Wimmer's Rhetoric

Thank You

2012-02-11T16:31:00.000-06:00

Thank you everyone for the hundreds of Facebook, Twitter, email, text and phone call birthday wishes.... I am truly blessed at 40

Isanti's Rum River BMX Track 5th Best in Nation

2012-02-08T08:16:00.000-06:00

Great Cause

2012-02-01T23:01:00.000-06:00

On April 13, 2012, our family will be holding a spaghetti dinner and silent auction benefit to raise travel expenses for the MACS conference in the United Kingdom . The Micro and Anophthlamic Children’s Society was established in 1994. It is a model of excellence in the UK and is supported by professionals and parents. The benefit will be held at Captian’s on Long Lake in Isanti, MN. We are looking for individuals, companies, and organizations to help with donations of money, silent auction items or other services for this event to be successful.

In June of 2007 my newborn son, Ethan, was diagnosed with a very rare genetic disease called Microaphthalmia (small formed eyes). Two years later in May 2009, our 3rd child, Evalyn, was also diagnosed with Microaphthalmia. It was then we learned our children are blind and there is no cure. After several surgeries and all kinds of emotions, we went in search of other families who have gone through the same experience. Having the support of other families who have already been through what we were going through is invaluable. The “completely lost” feeling we had been living with has started to disappear.

Last summer we attended the International Children’s Anophthalmia/Microphthalmia Network (ican) conference in Boston, MA. There we met Barry,the chairman for Micro & Anophthalmic Children’s Society based in the United kingdom (MACS). While in Boston Barry invited our family the the MACS family weekend in the UK. This takes place from May 3rd to the 7th, 2012. MACS are helping with some of the cost in relation to airfare, accommodations and food.

The ICAN Conference was a wonderful experience and we have connected with many families and learned so much medically and genetically. Therefore to be able to give ICAN members a further insight and knowledge of what MACS has achieved in the UK would be an invaluable experience. We are hoping to learn more about the MACS organization and bring home ways to help ICAN grow and reach more families in need of support as they navigate this long and emotional journey.

Not only that but this weekend will also give our children a chance to make friends who are like them and will give us as parents the support and knowledge we need to raise our kids to lead full, productive, and independent lives. I, as Ethan and Evie’s mom, have volunteered to speak at this conference about our kids and share with other families the challenges and successes we face in raising our children.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give to making this weekend a possibility for our family. The connections we make there will serve many families through out the US.

For more information on MACS and ICAN please visit their websites:
www.macs.org.uk
www.anophthalmia.org

Favorite Commisioners

2012-01-31T14:51:00.000-06:00

The poll results are in and for favorite Commissioner:

Duff 60%
Morris 17%
Warring 13%
Sutherland 4%
Larson 4%

County Board Meetings

2012-01-31T14:47:00.000-06:00

After asking why the County Board does not record and post their meetings they have put it on their agenda for tomorrow. We have been placing our City Council meetings online since I have been Mayor. Transparency is key to a thriving democracy. I hope they actually do it and do it soon so we may all know what happens in their Board and Committee of the Whole meetings. Anytime the whole County Board meets those meetings should be recorded and made available online.

Isanti County Redistricting

2012-01-23T14:11:00.000-06:00

Isanti County Board meeting in a few minutes to discuss redistricting in an unrecorded no newspaper coverage situation. Wonder why???

The City of Isanti belongs with Isanti Township.... any other formula makes no sense for future growth. The Gerrymandering option of placing the City of Isanti with Athens Township and Oxford Township erases decades of Isanti purposely not growing into Athens. This option also places our total population in this configuration dangerously close to the population limit of a district... this means that once again a person in our district with have less representation than everyone else in the County... this terrible inequality shown towards Isanti must stop....

So why would this option even be looked at? Simple - it allows all of the County Commissioners to not have to run for re-election against each other. This self serving reason would be detrimental to the welfare of our County... you may think this is a harsh statement but at the last meeting I attended one of our long serving Commissioners stated he wanted safe district so they did not have to run for office again... now you knoq why they never record their meetings.....

Please do the right thing and go with the option that our Independent County Auditor proposed as the best option .. this places the City of Isanti with Isanti Township. Take the politics out of our elections...

State of the City

2012-01-20T16:40:00.000-06:00

I am delivering the State of the City Address at the February 22nd Chamber Luncheon. If you are interested in attending please contact the Chamber.

Community Center Task Force

2012-01-20T16:36:00.000-06:00

I am appointing a Community Center Task Force to develop a long range plan for the use and funding of the Center. I am looking for 5 business people and 5 citizens to appoint to the Task Force. The issues that to be addressed in no particular order:

1. Short and long term repairs
2. Community Expectations
3. Capital Improvement Plan
4. Community Participation
5. Long range planning

There will many topics of discussion as the group works through these issues. The Task Force will report back to the City Council quarterly with an expected final plan completed by the first week of December.

If you are interested in serving or have questions please contact me at George@georgewimmer.com or 763-442-8749. The Community Centers future depends on the success of this Task Force.

10th Annual Arctic Plunge

2012-01-11T16:39:00.003-06:00

10th Annual Arctic Plunge is March 3rd.... I will be sponsoring and jumping for the 7th year in a row and lhope everyone makes it to the Plunge.... click the link for more info

http://arcticplunge.com/

Break is Over

2012-01-11T14:44:00.000-06:00

I have taken a break from writing but time to get back at it.... we have a lot of work to do at the County level this year and a long list of positives to discuss for our City... redistricting of the County Commissioner map will be quite interesting as I am hoping but not expecting the Commissioners to approve the objective map presented by their own staff instead of political gerrymandering to make a map they can run safely in for re-election this year.

