submits this report to the Government Finance Officers Association for review. For the past three years, the City has received th.e Certificate of Conformance for financial re- porting. This is the highest award a city can receive for the maintenance of its financial system. Please note that copies of all these documents are avail- able for public review at the Ci- ty . Hall or Anoka County Library. In addition, copies of these documents can be pur- chased at City Hall. I would re- quest that residents review these documents since they provide significant insight into the City's current operations and future plans. 4) The City of Ramsey re- ceived an upgrade in its bond rating from Moody's Invest- ment firm of New York City in early 1985. The City's bond rating was improved from Baa- 1 to A-1. It is quite unique that a 10 year old developing sub- urb like Ramsey is able to satisfy Moody's established criteria for upgrading its bond rating. The improved bond rat- ing means that the City will receive lower interest rates when its public improvement bonds are sold, which in turn results in savings to the tax- payers of Ramsey. The upgrad- ed bond rating also tells pri- vate sector investors that the City has excellent control on development in Ramsey. CITY STAFFING The City has taken a conser- vative approach in its staffing policy and will continue to do so. However, as greater de- mands are placed on the City . I s.a n-,.. r~Q...'" - n crea.;H: ~ - _ . so do bUdget costs. Some staffing~increases will be less visible to the public than others. but t"'ey nill prov;de grea'e' ~efte' h '3 "'a " e"a":::c ... <1.. ~ P r"'r'en 0 ~e C Cwr"'e too.e C hasa"=u _"'".j....g::ta. "''''e s'a" s S""'u ft ft.......oer .e' S he 'a "ed a-,d "as se".ed he C ,e,' 'e"""e 'I '..ell. In 1984. l/"le Co:1 nSlalled a computer s)'sterTl ....hich has been successfully incorporat- ed into all facets of the City's operations. PROBLEMS FACING . THE CITY 1) Landfill: The present. landfill (the Anoka Landfill) will continue to be a problem. A solution to this problem will be the adoption of legislation to protect homeowners whose home values are affected by the landfill and the restoration of a possible decrease of the City's tax base. 2) Proposed Site P: The City is very much opposed to the siting of a second landfill Continued on page 8 't " 'I !I :"i :I .~ \ )