2019 Vol.13 Issue 1 February - Laserfiche WebLink

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Gem Lake News Page 4 of 6 Country Lounge Licenses Approved for Renewal Various licenses were approved by the Gem Lake City Council on January 15 for the Country Lounge. Having met all requirements set forth by the City and the State, the council approved the lounge’s licenses for liquor, tobacco and charitable gambling for 2019. Liquor licenses typically expire at the end of each year and go through an annual renewal process. Licenses run from January 1-December 31. New Speed Limits In Effect New speed limits were approved for Gem Lake City Streets during the October 16 City Council Meeting. Speed limits for city streets (Haven, Tessier, Scheuneman, Little Fox, Hoffman, Big Fox) were established at 25 miles per hour. The speed limit for Goose Lake Road, which is a Ramsey County Road, and Otter Lake, remain unchanged at 40 miles per hour. Charitable Gambling Funds Distributed Two distributions of charitable gambling receipts were made by the Gem Lake City Council at the January 15 meeting. This included a $1500 donation to the White Bear Lake Area Emergency Food Shelf to fund their children’s summer food program for the year ahead. A donation of $500 was also made to New Trax, Inc. to help fund their transportation program for seniors and for people with disabilities. Charitable gambling receipts come from pull-tab sales within the city limits. Changes for Sewage Treatment Ordinance Approved Minor changes to the city’s sewage treatment ordinance were made at the January 15 City Council meeting. The changes to ordinance #67D (Subsurface Sewage Treatment Systems Ordinance) were made after a meeting with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency last November. The agency is seeking to bring uniformity to city ordinance regarding sewage treatment. The seven changes made were mostly editorial changes in terms of definitions and deadlines. New Sidewalk Planned for 2019 The City plans to add a sidewalk/paved trail in 2019. The trail will follow the north side of County Road E from LaBore Road to Big Fox. It will either be made of cement or will be paved, depending on City News Page funding sources available. Eventually, the city plans the same trail or sidewalk access all the way to the intersection of County Road E and Highway 61, as the area redevelops. Assignments Designated for 2019 As required by state statute, the City of Gem Lake formally appointed individuals and organizations to various city positions for 2019 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 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: Back-Up Mayor: Gretchen Artig-Swomley Acting City Clerk: Gloria Tessier 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 City Emergency Services Director: Jim Lindner Ramsey County League of Local Government Representative: Faith Kuny Law Enforcement Contractor: White Bear Lake Police Department Animal Control Contractor: White Bear Lake Police Department Fire, Fire Marshall and Paramedic Contractor: City of White Bear Lake Fire Department A complete list of city appointments can be obtained at Heritage Hall.