I will also be presenting the State of the City in February as well....

Council Press Coverage

2011-12-12T14:33:00.000-06:00

Isanti City Council News Paper Covered of last meeting with tax cut and joint signing

http://www.presspubs.com/isanti/news/article_359bfbc2-2275-11e1-be29-0019bb2963f4.html

County Board Elections Matter

2011-12-10T10:18:00.000-06:00

The City of Isanti cuts taxes 11% yet the County continues to increase taxes... We need fiscal leadership at the County" Elections matter and all 5 County Board seats are up for reelection... We need to take our fiscal policy success to the County next year....

Saving Money by Absorbing Clerk Duties in City Administrator Position

2011-12-07T13:23:00.000-06:00

Isanti saved $32,000 by replacing our Clerk with assistant clerk and paying our Administrator $7000 more to take on statutory clerk duties... Council Member Larson and Lundeen objected to this at last nights Council meeting. If we did not pay our Administrator to do the Clerk duties we would have had to hire another position.

It is easy to score political points by opposing what appears to be an expense but it is really a savings of $32,000 because our previous clerk cost the City $89,000 in salary and benefits... we replaced this with an assistant clerk/hr position costing us $50,000 salary and benefits.... take away the $7,000 for the legally required statutory duties of a clerk that were absorbed by the City Administrator and you get to our total savings of $32,000. If we did not take these actions we would have lost money...

I found it incredulous that those that have wasted taxpayers money so frivolously in the past would make such an argument. Leadership entails educating the public not simply bending to uninformed opinion....

The State Raises Business Taxes

2011-12-05T10:56:00.000-06:00

Our State Republican Senate and House along with DFL Governor passed changes in property tax law that suppressed the value of owner occupied homes to lower their tax burden but SHIFTED these taxes to businesses ... If you did not get that .. they raised taxes on businesses in hypocritical way leaving local government entities having to explain a law we had nothing to do with.... We cut taxes 11% in Isanti and yet some homes and most businesses are paying more in taxes due to this nonsense.

Maybe this is why for the first time I have been Mayor neither our State Representative or State Senator has come to an Isanti City Council Meeting.... If you are going to vote to raise our businesses taxes at least you could come explain why....

More Homestead Tax Fiasco Fallout

2011-12-02T14:31:00.000-06:00

Example of MN's secret tax on business/industrial property passed by a Rep Legislature and signed by a DFL Governor http://www.presspubs.com/isanti/news/article_25f24528-1c67-11e1-81e5-001871e3ce6c.

The Homestead tax credit ending not only hurts homeowners but also shifts cost to business property... just terrible

Winter 2011 Isantian Article

2011-12-02T14:18:00.000-06:00

When I last wrote my Mayor’s Letter for the Fall Isantian, I had shared the many accomplishments we have been able to achieve and how we were progressing into the next stage of Isanti’s future. Since then we have experienced a sudden 22% reduction in our City’s overall property tax value. This added to recent years has brought us to a 37% reduction. Going through the raw data I believe we are on track to see a 50% total reduction in City taxable value by 2014 since the highest valued year of 2009. This is a seismic shift in City finances due in large part to two major factors – economic pressures on the housing market and the State’s elimination of the Homestead Tax Credit.

The first reason is fairly clear, the bursting of the housing bubble, foreclosure issue and high unemployment have all led to the rapid reduction in property values. The second reason deserves more of an explanation as this change has now finally become a reality as each of us has received our property tax statements. In an effort by the State of Minnesota to balance its own budget they have used shifts in school funding, reduced local government aid significantly and eliminated the homestead tax credit. The state’s financial gimmicks have not saved any money nor has it reduced exploding state spending by double digits. What it has done is shift significant cost to local government.

The Homestead Credit was a way the State gave homeowners a reduced property tax bill without hurting local government and the revenue it relies upon to pay for services. The amount of the Homestead Credit given to homeowners was a reduction paid to local government but the State reimbursed local governments for this credit so no revenue was lost. The recent change gives homeowners a reduction in taxable property value but does not reimburse local governments for the lost revenue. This leaves a $138,000 plus hole in our City budget that must be filled. School districts, counties and cities are all hurt by this change. This is a shift of over $260,000,000 from State responsibility to local levels of government. This recent change Is especially bad since the State is on a fiscal year end of June and counties and cities are on a year end of December 31^st. This change comes in the middle of our fiscal year. On a side note … Legislature, please sync all of our fiscal years so we are all working under the same calendar.

This brings us to our recent county tax statements showing dramatic reductions in taxable value. This new lower taxable value is the State’s way of trying to lower property taxes when they know local governments already hit by lowering values will still need to bring in at least what they had already planned to, thus eliminating any true savings but effectively shifting blame to counties, schools and cities.

