HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024 Vol 18, Issue 5 October Gem Lake NewsSpecial Interest
Articles:
• 2025 Preliminary
Budget
• Barnett Kia Zoning
Requests
• New Public Safety
Building
• School Supply
Donation
• Ramsey County Fix-It
Clinic
• City News, Page 7
Scheduled Recycling
Dates:
• October 9
• October 23
• November 6
• November 20
• December 4
• December 18
Preliminary Budget for 2025 Presented 9/17
Minnesota Statutes require cities to certify their
preliminary property tax levies by September 30
each 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 planning cycle but cannot exceed the
certified preliminary levy. For this reason, most
cities certify a levy using worst-case budget
scenarios, which is the case with the City of Gem
Lake’s 2025 preliminary property tax levy and
budget.
The 2025 preliminary property tax levy is
proposed at $733,757, which is a 2.231%
increase from the 2024 certified preliminary
property tax levy. The 2025 preliminary property
tax levy consists of a debt levy of $83,736.00 (an
increase from 2024 preliminary debt levy of
$2,182.00) and the general operating levy of
$650,021.00 (an increase of 2.174% from the
2024 preliminary tax levy).
(Continued on Page 2)
Barnett Kia Zoning Requests for Redevelopment
The Barnett KIA dealership at the northeast corner
of County Road E and Highway 61 is about to get
a major facelift. The Gem Lake City Council
recently approved several ordinance changes and
granted the permits necessary for the project to
begin. These actions happened at the Gem Lake
City Council meeting on September 17.
The KIA project is being undertaken partly to stay
current with remodeling that has happened up and
down the car dealership corridor on Highway 61.
Older buildings, such as the showroom at the
original Polar Chevrolet complex, have been
replaced with modern showrooms, often with large
display windows and sleek building design. Model
cars are now often displayed with an increased
element of street visibility.
The current KIA showroom is more than 50 years
old (built in 1972) and is reaching the end of its
useful life.
(Continued on Page 3)
Gem Lake News
October 2024 | Volume 18 | Issue 5 Gretchen Artig-Swomley, Newsletter Editor
Gem Lake News Page 2 of 8
Preliminary Budget for 2025 Presented at 9/17 Hearing
(continued from page 1)
The following changes were made from the 2024
adopted budget as a basis for the 2025 proposed
preliminary property tax levy:
• Based on the 2015 Refunding Bond schedule, the
debt levy for 2025 is set for $79,711.00. In addition,
in 2018, the City issued bonds for the
improvements on Scheuneman Road and the 2025
debt levy for this issue is $4,025.00. The two of
these debt levies makes up the City’s 2025 total
debt levy of $83,736.
• Increased City Council wages 3%.
• City Council contingency was increased to $15,000
(was $9,000).
• Clerk/General Government budget includes
$63,000.00 for wages and $11,550 for health
insurance coverage.
• Planning & Zoning budget increased $8,950.00
based on past expenditures.
• Police budget was increased 13.85% to $147,396
based on the City of White Bear Lake budget
provided to Gem Lake and includes $133,089 for
police services and $14,307 for debt payments on
the new public facilities building.
• The cost of fire services increased 8.54% to
$52,827.00. It includes $35,300 for fire services,
$8,181 for fire marshal services, and $9,346 for
depreciation on the new public facilities building.
o Overall, the City of White Bear Lake would like
Gem Lake to pay $23,653 for the next 20 years
for their new facility each year.
• Road Maintenance budget includes $20,000 for
road maintenance/repair and $8,000 for trimming
boulevard trees.
• Salt/sand expenses were reduced $4,000 to $8,000
and snow plowing contract increased from $14,500
to $15,000, both based on past expenditures.
• Heritage Hall budget includes $10,000 for building
improvements and $10,000 for other
equipment/improvements.
• The 2025 preliminary budget includes a park
maintenance budget of $7,000 for maintaining park
area of the Villas of Gem Lake.
• The 2025 budget includes $20,000.00 for future
improvements.
• Other revenue and other expenditure line items
adjusted based on past history.
These changes result in the City proposed preliminary tax
levy of $733,757.00 for 2025. This compares to 2024
preliminary levy of $717,742.00 and 2024 final levy of
$697,081.00. Using a 2025 property tax levy of
$733,757.00 and the City’s 2025 estimated tax capacity
($1,799,843.00) and median valued home ($443,750.00)
for Gem Lake, that median valued home, would pay City
property taxes of $1,725.55 in 2025 compared to 2024
preliminary levy of $1,872.22 (a decrease of $146.67)
and the 2024 final levy amount of $1,652.20 (an increase
of $73.35).
