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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAugust 2011 Gem Lake Newsletter August, 2011 Volume 5, Issue 7 Gem Lake News Special Interest Articles: • City has New Administrative Assistant • Sheriff to Make Presentation at City Council Meeting • Incentives for Developers Discussed • City News Page 4 Upcoming Recycling Dates: August 24 September 7 September 21 Gretchen Artig-Swomley, Newsletter Editor Neighbors turned out to meet neighbors at this year's "National Night Out," which was held across the country on the evening of August 2. Gem Lake's event was held at Heritage Hall and featured lots of refreshments, fun and information from the Sheriff's Department on crime fighting and safety. About three dozen Gem Lake residents turned up to enjoy the food, meet their fellow residents and, in some cases, see Heritage Hall for the first time. Special thanks to Jim and Amanda Lindner, who prepared the food and even knocked on doors to personally invite people to the annual gathering. "National Night Out" is designed to generate participation in local anti-crime (continued page 3) Residents Enjoy "National Night Out" Kiki Sonnen New Gem Lake Administrative Assistant Long-time Ramsey County employee Kiki Sonnen has also joined the Gem Lake team, as of August 1. She replaces Jean Reiter as the city's half-time administrative assistant. She will work out of Heritage Hall and will also assist the Sheriff's Department at their sub- station in the same location. Her duties for the city will include such things as preparing meeting materials, handling phone, email and walk-in questions from the public, keeping some city records up to date and properly filed, and keeping the web-site up to date with current information. Kiki is no stranger to public service, having worked for the county for over a dozen years, and served on a city council. (continued on page 5) Gem Lake News Page 2 of 6 Matt Bostrom was elected Sheriff of Ramsey County on November 2, 2010 and took office on January 3. He sought the office of Sheriff based upon a vision for law enforcement and public safety that encompasses providing safety through community policing, collaborating with local law enforcement, connecting with youth to build for the future, and other goals. With all this in mind, Matt is reaching out to the contract cities within Ramsey County that use the Sheriff's services for law enforcement. He will make a short presentation at the August 16 City Council Meeting so the public can learn more about his goals for county law enforcement. Sheriff Bostrom has nearly 29 years of law enforcement experience at the St. Paul Police Department with service as a police officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Commander, Senior Commander, Chief of Staff and much more. He received a Master of Education from St. Thomas and a doctorate in Public Administration from Hamline University. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. at Heritage Hall. We hope to see you there. New Sheriff in Town: Gem Lake Residents Can Meet Matt Bostrom at August City Council Meeting Tentative 2012 Budget Will be Voted On in August The proposed budget for 2012 is very similar to the budget adopted for this year. Overall, the total budget of $482, 692 is up slightly from the 2011 budget of $462,560. The breakdown of fixed versus discretionary expenses will be about the same. The total tax levy for the 2012 has been tentatively set at $325,972, up slightly from 2011, when the levy was $320,234. The tentative budget was introduced at the July City Council Meeting and will be discussed and voted on at the August 16 council meeting. As with the budget strategy for 2011, next year's budget calls for some money to be used from the general fund balance, in order to keep the tax levy as low as possible. Basically, the City of Gem Lake would be using up some of its reserves to keep property taxes as low as possible. On the revenue side of the budget most categories will remain basically the same. Total property taxes for the general funds are expected to be about $6,438 more than the 2011 levy amount. License and permit revenues are estimated to be about the same as 2011, with the exception of one more projected liquor license renewal. Fines and forfeiture are expected to be about the same. On the expense side of the budget, several increases are expected. For instance, expenses have been included for the 2012 election. Also, police coverage is expected to increase by 4.1%. You are encouraged to attend the August 16 meeting to provide your feedback on the upcoming budget. Gem Lake News Page 3 of 6 programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and heighten crime and drug prevention awareness. Last year's "National Night Out" campaign involved citizens, law enforcement agencies, neighborhood organizations and local officials from over 15,000 communities. In all, over 37 million people participated in last year's nationwide event. This year's event resulted in good attendance, despite being held on a hot and muggy evening. "To me, this demonstrates that people want to find ways to get involved in their community," said Mayor Bob Uzpen, "especially when it involves getting to know the people around you." National Night Out Celebration on August 2 Draws a Crowd . Well-known city planner Marc Putman of Putman Planning and Design took part in the August 1 City Council Workshop. The focus of the workshop was to start coming up with ideas for further enhancement of the city's Gateway Zoning District ordinance, which deals with open parcels of undeveloped land along County Road E and the Hoffman's Corner business district. In particular, the council would like advice on how to come up with incentives for developers, which was also discussed briefly at the July workshop. The goal is to make Gem Lake an attractive option when the real estate market begins to finally pick up. Putman Planning