In Isanti, we are not increasing the amount of taxes we had planned but instead for 2012, we will be spending less than we did in 2006. By continuing to find cost savings while still creating a positive environment for our existing businesses to grow and attracting new businesses, we will be able to ride through this latest crisis. I felt it necessary to give some explanation to the recent State budget gimmick as it does affect local governments even though my long range budget plan is able to absorb these cost shifts. These are very challenging times that we must work through together and many tough choices will still need to be made in the years to come. The recent 5 year plan I proposed to the City Council will guide us through these difficult decisions and keep moving us forward to a brighter tomorrow.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments please contact me at 763-442-8749 or email me at George@georgewimmer.com . You may also follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/mayorwimmer Facebook at facebook.com/GeorgeAWimmer or my blog at georgewimmer.blogspot.com

Channel 5 KSTP Isanti Crossing Guard Story

2011-11-18T22:19:00.001-06:00

Here is the Link to the 5/23 intersection crossing guard story... If the School District had bothered to ask us at the City for help we would have helped publicized the job opening... We receive hundreds of applications a year for jobs and $12.12 it would get filled.... What a shame the District does partner with Isanti to solve these problems...

http://kstp.com/news/stories/S2379516.shtml?cat=1

When Country Calls

2011-11-11T11:38:00.000-06:00

My Grandfather wrote these words to my Grandmother in 1917 as America was preparing to fight in World War One. His words worked quite well. They had 14 children, 11 boys and 3 girls. We must honor our soldiers and their families each and every day.

A poem written by Ted Wimmer to Agnes

When Country Calls

***

I feel so very lonesome tonight

I don’t know what to do

I feel so blue and downhearted right

So I’ll write a few lines to you.

I was dreaming of the days gone by

And the hours I spent with you

My eyes grew dim, and with a sigh

I said your love must be true.

There’s a sort of pain that hurts my heart

When I think of the hour drawing nigh

The sad day when we two must part

When I’ll kiss you and say good bye.

Remember me and do not fear

To you, I’ll always be true

I’ll always think of you my dear

And I hope to return to you.

Rivers, mountains and the ocean may lie

Between your soldier and you

His love for you will never die

If you’ll promise you’ll be true.

Your soldier begs of you to say

At the rising of the sun

A prayer for him, that this very day

May not be his last one.

And when this war to an end has come

And the troops God spared return

The world again its peace has won

Your soldier’s love for you will burn.

And if the giver of all good

Hears the prayers of your spotless heart

At least I hope and pray he would

That I return never more to part.

Info on Foley MN Replacing Police with Security Guards

2011-11-01T10:32:00.000-05:00

Interesting article... Will be following this to see how it works

http://www.startribune.com/local/132970423.html

Taxable Market Values

2011-10-22T22:31:00.001-05:00

This graph shows just how bad it has gotten as our overall city tax base has started a rapid decline. We have lost over $137,000,000 or 37% of our tax base from the all time high.

This being said I think the real question needs to be asked is why did the County continue to increase everyone's property values in 2007, 2008 and 2009 when it was clear the real estate market was collapsing then? This gave a false impression of City wealth and made it very difficult every time I said things are very tough and we need to cut cost and keep our long term spending in line.

As you follow the bell curve year to year on each side of the high point matching very closely and can be used as a harbinger of what is yet to come....

This cold reality is being faced by all communities in regions like ours that grew so rapidly....

A Quick Note on Property Values

2011-10-04T23:30:00.000-05:00

County told us property values would drop 2% and we budgeted accordingly .. now they tells us 22%... I have a lot of late nights coming.. I will not raise your taxes as most other cities, counties and school districts will do. I believe if your property value goes down so should your taxes... I will be redoing the budget over the next 2 weeks to cover the hundreds of thousands of dollars we will be losing... I will then present these items to the City Council for approval.... I have a lot of work ahead of me so please be patient if I do not respond as quickly to request... This is why I developed a strong fund balance and long range budget plan that handles just such problems....

A Quick County vs City Comparison

2011-10-03T14:16:00.000-05:00

I have been spending some time looking at the spending increases at our County. I have stripped out Human services and roads budgets considering a great deal of those expenditures are mandated or controlled at the state and federal level and the County Board is simply a pass through for these activities. I concentrated on the general fund which is what the County Board has the most control over. Since 2006 the County Board has had an 11% increase in spending. That number does not sound too bad except for the fact that since becoming the Mayor of Isanti I have decreased spending by 12% and have increased the service level of our City.

There is a lot of talk about reforming government and reducing the tax burden and government spending. While those at the County, State and Federal level talk about slowing the increase in spending we do it.

We have driven down net debt per capita debt by 276% , nearly doubled our fund reserves, cut property taxes by 30% and brought in dozens of new businesses. We need to take these lessons to the next level of government and show them how to preserve the money in our wallets and not preserve their salaries and expense accounts.

Government is a service provider and must understand its own cost structure and bring the systemic changes needed at the employee cost level or true spending reductions will never be made. I hope the County gets a handle on these issues so they do not keep coming back year after year with tax increases as they are doing once again this year. A few percent each year may not seem like a lot but it adds up as each couple percent stacks on top of the last tax increase.

Reform and more efficient government is not that hard.... you just need to have the strength to fight for whats important and be willing to see it through to the end.

