2022 Vol 16, Issue 1 January Gem Lake News

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Gem Lake News Page 4 of 6 City News License Required for Rental Properties in City If you are renting out your house in Gem Lake you need a rental license. If you own rental property but are not currently renting it, you still need to fill out a rental license application to keep the City updated. The application process is easy. Fill out our form located on our website, which can be found under “Permits” or contact Melissa Lawrence, City Clerk, pay a license fee (if you are actively renting), and go through a brief inspection of the property by our code enforcement officer. We check for things like smoke detectors. Call 651-747-2790 to find out more. Changes Made to Fire Ordinances Fire safety was discussed at length at the October Gem Lake City Council meeting. Various changes were made to the City’s Ordinance No. 77, which pertains to fire safety matters. Many of these changes were updates to fire code language to keep the city in sync with State Fire Codes and the City of White Bea Lake, which provides Gem Lake with firefighting services. However, new language was added to the Outdoor Recreational Fire Section of the Ordinance. These changes were made to ensure consistency between White Bear Lake and Gem Lake, and to respond to several recent problems pertaining to unattended or unwise use of recreational fires. If you are going to have a recreational fire in your backyard, new rules required the following conditions: • Firewood may only be burned within a non- combustible containment less than three feet in diameter and not less than 8 inches in depth or height. The fire shall be limited to fuel such that at no time does the flame height exceed 36 inches. • Fire pits or rings must be located a minimum of 25 feet from structures or combustibles, such as houses, garages, sheds, wood piles and wooden fences, and 15 feet from property lines. • The fire may not be lit prior to 10 a.m. or after 11 p.m. • The fire must be constantly attended and supervised by an adult until the fire has been completely extinguished. • A means of controlling or extinguishing the fire must be immediately available. • The use of flammable or combustible liquid accelerants is not permitted. • Recreational fires are not permitted on days when wind speeds exceed 10 miles per hour. • Any person planning to have a recreational fire must be aware of any local burning bans that are in effect. If a ban is in effect, all fires are prohibited. After Hour Emergency Number for Public Works In the event of a public works emergency after our normal business hours, there is a number you should call. Gem Lake’s normal business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. A public works emergency is defined as a threat to public safety or critical infrastructure. (Not a pothole, or something that can wait) Examples of an emergency would be a water main break, (please don’t call City of Vadnais Heights), a city sewer line back up or the collapse of a manhole. The phone number to call after business hours is 651-755-9828. The City of Gem Lake has a cooperative agreement with White Bear Township to handle these emergencies. Charitable Gambling Donations The Gem Lake City Council approved charitable donations of $2,500 to both the White Bear Lake Emergency Food Shelf and Newtrax, a local non-profit transportation provider. These donations were made using a percentage of funds from pull-tab sales at the Country Lounge. The funds will go to meeting increasing calls for service at the food shelf. Newtrax plans to utilize the funds to help deliver supplies from the food shelf for patrons who cannot pick up supplies on their own, due to illness, lack of transportation, or other factors.