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<br /> <br />Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Other steps involve negotiating a formal <br />agreement with a neighboring city to supply water <br />to us. This agreement would cover things like <br />types of charges, responsibilities for line <br />maintenance, etc. <br /> <br />Property appraisals are also done for the city by <br />an outside party, to determine the current value of <br />affected property and how much the value of <br />each property would increase by having the <br />improvement (municipal water) done. By law, any <br />assessment for the project cannot exceed the <br />amount of the projected increase in the property <br />value. <br /> <br />Then the city has to determine the total estimated <br />cost of the project, as well as how much the city <br />could raise through assessments. Any shortfall <br />has to be funded by the city, perhaps in <br />combination with grant and loan money that might <br />be available from other government sources. <br /> <br />Existing contamination in the district that would be <br />served by the water project, plays a role in any <br />grant or loan money that might be available. That <br />is why the city is also conducting a Environmental <br />Site Assessment of the area. (See page 4 for <br />more details). <br /> <br />State law also requires that several public <br />hearings be conducted to lay out the details of <br />any proposed projects and seek feedback from <br />those affected. As a citizen of Gem Lake, your <br />feedback and involvement in this project is very <br />important. You can stay in touch with all the <br />details on the website, through the newsletter, <br />and by attending city council meetings. (See the <br />information on page 6 or the website for a <br />schedule of meetings.) <br /> <br /> <br />City Begins to Evaluate Process of Bringing Water <br />to Hoffman’s Corners (continued from page 1) <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />2015 City Budget <br />(Continued from page 1) <br /> <br />It is not uncommon, especially in Gem Lake, <br />for the final budget to be smaller than the <br />preliminary one. (This happened last <br />November, when careful budgeting allowed for <br />significant reductions between the preliminary <br />and final budget, which was approved for 2014 <br />in November of 2013.) <br /> <br />For sake of comparison, the final general fund <br />budget for 2014, which covers the day to day <br />operations of the city, was $316,133, versus <br />$431,108 for the year ahead. The final 2014 <br />general tax levy was $224,825, versus the <br />2015 general tax levy, now proposed at <br />$369,819. The increases come primarily from <br />costs associated with infrastructure for the city. <br /> <br />The Gem Lake tax levy will account for <br />approximately one third of a typical property <br />tax bill, the other two thirds coming from school <br />and county taxes. <br /> <br />