Isanti's Redbirds Win State Championship

2011-09-05T23:29:00.000-05:00

http://isanticountynews.com/2011/09/05/redbirds-win-state-championship-in-another-classic/

Fall 2011 Isantian Article

2011-09-04T10:31:00.001-05:00

We have had quite an eventful summer and are looking forward to another amazing fall in Isanti. We have a number of new businesses being built; and others are opening their doors in familiar locations. The east TH 65 construction projects are going up, which will house new facilities. The Urbans’ have reopened Hardware Hank on County Road 5 NE and Dale Matson of Isanti Bicycle Repair has opened his shop on Main Street. There are many more new businesses opening, and many existing businesses that are expanding like Granger Machine and Pat’s Small Engines which have been growing strongly. We continue to have involved business owners like Dori Johnson of Charisma Boutique on County Road 5 and Mark Rojas of Bear Books on Main Street; whose owners are not only running great businesses, but are working hard to make Isanti an even better place to live, work and play. My space limits me but there are so many dedicated individuals and businesses that make Isanti an amazing place.

I want to thank the Sponsors of the 2011 Mayor’s Great Yard Award for their support and dedication to help positively impact our Community - Melissa Hutchens DDS is our 1^st place sponsor, Startac Construction is our 2^nd place sponsor and KJD Signs sponsors 3^rd place.

The 2012 budget has been coming together over the past few months and we will once again not be raising taxes or cutting any services. We have continued to trim the City budget and will be spending less in 2012 than we did in 2006, my first year as Mayor. When our County, State and Federal levels of government have continued to spend more and more, we have been able to rethink how government should function. We have made real cost cuts throughout City operations to ensure the most efficient level of service possible. We reduced systemic costs by negotiating Union contracts that have helped to share the cost of healthcare more evenly with our City employees while maintaining proper staffing levels. The City general fund balance as a percentage of our yearly budget is higher than at any point in modern history which allows us to weather the difficult economic storm we are facing. We should be proud of the work we have done.

We are completing the final stage of our planned replacement of old City infrastructure that had in years past been failing and causing significant damage to public and private property. We have in recent years replaced gravel roads with paved roads, built our water treatment facility to rid us of cancer causing radium, replaced decaying sewer lines and added new underground power lines; all to better serve our community. The replacement of failing and inadequate infrastructure is not the most exciting topic but it provides the strong foundation and security for future generations to thrive.

My goal as Mayor has been to get Isanti’s fiscal house in order, grow our business community, diversify our tax base and make sure all the proper infrastructure is in place to serve our current and future needs. The next Mayor will have a strong position to work from in taking our community into an even brighter future.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns please contact me at George@georgewimmer.com or call/text 763-442-8749. You may also read my news and notes at www.georgewimmer.blogspot.com, follow me on twitter at http://twitter.com/MayorWimmer or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/GeorgeAWimmer .

Two New Businesses on Main St

2011-08-30T10:21:00.000-05:00

2011-08-25T12:05:00.002-05:00

Remember the story of the Spanish prisoner. For many years he was confined in a dungeon...One day it occurred to him to push the door of his cell. It was open; and it had never been locked.
- Winston Churchill

2011-08-16T16:22:00.002-05:00

"Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion." Edmund Burke

Isanti Chamber Call to Action - Comedy or Tragedy

2011-08-16T10:27:00.000-05:00

Ok I have a copy of the Isanti Chambers "Call to Action".... the Chamber has picked to mobilize because The Ambassador program feels slighted... I had asked the Isanti Ambassadors to attend the retirement of long term City Clerk... They had asked me to fill out a form to request their presence... I said seriously... and I forgot the whole thing... a side note is I was the only one to even think of inviting the Ambassadors to the event in the first place... it never even occurred to anyone else... Apparently I hurt their feelings because the Isanti Area Chamber of Commerce has issued a "Call to Action" against me.... they are mobilizing their members to attend the City Council meeting...

The Chamber did not issue a call to action when water and sewer rates were increased which actually affects their businesses... they did call to action with ideas to help the business community... they do not attend Council or Economic Development meetings... but for a chance to complain about me there is a "Call to Action" ... I do not know whether to laugh or cry...

Lowe's Cambridge

2011-08-15T14:55:00.000-05:00

Lowe's Cambridge MN closed theirs doors.... 95 employees lost their jobs in Cambridge ... its sad when you call the number and hear them say they are closed and direct you to Coon Rapids...

Isanti Amphitheatre

2011-08-15T10:22:00.000-05:00

We are moving forward with our Amphitheater in Isanti. It will be located in Blue Bird Park and will include a curved bandshell with electricity and changing rooms. We intend this area to be used several times a week for plays, concerts and movies in the park. I am interested to here from those that would like to perform using our facility. Please contact me at 763-442-8749 or george@georgewimmer.com

Isanti County News Coverage of Storm Damage

2011-08-02T22:33:00.002-05:00

http://isanticountynews.com/2011/08/02/7000-without-power-following-morning-storm/

Bike/Walk Trail Signage

2011-07-29T00:26:00.002-05:00

County EDA Wants to Raise your Taxes

2011-07-25T13:30:00.001-05:00

In 2007 the County formed its own County Economic Development Authority - EDA for short. The 3 cities in Isanti county had to vote to join and then would be members for 5 years and all 14 townships had to be members as they had no special privilege to say no. Cambridge voted to join and Braham voted against joining. When it was Isanti's City Councils turn to decide I argued against joining because I wanted a plan and a set of goals the County EDA wanted to achieve. I was worried the EDA, which has the authority to have a special property tax levy, would start raising taxes for specified reason and by joining our tax payers would have to pay. I lost that vote and the City of Isanti joined the EDA. Although Braham never joined their Mayor was appointed to sit on the EDA Board at the time. I had pushed for years to get an actual short and long term plan in place for the County EDA but this never happened. The City of Isanti has an EDA and a multi-layered plan for economic growth and marketing.

