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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, October 24,2011 Page 13 Shirley Bradway,3024 Highcrest Speaking on behalf of the area League of Women Voters (LWV) and as a member of the LWV for over thirty (30) years, Ms. Bradway provided a bench handout, attached hereto and made a part hereof entitled "Statement of the Roseville- Maplewood-Falcon Heights Chapter of the Minnesota League of Women Voters." Ms. Bradway summarized this statement, noting that the LMV members support- ed the bonding issue passed by the City Council on September 12, 2011, that pro- vided for a maintenance bond for the fire station. Ms. Bradway noted that public safety was a priority to the LMV; and advised that LMV members had toured fire stations #1 and 3 in May of this year; and that members concurred with the need for improved fire station facilities, that had been studied for the last decade. Ms. Bradway referenced issues with current facilities, including not meeting OSHA and ADA standards, no sprinkler system in existing facilities; and a lack of gender appropriate areas. Ms. Bradway opined that this was a public and employee is- sue; and requested that the City Council reaffirm their decision for expenditure. Ann Berry, 1059 Woodhill Drive As a member of the LWV for over forty-five (45) years, Ms. Berry concurred with the statement provided by Ms. Bradway. While experiencing continuing de- clining values in her home, Ms. Berry continued to support the bond issue; seek- ing City Council reaffirmation of their decision to address this public safety issue for the Fire Department. Ms. Roni Janos, 1778 Ryan Avenue Ms. Janos expressed her pleasure in being a Roseville resident, stating that it was a great city, but also held a lot of family heritage for her. However, Ms. Janos opined that she felt she was being taxed out of her house as a senior citizen, even though the City needed a good fire department, she wanted to stay in her home until she died. Scott Ritchie, 91 Mid Oaks Lane Mr. Ritchie noted that he had spoken several years ago about rising property tax- es, and impacts on those seniors and others on fixed incomes, with limited or no COLA. While the former Mayor had predicted that the economy would start to improve by now, Mr. Ritchie observed that this was obviously not an accurate prediction, and opined that it would be a long wait for economic recovery to actu- ally happen; and the housing market until 2017 for values to get back to 2007 lev- els, if then. Mr. Ritchie noted that those are the facts as residents see them; and to have all these proposals come in a perfect storm on top of that economy for prop- erty taxpayers, it was just too much. Mr. Ritchie noted that costs continued to mount; and while not disputing that the City needed a fire station, he questioned the statement that people would not move to Roseville without good parks, thus the $19 million expenditure. Mr. Ritchie opined that people move to a communi- ty for a good house and good schools; however, he further opined that mainte- nance of those homes would continue to deteriorate when homeowners could no