2015 Vol. 9 Issue 1 January - Laserfiche WebLink

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Gem Lake News Page 4 of 6 Recycling Report for 2014: Results were Significant An impressive number of households took part in the single-sort recycling program sponsored by the City of Gem Lake in 2014, and carried out by Waste Management. An average of 88.55% of all households in Gem Lake participated, which is up from about 79% during the first year of the program (2011). Although exact numbers are not available, it has been estimated that only about half of residents used to participate in the old recycling program, which required each household to individual sort each type of recycling and park in on the street in different containers. A total of 34 tons of recycling materials were picked up in 2014, resulting in 32 tons of reusable materials. The rest were residue that were sorted out during processing. By far, the largest category of materials were newspapers, which comprised 20 of the total 32 tons, followed by 4.8 tons of mixed paper products, 3.8 tons of mixed glass, and 1.2 tons of plastic products. The remaining materials were comprised of color sorted glass, aluminum and steel cans and scrap steel. Goals for 2015: The Mayor Weighs In Mayor Bob Uzpen believes that 2015 will be more of the same from the previous four years and he will work hard to control expenses, provide the necessary services, and position ourselves for the future, while protecting what makes Gem Lake unique. In 2015, his special goals will be to complete a water contract with White Bear Lake, begin construction to bring water to the Hoffman Road area, (if feasibility studies show the idea is reasonable and the public hearings are supportive of the project) and then develop a plan to provide city water to the businesses on County Road E and Scheuneman Road. Liquor/Tobacco Licenses Approved for 2015 Licenses for establishments in Gem Lake selling liquor and tobacco, and involved in charitable gambling were approved for 2015. All licenses are City News Page The approvals happened after review of license applications at the December Gem Lake City Council Meeting, held on December 16. The Country Lounge was licensed for off-sale and on-sale liquor, Sunday sale of liquor, tobacco sales, pull tab sales and opening until 2 a.m. The Gem Lake Hills Golf Course was licensed for on- sale liquor and Sunday sale of liquor. The Black Sea Restaurant was licensed for the sale of wine and beer. City Appointments Made for 2015 As required by state statute, the City of Gem Lake formally appointed individuals and organizations to various city positions at the January city council meeting. This included things like appointing a back-up mayor so meetings could be conducted in the mayor's absence. Some appointments are required by law, such as the city clerk, the city treasurer, the back-up mayor, and believe or not, a weed inspector. Other positions or appointments are usual and customary to assign to someone to once a year in January. This would include things like naming an auditor, a sewer inspector, a building inspector, etc. With the exception of services the City contracts for, such as fire, law enforcement, zoning administration, animal control, city clerk, etc. most positions are what you call honorary, meaning there is no pay what so ever... Some highlights of the appointments include the following: City Clerk: William Short of White Bear Township City Treasurer: Thomas Kelly of White Bear Township City Engineers: Short Elliot Henderson (SEH) City Attorney: Kelly & Lemmons, P.A. Zoning Administrator: Robert Uzpen City Code Enforcement Officer: Michael Johnson of White Bear Township Representative to the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department: Faith Kuny City Emergency Services Director: Jim Lindner Ramsey County League of Local Government Representative: Faith Kuny Back up Mayor: Gretchen Artig-Swomley Assistant Weed Inspector: Jim Lindner A complete list of city appointments can be obtained at Heritage Hall.