With no set plan or framework for what projects the County would support we approached the County EDA to see if they would help with a future Hotel project. At the time the time the County EDA said they were not interested in commercial projects but wanted to do industrial projects. Fast forward to a commercial project that Cambridge wants to build for more shopping and the County EDA and County Board voted to support Cambridge.

Now the County EDA wants to raise your county property taxes (Braham not being a member can benefit from the money raised but will not be taxed themselves). They passed a resolution on a 4-3 vote to raise and undisclosed amount of taxes for an undisclosed purpose. This is beyond ridiculous.... if you are going to hike property taxes at least say how much and what you plan to spend it on... sounds like the creation of a slush fund...

Commissioners Duff and Warring voted against this but Commissioner Susan Morris and Larry Sutherland voted along with Cambridge Mayor Palmer to raise taxes. The final vote will take place at an undisclosed County Board meeting. Commissioner Larson did not vote on this item as he is the County EDA Chair and the Chair does not have a vote.

At this point we have Duff and Warring saying no and Susan Morris and Larry Sutherland saying yes to hiking your property taxes for an undisclosed amount and purpose and we have yet to hear from Commissioner Larson. Increasing property taxes on Isanti County residents at this time is a terrible idea.

I warned about this in 2007 and was not listened to by the majority of the Isanti City Council. Our 5 years will be up in 2012 and I will be asking the Council to once again vote against being in the County EDA. An organization that has no plan and no budget but sure wants our money for something.....

Local Government

2011-07-25T13:08:00.000-05:00

There are over 13,500 City Council, Township Board and County Board members in the state of Minnesota... that's a lot of local government...

I believe there has to be a reduction in the amount of cities, townships and counties in our state if we are going to have efficient cost effective government. Local Government Aid and other support structures for communities that can not or will not tax enough to support the services their residents need is going away. State government needs to reverse their unnecessary unfunded mandates and let communities keep more of their tax dollars at home. The State also must stop dictating local tax and fee rates. Many of the fees we charge are really hidden state taxes we as a City must charge and collect only to pass it on to the state. The State will yell loudly they are trying to keep taxes low with levy limits on local government but there are so many loop holes in these limits that Swiss cheese is more solidly constructed. Yet the State hides under a rock as their mandated fees are collected by local government and then passed up in something akin to a pyramid scheme.

Our state level of government complains about "dependent" cities, townships and counties yet it still wants to hold absolute power over us. They want to cut financial ties yet continue to pass unfunded mandates regardless of political party.

Let us not be fooled the state will cut local aid to all levels of local government then not send the money back to the taxpayer they took it from but simply to spend it else where. Today's local government aid will be spent on some other project tomorrow. So if the Legislature and Governor want to cut these payments I say fine.... but then give the tax payers their money back... don't be hypocrites and simply say you are "saving" then spend it else where....

The last quick point is all this borrowing into the future. School shifts or tobacco bonds or perhaps they will try alchemy next time is just stealing from the future so hard decisions do not have to be made today. Either cut spending or raise taxes or both but stop this legalized theft. As a City we are mandated to have a real balanced budget and to hold all of our decisions making meetings in public and to have at least 72 hours notice of anything we vote on. The State legislative leadership and Governor have no such rules that apply to them. They meet in private for days then give the public and other legislators less than a day to look at the bills and laws they pass.

I thought we were suppose to be a good government state...

Coming Post on County EDA soon

2011-07-21T20:43:00.003-05:00

Recent Tweets

2011-07-21T20:43:00.000-05:00

MayorWimmer George Wimmer

The Isanti EDA voted to raise property taxes in Isanti County but did not specify how much or for what purpose... I am opposed this nonsense

MayorWimmer George Wimmer

Minnesota Republicans did not spend a penny more they spent over 100,000,000,000 pennies more... All of it stolen from the future...

MayorWimmer George Wimmer

In local government it is illegal for us to make decisions in secret meetings.... It seems to be the norm at the state capital ...

18 Jul

MayorWimmer George Wimmer

Terribly sad and shameful state budget filled with borrowing money from the future so no one has to make tough decisions today

17 Jul Favorite Reply Delete

MayorWimmer George Wimmer

The proposed budget is a fraud ...just more borrowing from the future... Cut spending or raise taxes... Stop stealing my children's future

14 Jul Favorite Reply Delete

Outhouse Races this Weekend

2011-07-07T12:52:00.002-05:00

Watch for Wimmer's Rock Stars at this weekends race

Parade Route

2011-07-06T21:06:00.002-05:00

Chairs are going up quickly along the parade route tonight for tomorrow nights parade....

Rodeo Jubilee Days

2011-07-06T21:05:00.001-05:00

A list of all Jubilee Events and parade route go to: http://www.isantichamber.com/images/stories/jubilee1_2011_copy_copy.pdf

For Rodeo information go to: http://www.isantifiredistrict.org/isanti_rodeo_assc_

Hardware Hank is reopening in July

2011-06-22T11:24:00.003-05:00

Hardware Hank is reopening in July under the ownership of Arlene and Mike Urban. This is a great step forward for Isanti

Great Yard Award

2011-06-22T10:14:00.005-05:00

We have 11 nominations so far for the Mayor's Great Yard Award....

