2021 Vol 15, Issue 6 October Gem Lake News

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Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6 The preliminary budget for Gem Lake covering 2021 was passed at the September 21 City Council Meeting. State statutes require Cities to certify their preliminary property tax levies by September 30th this year. Once the preliminary property tax levy is approved and certified to the County Auditor, the City can lower the levy during the remaining budget process but cannot exceed the certified preliminary levy. For this reason, most Cities certify a preliminary levy using worst- case budget scenarios, which is the case with the 2022 preliminary property levy and budget. The 2022 preliminary property tax levy is proposed at $588,063, which is a 9.24% increase over 2021 certified preliminary property tax levy. The 2022 preliminary property tax levy consists of a debt levy of $87,285 (a decrease from 2021 preliminary debt levy of $2,656) and the general operating levy of $500,778 (an increase of 11.69% over 2021 preliminary tax levy). Here are a few notables for 2022: •Police budget was increased 10.85% to $95,000 based on the City of White Bear Lake’s budget. •The cost of fire services could increase 14.40% to $29,343. •Road Maintenance budget includes $20,000 for trimming boulevard trees. Salt/sand remain at $17,000 and snow plowing contract increased from $18,500 to $20,000. •Included a park maintenance budget of $5,000 for maintaining the trail area. •The 2022 budget includes $25,000 for future improvements. •Revenue and other expenditure line items adjusted based on past history. •The 2022 budget includes $25,000 for future improvements. •Revenue and other expenditure line items adjusted based on past history. These changes result in the City proposed preliminary tax levy of $588,063 for 2022. This compares to 2021 preliminary levy of $538,308 and 2021 final levy of $535,476. The final budget will be approved at the December council meeting. Due to the City having just passed 500 in population, we are now required to hold a “Truth in Taxation” hearing between November 24- December 28. That hearing will be held at the December City Council Meeting on December 21 at 7:00 p.m. Please feel free to attend the meeting and ask any questions. Building Improvements at City Hall Over the past several months, numerous improvements have been made at Heritage Hall. It all started with upgrading the building lighting systems to something more energy efficient. This replaced something installed years ago that was non-code compliant. Building exterior lighting and parking lot lights are also scheduled to be upgraded to LED lights, as soon as backordered material arrives. An energy audit indicated that all HVAC equipment has been running non-stop since the building opened in 2007. To mitigate this issue, the building automation software was upgraded and HVAC equipment is now scheduled to run only during office hours, which will greatly reduce energy consumption. Gem Lake also received COVID relief money from the Federal Cares Act, which was administered on a state level. Gem Lake used some to upgrade restroom fixtures. Where it was practical to do so, hands-free motion sensors were installed on all sinks. New toilets are also part of the project, as was a new water fountain that has a water bottle filling station. Soon hands-free soap and paper towel dispensers will be installed, as will automatic door operators. These door operators also make the restrooms compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. “All of these improvements really puts Heritage Hall on par with other governmental buildings, in terms of modernization and energy efficiency,” says Council Member Jim Lindner, a certified facilities manager, who has been overseeing these improvements. Gem Lake Preliminary Budget Passes