and Design first began working with the city in 2007 to develop a bold, mixed use "village center" vision for open land on County Road E and the business district at the intersection of County Road E and Highway 61. No specific conclusions were reached and the topic will be discussed more at future meetings. City Planner Attends Gem Lake Workshop to Discuss Development Gem Lake News Page 4 of 6 Also Charitable Gambling Receipts Fund School Program Receipts from charitable gambling in Gem Lake will fund literacy programs at the Willow Lane Elementary School this fall. An award of $1500 was approved at the July City Council Meeting. The council has directed money to the Willow Lane Elementary School for several years to fund programs that encourage reading comprehension and overall literacy. The council also tries to direct as much money as possible from the charitable gambling receipts to the White Bear Lake Area Emergency Food Shelf. Last winter, a donation was also made by Gem Lake to the Union Gospel Mission. When you buy pull-tabs at the Country Lounge in Gem Lake, this is how your money gets recycling into helping others. Garden Overlay District Ordinance Approved Gem Lake Ordinance #122, which deals with garden overlay districts, was approved by the City Council at the July City Council Meeting. The Gem Lake Planning Commission drafted and approved the ordinance earlier this summer and sent it to the council their review. The ordinance allows for a garden "overlay" zone for larger undeveloped parcels in Gem Lake, including the city's Gateway Zoning District. This would allow for the temporary use of this land for agricultural purposes, under set guidelines, while the market for commercial and residential development recovers from the current downturn. The land-use plans for Gem Lake have not historically assigned any land in the city for long- term agricultural use. This is due to the fact that the city has developed, and continues to develop, as a primarily residential community, surrounded by fully developed suburban neighborhoods. For a copy of the ordinance, you can contact Kiki Sonnen at Heritage Hall. (See contact information on page 6.) City News Page MS-4 Report to be Subject of Public Hearing MS-4 Report Ready to Be Reviewed By Public A state mandated report on storm water management, called the MS-4 Report has been completed by council member Jim Lindner and accepted by the State of Minnesota. Jim spent countless volunteer hours trudging all over Gem Lake to document and photograph inflows and outflows in our city, as required by the report. The document is now on display at Heritage Hall for anyone who wants to read it. As mandated by law, it will be on display for 30 days. Just in case you don't get a chance to stop by, we are holding a public hearing on it, also required by state law. The public hearing will be held August 16, during the August City Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m. at Heritage Hall. Our thanks to Jim Lindner for taking on the task of completing this very detailed report. Gem Lake News Page 5 of 6 Kiki Sonnen Becomes New Gem Lake Administrative Assistant (continued from page 1) For the past 12 years, Kiki has served as a Community Service Officer for the county, which is considered a civilian position. She says there are 34 Community Service Officers in the county. Kiki has quite a bit of experience in public service, including her multiple terms on the St. Paul City Council. She served from 1984 to 1989 in this role. Prior to this, she had been Bob Fletcher's aide on the council. Bob went on to become the Ramsey County Sheriff. When he won the election to this position, Kiki decided to run for his vacant seat on the city council, and won. "When I was on the council, the big issues were finding the money to keep the parks and libraries open," said Kiki. "We were also trying to promote thoughtful development of the downtown area. It was always a give and take between the downtown area and the neighborhoods." Another big issue was the Faust Theatre and the concentration of adult entertainment facilities on University Avenue. "The Faust Theater decided they would just maybe move right down the street to the intersection of University and Cleveland Avenues and expand their adult entertainment space," said Kiki. "Residents, area businesses, and church leaders went crazy and starting picketing. They had had enough! The City finally bought the Faust out and created adult entertainment ordinances that prevent clustering of these types of businesses.” Bob Uzpen-Mayor Phone: 651-492-5083 City Council Members: Gretchen Artig-Swomley Phone: 651-260-9742 Rick Bosak 651-426-9695 Jim Lindner Phone: 651-429-7597 The following Gem Lake Meetings will be held at Heritage Hall through August and September of 2011. August 16, 2011 City Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m. The new Ramsey County Sheriff will be making a presentation. August and September Meetings Meeting Dates Your Gem Lake City Council 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: gretchenas@comcast.net KikiSonnen: 651-747-2790, or Kiki.Sonnen@CO.RAMSEY. MN.US To report incidents for the Neighborhood Watch program or for information on that program contact Block Captain Chuck Watson 651-653-8319; Charles.Watson@bdk.com We’re on the Web! See us at: www.gemlakemn.org CITY OF GEM LAKE 4200 Otter Lake Road Gem Lake, MN 55110 September 20, 2011 City Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m. September 6, 2011 Planning Commission Meeting at 7:00 p.m. September 12, 2011 City Council Workshop at 7:00 p.m. Tom Rasmussen Phone: 651-426-8854 For more information on meetings, city ordinances, recent events, permit procedures, etc. please consult the Gem Lake web-site. The address is www.gemlakemn.org Each Gem Lake Newsletter is also posted on the web-site under the news section. Please email your ideas, comments and suggestions. See box at left for detailed contact information.