Small Cities

2011-06-22T10:14:00.004-05:00

There are so many small cities trying to survive ... I would think many will dissolve as they are unable to keep function on their own

http://www.startribune.com/local/124328119.html

Mayor's Employer Celebration Day June 9th Pictures

2011-06-09T21:38:00.000-05:00

Tonight's Fire

2011-06-08T22:29:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone is safe as well as our brave firefighters

Memory Care Commercial Project

2011-05-26T18:35:00.001-05:00

First of two projects in this area made possible through Isanti's innovative use of economic tools.

Park and Recreations Board Opening

2011-05-24T19:17:00.000-05:00

We have had a resignation on the Park Board due to a member moving out of the City. If you are interesed in serving on this fun and important board please let me know.

george@georgewimmer.com or 763-442-8749

Mayor's Great Yard Award

2011-05-22T13:42:00.000-05:00

Get your nominations in to the Mayor's Great Yard Award.... george@georgewimmer.com or 763-442-7849 or contact Lisa Wilson at City Hall 763-444-5512 or lwilson@cityofisanti.us .

$100 1st place and signed Mayoral Proclamation

$50 2nd place and signed Mayoral Proclamation

$25 3rd place and signed Mayoral Proclamation

Property must be in the City of Isanti and you may nominate your own yard..... There are 3 winners for Nune, July and August..... 9 chances to win....

Congressman Chip Cravaack Visit to Isanti's Ever Cat Biodiesel Plant

2011-05-19T21:43:00.000-05:00

With Congressman Chip Cravaack and Dr. Clayton McNeff

Foreclosed Homes Update

2011-05-19T21:41:00.000-05:00

249 foreclosed homes have sold in last few years since we have been tracking the issue....

County News got it Wrong

2011-05-18T19:29:00.000-05:00

I did not say that we were cutting a cop due to budget issues.... I said that we were applying for a grant to help pay for an existing position.....

May 17th City Council Agenda

2011-05-16T23:08:00.002-05:00

http://www.cityofisanti.us/images/stories/minutes_agendas/cc_agenda/2011/05-17-11_city_council_agenda.pdf

Mayor's Employer Celebration Day June 9th

2011-05-16T13:54:00.002-05:00

I have declared June 9th the 4th Annual Mayor's Employer Celebration Day. There will be a free lunch for all of our City Employers and Employees.... Senator Neinow, Commissioner Duff, Commissioner Warring and City Engineer Brad DeWolf will be serving.... Representative Daudt has also been invited and we are hopeful his schedule will allow for him to attend.

I started this event to ensure that our employers understand how important they are to our future.

State Budget Update

2011-05-16T13:43:00.002-05:00

http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/121895204.html

Mayor's Great Yard Award

2011-05-10T18:21:00.000-05:00

2011 Mayor's Great Yard Award

The Park and Recreation Board will be kicking off its fourth year of the Mayor's Great Yard Award. This award recognizes the hard work, dedication, and creativity of our residents in maintaining a beautiful City. Awards are open to all City residents. You may nominate yourself or any property within the Isanti city limits. The Park Board will judge the entries and make a recommendation to the Mayor for award winners. Awards will be presented for June, July, and August.

Nominations will be accepted through Park and Recreation staff, Lisa Wilson, who can be contacted at lwilson@cityofisanti.us or at (763) 444-5512. All nominations must be received by 4:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month. The awards will be presented by the Mayor at the following Council meeting.

1st place $100 award is sponsored by www.melissahutchensdds.com.

2nd place $50 award is sponsored by Startec

3rd place $25 award is sponsored by KJD signs

Ground Breakings

2011-05-09T14:49:00.001-05:00

Daycare Facility Site

Memory Care Facility Site

Just attended ground breaking for Prairie Senior Cottages - the memory care facility. This along with the new daycare center being built in town will help to begin the long process of developing the commercial property growth on the east side of 65.....

We should have more good economic development news to share soon....

A Reason

2011-05-09T13:16:00.002-05:00

What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?

WINSTON CHURCHILL

More Good News

2011-04-29T23:17:00.000-05:00

We had two more business deals completed today that brought in over $211,000 in fees, back taxes and assessments. This plus the $70,840 brings us to over $281,000 in the last 2 weeks.... we should hopefully have more good news coming soon ..... We are rolling in Isanti.....

Today's Tweets

2011-04-25T19:09:00.000-05:00

Our deal with Water Works taking over Midwest Metal Framing building - $70,840.00 of back taxes and assessments paid - good day for Isanti

$50,000 plus available in grant form to any qualifying new or expanding business in Isanti.... contact me 763-442-8749 or george@georgewimmer.com

2003 to 2009 local gov budgets based on fantasy property value numbers.... local budgets need to reflect long term lower revenues

Senator Franken asked if we had to raise taxes cause of recession and foreclosers ... I said in Isanti NO most everyone else YES

Senator Al Franken at Ever Cat Fuels

2011-04-21T13:55:00.002-05:00

It was a good meeting today with Senator Franken who was well versed in the topic of energy.

* CRAZY RUMOR ALERT*

2011-04-20T16:52:00.001-05:00

Someone has started a crazy rumor that last nights utility and street project was not a 5-0 vote..... it absolutely was a 5-0 vote....

2011 Street Project

2011-04-20T11:29:00.001-05:00

The complete utility and street project for 2011 will move forward after the 3rd attempt last evening. It just made no sense to split this project at a higher cost and greater gamble on the future performance of the old clay sewer lines...The project passed on a 5-0 vote...

