Ramsey Resident - 2002 - November/December

Home

9 SNOWPLOWING FAQ Q. What kind of equipment does the city use for snowplowing? A. Currently the City of Ramsey has the following equipment: 2 motor graders 4 single axle trucks equipped with front plows, winds and sanders 1 front-end loader equipped with a front plow and wing 7 pick-up trucks with plows (used mainly on cul-de- sacs and parking lots) This equipment is used to clear approximately: 150 miles of road 240 cul-de-sacs 720 intersections and numerous parking lots, ice skating rinks, and trails Public works staff members are on call 24 hours per day, 7 days a week to make City of Ramsey roads as safe as possible. Q. How does public works determine when to start plowing? A. The City contracts with a private weather service to give us frequent forecasts during snowstorms. This service combined with Internet websites, MnDOT forecasts, and local TV/ radio information all help us plan for the approaching storm. Two inches of snow is our normal trigger point, but may vary due to conditions. Ideally, we as a department prefer to start at 2:00 a.m. The reason being the roads are clear of most cars and pedestrians at that time of the morning and crews can work without much interference. This plan works well if the snow total ends up in the 2"- 4" range. In larger snowfall events we keep trucks out clearing " main" routes so emergency services can respond. In very large snow events, staff will post public works plow equipment and personnel with the fire department to help them respond to emergencies should they arrive. Our main objective is to have as many roads as possible open for the morning commute and then clean up the streets when the majority of residents are at work or school. If we start at 2:00 a.m. we are normally done with the main roads within 8 hours, with cul-de-sacs taking up to 10 hours to complete. Q. What does the City of Ramsey use to control ice and snow on our roads? A. At this time the City of Ramsey uses a salt/sand mixture and straight salt. A salt/sand mixture is used mainly on residential Continued on Page 12 NOTICE OF PROPOSEDTOTAL BUDGET AND PROPERTY TAXES The Ramsey city council will hold a public hearing on its budget and on the amount of property taxes it is proposing to collect to pay for the costs of services the city will provide in 2003. SPENDING: The total budget amounts below compare the city's 2002 total actual budget with the amount the city proposed to spend in 2003. 2002 Total Proposed 2003 Change From Actual Budget Budget 2002 - 2003 6,842,057 S 6,885,480 0.63% TAXES: The property tax amounts below compare that portion of the current budget levied in property taxes in the city of Ramsey for 2002 with the property taxes the city proposed to collect in 2003. 2002 Property Proposed 2003 Change From Taxes Property Taxes 2002 - 2003 S 4,579,992 S 4,791,045 4.61% Attend the Public Hearing All Ramsey city residents are invited to attend the public hearing of the city council to express their opinions on the budget and on the proposed amount of 2003 property taxes. The hearing will be held on: Tuesday, December 2, 2002, at 6:00 p.m. Ramsey Fire Station Number II 15050 Armstrong Boulevard NW Ramsey You are also invited to send your written comments to: City of Ramsey, Mayor's Office 15153 Nowthen Blvd. NW Ramsey, Minnesota 55303 OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER The Anoka Union is the City of Ramsey's official newspaper and is published each Friday. All official notices, meeting schedules and City Council agendas are published in the Anoka Union as required by City Charter and State Statutes. Often the best thing about not saying anything is that it can't be repeated. - Suzan L. Weiner