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by Emma TheisArden Hills is getting younger—in terms of population that is. An increasing number of younger families is moving to the suburb as baby-boomers transition into other living environments. According to Arden Hills Mayor David Grant, the City is attractive to young fami- lies for a host of reasons including home values, low crime, good employers, easy access to Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the Mounds View School District being ranked in the top ten districts in the state. As City demographics in Arden Hills are changing to an increasingly younger population, the desire for increased capabilities on the City’s website has also expanded. Many things that Arden Hills residents would have had to go to City Hall for in the past can now be completed conve- niently online—such as licensing cats or dogs, completing garage sale permits, on- street parking permits, and rental property registrations; paying utility bills; signing up and paying for parks and recreation ac- tivities, building permits and other miscel- laneous permits; and reporting concerns. The new features can be found online at cityofardenhills.org. In the upper right hand corner, a button called “I Want To... Help Center” will bring up a tab that as- sists visitors with navigating the website and achieving their goals. Whether you want to apply for, contact, dispose of, do- nate to, pay, register for, and more—your tasks can now be completed online. Additionally, paying property taxes and utility bills is now easier than ever with the online pay and recurring payments options. Setting up automatic payments ensures that City bills will be paid on-time and eliminates a task from endless to-do lists. (Currently, about 700 City residents are paying utility bills online.) Request Tracker The City also has implemented a new ser- vice called “Request Tracker” that records residents’ concerns and requests. Request Tracker will be a medium for Arden Hills citizens to report a concern online such as potholes, snow plowing and other issues. Whenever residents submit a request through the tracker, they will be assigned a ticket number, and every concern reported will be assigned to a City staff member. The Request Tracker is an improvement from the previous Report a Concern feature that did not track the status of the requests. There is more accountability with this new system, and the reporters have an opportunity to track the status of their issue or concern, ensuring that those requests will not fall through the cracks. “City Staff is aware of what is needed in the City, but we may not see everything,” said Mayor Grant. “Working together gives us thousands of eyes on what needs to be done. The tracker module provides an organized way to review what the final outcomes are and to analyze if there are any trends in what is being reported.” Even though Arden Hills has expanded its website to serve an increasing technologi- A younger community demands more online services cal population, the website is just one of many ways residents can communicate with the City. Other options include regu- lar mail, e-mail, telephone, and, of course, a personal visit to City Hall. Arden Hills City Hall is located at 1245 West Highway 96 and is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Email cityhall@cityofardenhills.org or call 651- 792-7800 to contact City Hall about any concerns. What tasks can I complete on the City website? Many things that Arden Hills residents would have had to go to City Hall for in the past can now be completed online: • licensing cats or dogs, • completing garage sale permits, • requesting on-street parking permits, • completing rental property registra- tion, • paying utility bills, • signing up and paying for parks and recreation activities, • applying for building permits, • securing other miscellaneous permits, • reporting concerns. Truth in Taxation Hearing: Monday, December 14, at 7 p.m. at City Hall A note about utility bills: The City cannot accept post-dated checks for utility billing payments, and post-dated checks will be re- turned to the sender. Thank you for your cooperation. The Official City Newsletter for Arden Hills Residents December 2015