I informed the Council that the Water Works deal finalized yesterday and that another large industrial building will be humming along with at least 12 new workers by the end of May.

Our Audit Report was delivered and showed the great success we have had in moving the City forward to a sound fiscal footing....

A few of the Audit Stats

2011-04-16T20:46:00.001-05:00

City Admin is roughly 30% lower than our peer group of cities and is 21% of the General Fund Budget

Public Works is 43% lower than our peer group of cities and is 15% of the General Fund Budget - Water and Sewer Fund pay the rest of Public works cost

Park & Recreation is 46% lower than our peer group of cities and is 6% of the General Fund Budget

Public safety is slightly more than our peer group at .05% higher than our peer group of cities and is 49% of budget

Economic Development increased dramatically last year as we put more resources into this area as we are 450% higher than our peer group of cities but it still only accounts for 5% of our budget.

Total City operations are 16% lower than our peer group of cities

The most exciting aspect is our continued reduction of non-enterprise fund debt which is the debt we have beyond the water/sewer fund debt.... this is the debt we have the most control over year to year. Debt per capita in this category has gone from $1,904 per man woman and child to $689 - a 64% reduction of debt per capita.....

The water fund is in balance now after a number of actions over the past year and only the sewer fund is out of balance and will need a rate increase to pay the bad debt left us from the wild days of rapid residential growth.

Angst

2011-04-16T20:21:00.000-05:00

There seems to be some angst about the Star Tribune article last weekend..... it was mostly accurate as newspaper articles go and as they often go the writer had a story he wanted to tell..... So as a person who describes only one side of a coin he did the same... he only conveyed the negative and did not write about any of the positives we shared. That is the way it goes.... now I suppose we could have said no to the request for information but of course that would have been just as wrong.

The question on population from roughly 6,000 to roughly 5,200 is from estimates to the recent census data.... of course in a City like ours where about 10% of our housing stock is or has going through some phase of foreclosure and a corresponding proportion of the population is in transition it is doubtful all our residents were counted properly...

Now for those who think we should only talk the positive and not be honest about the troubles we face then we will not succeed. Well over a dozen people were interviewed for the story and many of those were quoted ... none of them wanted to do any harm to the City but simply were being honest about the issues they faced.

I find the criticism of myself most interesting as it must be clearly politically motivated as I was against all this rapid residential growth to begin with and those that perpetrated this destructive behavior are not helping to fix the problem. The problems we face are the ones I and others warned about but we were not listened to at the time but we are here working to correct mistakes of the past.

City Audit Report

2011-04-15T17:22:00.001-05:00

The City Audit Report once again shows how our Long Term Financial Plan is working extremely well. The only bad fiscal issue we have to fix is the leftover mess from the previous Mayor and Council with the East 65 expansion. We will be fixing that at the next Council meeting.

All General fund budget items and City operations are running more efficiently than our peer group of cities. Our administration cost us much less than our peer group of cities. I will be writing more about the exact numbers but wanted to notify the public that at Tuesday Council meeting we will be going over the Audit Report.

Week of the Young Child

2011-04-08T00:27:00.000-05:00

Proclamation by Mayor Wimmer

The Week of the Young Child

Whereas, Families and childcare providers; in conjunction with the National Association for the Education of Young Children, are celebrating the Week of the Young Child, April 10^th – 16^th, 2011; and

Whereas, these organizations are working to improve early learning opportunities, including early literacy programs, that can provide a foundation of learning for children in Isanti, Minnesota; and

Whereas, teachers and others who make a difference in the lives of young children in Isanti, Minnesota deserve thanks and recognition; and

Whereas, public policies that support early learning for all young children are crucial to young children’s futures;

I Mayor George Wimmer, Mayor of Isanti, Minnesota, do hereby proclaim April 10^th – 16^th, 2011 as The Week of the Young Child in Isanti, Minnesota and encourage all citizens to work with Isanti, Minnesota to make a good investment in early childhood in Isanti, Minnesota.

____________________________

Mayor George Wimmer

Early Years Are Learning Years

Plowing Damage

2011-04-07T23:38:00.003-05:00

If you have plowing damange from this winter please contact me at george@georgewimmer.com or call/text 763-442-8749.....

Water and Sewer Rates Update

2011-04-07T23:26:00.001-05:00

We have been working on trying to limit the negative impact of the water sewer rate increase.... as we have discussed over the last few months we are forced to do this because of the harmful impact of the previous Mayor and Council's decision to make the City liable for the development east of 65 and the taking of private property instead of having the developer foot the bill as was done before and after this project. We started at a $400 plus Sewer water rate increase then we moved to a $300 plus sewer/water rate increase and we have gotten down to a $0 water rate increase and a $18 per month increase for an average 7,000 gallon sewer user.

Thankfully the Water Treatment plant came in under budget as I have stated before so it did not have a negative impact on the water fund....

Some have asked why not just raise tax rates to pay the debt. Two reasons I have for that is it hides the reasons for the fee increase and money raised by taxation for the general fund can be spent any way the Council directs. First item is this project was saddled to the sewer/water fund originally as it was an infrastructure project. These fees were to pay for this project as the then Mayor and Council gambled that well over a 100 new houses would be built each and every year for 10 years.