One final change for the 2025 budget was a legislative
change, which increased the market value exclusion from
40% of the first $76,000 to the first $95,000 minus 9% of
the value between $95,000 to $517,200 (was $76,000 to
$413,800). Homes valued at or above $517,200 do not
receive an exclusion compared to $413,800 previously.
This change saves the median value home $26.10 in City
taxes in 2025. The 2025 preliminary budget was
approved by the City Council after a public hearing.
As the City of Gem Lake prepares its final 2025 budget,
the property tax levy can be lowered, from the preliminary
numbers, but cannot be increased. The final budget is
due to the State of Minnesota in December.
The City of Gem Lake has scheduled the Truth-in-
Taxation hearing for the December 17 City Council
meeting.
Gem Lake News Page 3 of 8
Barnett Kia Zoning Requests for Redevelopment
(continued from page 1)
The new building will be slightly larger than the old one,
34,060 square feet, versus the current 31,865 square
feet. The new building will include spaces for a sales
floor, service garage, carwash, vehicle delivery area,
administration offices and waiting area. KIA intends to
keep the old building completely functional while the
new building is being constructed. It will then be torn
down. The blueprints feature a building with
contemporary design and larger showroom windows.
The Gem Lake City Council granted a zoning
compliance permit after careful review of the design by
the city’s planning commission, and other agencies,
such as the local watershed district. Also granted by the
council was a lot line adjustment. KIA Barnett owns the
entire area on which both the car dealership and the
headquarters of Newtrax are located. Newtrax is a
transportation company that serves persons with
disabilities. The lot line change allows the line between
the two lots to be adjusted at an angle slightly north,
which will better serve the flow of traffic in and out of the
dealership and promotes better alignment of parking lot
entrances.
Finally, the council reviewed and approved an
amendment to Gem Lake Ordinance 131. This
amendment affects the city’s gateway district, in which
the dealership is located. Over a decade ago, the newly
minted gateway district plan prohibited the approval of
additional car dealerships in Gem Lake, in favor of more
mixed-use development. To keep this building project
from becoming a non-conforming, but permitted use, the
amendment focused on making auto dealerships a
permitted use in a new building type template.
These approvals happened as a result of months of hard
work between Gem Lake’s Planning Commission, the
city’s planning consultant from TKDA and the owners of
KIA Barnett. Work is expected to commence immediately.
Gem Lake News Page 4 of 8
New Public Safety Building on Display to the Public
A large and enthusiastic crowd attended a ribbon cutting
ceremony and open house on August 22, showcasing
the newly renovated and expanded White Bear Lake
Public Safety Building. The new facility is a giant leap
forward for the first responders who serve our
community, including the White Bear Police and Fire
Departments. It includes a large indoor parking garage
for police vehicles, greatly expanded fire apparatus
bays, new living quarters for fire fighters on duty,
decontamination areas for equipment coming off of fire
incidents, training facilities, and much more.
Planning for the project began back in 2019, when the
White Bear Lake City Council recognized the need for
improvement. The lack of indoor parking, training and
living facilities, insufficient equipment bays for fire trucks
were some of the major concerns. According to the
former White Bear Lake Mayor, Jo Emerson, “It was
clearly needed.”
The new facility is located in downtown White Bear Lake,
adjacent to the White Bear Lake City Hall on Highway 61.
The White Bear Fire Department provides public safety
coverage to The Cities of Birchwood, White Bear Lake,
Dellwood, and Gem Lake, as well as White Bear
Township. White Bear Police provides coverage to White
Bear Lake and Gem Lake.
The project was designed by Wold Architects and
Engineers. Construction began in 2023 and completed in
2024. The main goal of the project, according to White
Bear City Manager Lindy Crawford, was to “enhance our
first responders’ ability to deliver the highest level of
public safety to our service community.”
Gem Lake News Page 5 of 8
Gem Lake’s Senator Visits City
The City of Gem Lake was honored to have a visit and
short presentation from State Senator Heather
Gustafson at the September 17 City Council meeting.
