2022 Vol 16, Issue 3 May Gem Lake News

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Gem Lake News Page 4 of 6 City News Certain licenses to Transition to Calendar Year Renewals Some of Gem Lake’s licenses ran for the calendar year and others ran from mid-year to mid-year, which could cause confusion and processing inefficiency. The City Council recently voted to transition to calendar year licenses for everything. Examples of mid-year renewals were dog, golf cart and contractor licenses. It was decided to bite the bullet this year and make a change. If you have a dog and recently received a renewal notice for your canine companion’s dog tag, you noticed the change in the letter you received. (The dog tag was manufactured before the change was made). To make the transition, this year the types of licenses listed above are running from up to 18 months for the same price. In other words, you will renew you dog, golf cart or contractor licenses in the same mid-year time frame this year but it will not need to be renewed again until December of 2023 for January of 2024. The price charged this time for this longer renewal will be the same that you would have paid for a 12-month renewal. 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. Free Notary Services Residents of Gem Lake and White Bear Township can get notary services at Heritage Hall for no charge. The service is available only during normal business hours for our city hall—which is Monday to Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Non-residents can utilize this service for a fee of $5.00 per document certified. Charitable Gambling Donations Made The Gem Lake City Council voted to donate $500 to the White Bear Lake Emergency Food Shelf and $500 to Newtrax for food delivery services to the needy. These donations were approved at the April 19 Council Meeting and were done as a result of charitable gambling receipts the city received. More donations are expected to be approved at the May Council Meeting. 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. Tardy Recycling Pick Up—What to do? In the beginning of 2022, many recycling pick-ups in Gem Lake have not happened on the day appointed by Waste Management as our city’s pick-up day. When we call our contractor, we are told the delay is due to “operational issues.” This typically means driver shortages. Cities around us are having similar issues. That doesn’t make it any less annoying. What should you do? For now, we suggest holding tight if your recycling is not picked up for one extra day. After three days, email one of your city council members or call Heritage Hall. Typically, we know they are late because council members live all over the city and their bins are still full of cardboard. Try to leave the bin out for a few days so you don’t get skipped when they get to us. The first pick-up date in March was up to five days late, depending on your part of town.