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Special Interest <br />Articles: <br /> <br />• MPCA Latest Well <br />Testing <br /> <br />• 2024 Truth-in-Taxation <br />Final Budget Hearing <br /> <br />• VLAWMO Annual <br />Report <br /> <br />• Annual Dog License <br />Renewal Reminder <br /> <br />• City News, Page 7 <br />Scheduled Recycling <br />Dates: <br /> <br />• December 6 <br /> <br />• December 20 <br /> <br />• January 4 <br /> <br />• January 17 <br /> <br />• January 31 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MPCA Presents Results of Latest Well Testing <br /> <br />Key representatives from the Minnesota Pollution Control <br />Agency (MPCA) provided an update on local well <br />contamination during a special presentation at the <br />September 19 Gem Lake City Council meeting. <br /> <br />The presence of the chemical 1,4-dioxane was first <br />detected in 22 Gem Lake wells approximately two years <br />ago as part of an area investigation of accidental <br />pollution released by the Water Gremlin Company over <br />the course of several years. Well testing was first <br />conducted on wells that were one mile away from the <br />headquarters on Otter Lake Road in White Bear <br />Township. This was later expanded to wells located 1.5 <br />miles away from the headquarters. During this wider look <br />at area wells, 1,4-dioxane showed up in 22 wells. <br />Although the amount of contamination was considered <br />very small (1-3 parts per billion (ppb)), it was still over the <br />Minnesota limit of 1 ppb and needed to be dealt with. <br /> <br />Over the course of the next few years, the MPCA has <br />worked to find the source of the pollution, educate the <br />public on the chemical and provide bottled water to <br />affected homeowners. <br /> <br />(Continued on Page 2) <br /> <br /> <br />2024 Truth-in-Taxation Final Budget Hearing <br /> <br />The City of Gem Lake will approve its final 2024 property <br />tax levy and budget at a public hearing on December 19, <br />starting at 7:00 p.m. The State of Minnesota requires that <br />cities approve a preliminary budget by September 29, <br />which the Gem Lake City Council accomplished at its city <br />council meeting on September 19. Cities then have until <br />the end of December to approve a final budget, allowing <br />time for budget numbers to be refined and finalized. <br />While a city can reduce its budget numbers for the final <br />budget, it cannot, by law, increase its proposed budget <br />levy from the numbers approved in the preliminary <br />budget. For this reason, most cities certify a preliminary <br />budget using “worst-case” budget scenarios. <br /> <br />The 2024 preliminary property tax levy is proposed at <br />$717,742.00, which is a 7.291% increase from the 2023 <br />certified preliminary property tax levy. <br /> (Continued on Page 2) <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Gem Lake News <br />December 2023 | Volume 17 | Issue 6 Gretchen Artig-Swomley, Newsletter Editor <br />