Gustafson provided highlights of this year’s session and
discussed future projects, including the fact that she will
be aiming to repeat her 2023 Public Safety Bill in some
form, which provided significant public safety funding to
every city in Minnesota. (Gem Lake received about
$23,000)
She also reiterated her priorities on education and
infrastructure, offering advice and assistance where
possible, on the City’s quest for municipal water funding.
Gem Lake Recycling Totals
Gem Lake residents kept over 57,000 pounds of refuse
from ending up in a landfill this year. This reflects
recycling results from January to July thorough Republic
Services, the city’s recycling contractor.
The recycling breaks down as follows:
• 17,825 pounds of newspaper, mixed mail and
phone books
• 7,936 pounds of glass
• 2,875 pounds of cans
• 23,689 pounds of cardboard
• 5,183 pounds of plastics
Information on recycling dates and allowable materials
can be found on the city’s website.
White Bear Lake Montessori
School Holds Open House
Over 300 people took part in an Open House Celebration
on September 20 at the White Bear Montessori School,
which is located in Gem Lake, at the corner of LaBore
Road and County Road E.
The Open House marks the completion of an ambitious
remodeling and expansion program the school undertook
to better serve their students. The project includes the
addition of two large and flexible classroom areas, a
reinforced storm safety area, kitchen facilities, expanded
office space and other features.
According to Head of School Marnie McPherson,
between 350-400 people, including alumni, current
facilities, contractors and others took part in the
festivities. “We had the MN Nice Ice Cream Truck, the
“Bubble Guy” and birthday cake for all, as we were also
celebrating our 55th birthday as a school.” White Bear
Montessori gained official post construction occupancy of
the school on September 20, when students were able to
begin using the new classrooms.
The $3M expansion project has been in the works for
several years, due to rising enrollment at the school.
Construction began earlier this year. The City of Gem
Lake helped by approving what is called “Conduit Debt
Financing” for the project. This allows the school to use
the city’s tax-exempt status to get a better interest rate on
the bonds, while placing no financial liability on the city
itself.
Congratulations to the White Bear Montessori School!
Gem Lake News Page 6 of 8
School Supplies for Willow
Lane Elementary School
Willow Lane Elementary School recently received a
large donation of school supplies for the coming school
year from the City of Gem Lake. This donation was
made using charitable gambling receipts the city
receives from bingo and pull-tab sales within city limits.
This is the fourth year in a row that Gem Lake has used
a portion of its charitable gambling receipts for this
purpose. Typically, the city clerk, Melissa Lawrence,
waits for a list of supplies the elementary school
provides, which includes items they consider most
needed for incoming students. The goal is to stock the
school’s supply pantry and help the greatest number of
children possible with basic school supply needs.
Once the list is received, the clerk goes on a shopping
spree at Walmart, or a similar discount store and tries to
find all the requested supplies. The resulting pile of
supplies typically keeps the school stocked for months.
Items purchased include everything for notebooks and
markers to Kleenex and crayons. The city also approved
a $500.00 donation for the school to spend at their own
discretion for children in need.
The City Council also asked the City Clerk Melissa
Lawrence to inform the school that if there is ever a
need for additional supplies throughout the year to reach
out and the City will see what it can do to help.
Archery Deer Hunting Licenses
Approved for the Fall
Two archery deer hunting licenses were approved by the
Gem Lake City Council, one on August 20 and the other
on September 17 for organized hunts that will take place
on private property in the Daniels Farm Road area of the
city. Each will take place on large lots located near the
water body of Gem Lake. The areas where hunting will
take place are tightly controlled by city regulation, with
deer stands located at least 300 feet from a property line.
Each property owner had to present a list of deer hunters
who will be involved and demonstrate that they have
state hunting licenses and proper training. Each will take
place this fall on three preplanned sets of dates so as to
allow for notification of immediate neighbors.
Joint Property One & Two Property Three
September 14 – 16 October 25 - 27
November 1 – 3 November 1 - 3
November 15 - 17 November 8 - 10
The archery deer stands are typically deep within the
property in both cases, so the hunts should go unnoticed
by the general public.
Gem Lake has licensed these private deer hunting events
for over 8 years without a problem, due to the number of
rules and regulations each property owner must follow.
The hunts are done to cull the very large deer
populations with city limits.
Gem Lake News Page 7 of 8
City News
Ramsey County Fix-It Clinic
At Fix-It Clinics, residents bring in small household
appliances, clothing, electronics and more to receive
free guided assistance from volunteers with repair skills
to disassemble, troubleshoot and fix items.
Fix-It Clinics build community connections and reduce
the number of repairable objects that are thrown in the
trash. Get household items fixed for free and learn
valuable repair skills at an upcoming Fix-It Clinic. There
is a three (3) item limit.
Bring household goods and clothing in need of repair.
Please bring any tools and supplies you think might
help. Events are first come, first serve.
In cooperation with White Bear Township, there is an
upcoming Fix-It Clinic scheduled to take place at
Heritage Hall, 4200 Otter Lake Road, on Saturday,
October 26 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Last items accepted at
12:30 p.m.
For more information on what is acceptable to bring you
can visit Ramsey County’s website at
https://www.ramseycounty.us/residents/recycling-
waste/reuse/fix-it-clinics.
Online Payment Portal Coming Soon
At the August 20 City Council meeting the Council
reviewed options for an online payment portal and
approved a quote from InvoiceCloud. This is just one
other thing that City of Gem Lake is doing to come into
the 21st century and make it more convenient for Gem
Lake’s residents and business owners, and outside
contractors.
This will give contractors the ability to pay for city
permits online. This also gives Gem Lake residents and
business owners the option to have their utility bills set
up for automatic withdrawal or to just pay them online.
Gem Lake Has a Facebook Page
Acting City Clerk Melissa Lawrence has designed and
published a Facebook page for the City of Gem Lake.
The address is: www.facebook.com/CityofGemLakeMN
The Facebook pages focus primarily on special
announcements and news items, events, etc. It is
intended to compliment rather than replace the city
website. Please check it out and “like” and “follow” the
page. We are also looking for a few appropriate Gem
Lake photos. Your feedback is welcome!
Charitable Gambling Donations
Donations of $1000 and $1500 were approved by the
Gem Lake City Council in August and September 2024 to
be given to the White Bear Area Food Shelf. These
donations come from charitable gambling receipts that
result from pull-tab and bingo sales within city limits.
2024 Annual Septic Maintenance
Inspections Happening Soon
The 2024 annual septic maintenance inspections for
Gem Lake homeowners were planned to begin the last
week in September, weather dependent. These
inspections are done by contracted experts who insure
that private septic systems are not creating problems for
public health and safety.
It will be important to be sure your septic clean-out is
accessible and can be easily found. The inspections are
authorized by City ordinance.
The City of Gem Lake
Phone:
(651) 747-2790
Fax
(651)-747-2795
City Hall Address:
4200 Otter Lake Road
Gem Lake, MN 55110
General E-mail:
city@gemlakemn.org
Newsletter E-mail:
Gretchen.artig-
swomley@gemlakemn.org
This newsletter is also posted
on the city’s website under the
“Documents” section and the
“News and Updates” section.
www.gemlakemn.org
After Hours Public Works
Emergency Number:
651-755-9828
(For water main breaks, main
city sewer back up, collapse of
manhole, etc. Or call 911)
Meetings: October and November 2024
The following Gem Lake
meeting will be held in the
months of October and
November. All meetings
are held at Heritage Hall
unless otherwise indicated.
See also the Gem Lake
website for more
information.
October 8, 2024
Planning Commission
Meeting is at 7:00 p.m.
October 14, 2024
City Council Workshop is
CANCELED
October 15, 2024
City Council Meeting is at
7:00 p.m.
November 7, 2024
City Council Canvassing
Meeting is at 7:00 p.m.
November 11, 2024
City Council Workshop is
CANCELED
November 12, 2024
Planning Commission
Meeting is at 7:00 p.m.
November 19, 2024
City Council Meeting is at
7:00 p.m.
Your Gem Lake City Council
Mayor:
Gretchen Artig-Swomley
Email: gretchen.artig-
swomley@gemlakemn.org
City Council Members:
Laurel Amlee
Email: laurel.hynes-
amlee@gemlakemn.org
Len Cacioppo
Email: len.cacioppo
@gemlakemn.org
Ben Johnson
Email: ben.johnson
@gemlakemn.org
Jim Lindner
Email: jim.lindner
@gemlakemn.org
You can also reach each
city council member by
calling 651-747-2790. After
hours you can follow the
prompts for the city council
directory.
CITY OF GEM LAKE
4200 Otter Lake Road
Gem Lake, MN 55110