The other reason is the Council can say we are collecting money through taxation for this or that but spend it on something else and still have the debt problem. If the money is raised through a sewer fee it has to be spent on the project and only sewer type projects as mandated by State law.

City Hall Retirement

2011-04-07T23:03:00.001-05:00

We were informed last week that the City Clerk will be retiring this fall after 23 years of service to the City. We are going through the process of evaluating how we can most effectively manage this transition and reform our administration structure.

Arctic Plunge Donation

2011-04-07T22:55:00.001-05:00

I had the privilege of presenting the $1,150 check from the amazing Arctic Plunge Committee to Senior Dining. The Arctic Plunge Committee does an amazing job raising money for many area groups. I would like to thank them on behalf of Senior Dining for their hard work.

2011 Road and Utility Project

2011-04-05T21:33:00.001-05:00

I was was surprised our newest Council Member Lundeen voted with Council Member Larson to prevent the most cost effective solution to our failing clay sewer pipes that have already backed up into peoples basements and cost the City taxpayer to fix. The proposed 2011 street project was half of the 2008 street project that was split because at the time some felt that the clay pipes were just fine in this area. Well they failed just a couples years later along 4th.

Larson and Lundeen stated that we should just do the 4th and Elizabeth portion of the project which would cost that area at least 10% more immediately if split off into a smaller project. This would cost those homeowners and the City more now and the rest of the project area would cost at least 20% to 30% when they allowed that area to be fixed. The remaining area has the same pipes and Larson & Lundeen are gambling that it will not fail... same gamble made in 2008 about 4th that was wrong.

This was all done in the false pretense it will help the home owners to wait. It will cost the homeowners and the City Taxpayers much more to wait even if there are no more failures.... if the other areas begin to fail then there will be emergency repair work and homeowners with sewers backing up into their basements as already happened on 4th.

I told everyone at tonights meeting to keep their assessment estimates from this project so they can compare the cost to when Larson and Lundeen allow the complete project to advance. Each dollar increase and each failure of the system will be on them but unfortunately the Taxpayer will have to pay the cost as is always the case.

To refresh everyone these types of projects need a super majority of 4-1 to pass so even though we had 3 votes again tonight for the project the minority of the Council was able to block this much need project.

In short no money was saved tonight and very likely this will burden us with much higher debt in the future... a problem similar to the poor decision making from the old Council majority that we will be paying for at the next Council meeting... (Council Member Larson was part of that old majority and now Lundeen is following that same old expensive pattern of punting the ball for future generations to pay the bill)... penny wise and pound foolish...

Guest Writer Alan Duff for Connexus Board of Directors

2011-03-25T23:37:00.000-05:00

Our County Commissioner Alan Duff is running for Connexus Board of Directors and if elected he will take his track record of no increased taxes and fees into this new position. Energy cost are one of the fundamental issues we all face and having proven leadership in such a key position is critical to our regions success. What follows is Mr. Duffs letter those interested in improving our energy cost and delivery.

Dear Family & Friends:

Ballots for the Connexus Board of Directors have been mailed out to over 120,000 Connexus customers. Members can vote by mailing ballots to Connexus OR you can vote online at www.connexusenergy.com if you have your Connexus account number and password from your ballot.

For more information, you can go to:

My Web site at: www.alanduff.net

My Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php

My Campaign Flyer is attached (pdf)

Thank you for your support and be sure to make it a great day! Alan

Alan Duff

duff@usfamily.net

BIO FOR ALAN DUFF FOR CONNEXUS ENERGY DIRECTOR, 3RD DISTRICT

The next several years will be critical for Connexus. With increased environmental regulations, decreased state support and reduced property values, providing affordable energy will be challenging. However, this is NOT the time to increase costs or reduce services on already over-burdened customers. We must find innovative solutions that best protect our future.

As a retired military officer who served 23 years, including five years as Regional Environmental Officer, I offer unique insights for providing cost-effective solutions at Connexus. Recipient of the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, I have continued public service locally as an elected City Councilmember and now County Commissioner for Isanti County.

I have fought hard against excessive taxes and regulations with Fiscal Responsibility, Accountability and Transparency as cornerstones of my leadership style in public service. You can review my public record and additional credentials at www.alanduff.net. Thank you for considering Alan Duff for Connexus District 3 Director!

Council Meeting Update

2011-03-17T08:40:00.004-05:00

The big items from last night's meeting were the street project and annexation issue. We had a long discussion on the street project with some residents for and against the project. I explained my position that this project had already been delayed 3 years and that this delay had already cost us in broken infrastructure and redundant work. The longer we wait the higher the cost. If we continue to band-aide this section of town we will have escalating future cost. There was a proposal to just do one road but this would lead to much higher cost and continued delay in the hopes that future deterioration would not occur. This was the gamble made in the past and we suffered additional cost when the sewers backed-up in this section of town. I believed we have waited beyond what prudence would dictate and must complete this project. The tough part of this is a great argument was made by an affect resident to delay the project. This speech was so well prepared and delivered that I believe it changed minds. I really appreciated the speakers passion and respectful delivery. She did an amazing job and was in direct contrast to a belligerent speech made by a person on another topic _ I will explain later in this post. The vote was 3-2 but I believe a super majority was needed for it to actually pass. I will update you on this when I get my answer....

***yep the 3-2 was not enough votes to pass... The next Council meeting will have this discussion once again. I will again ask the Council to vote on this with the newest member and if it does not get the super majority then I will ask the other Council Members what there plan is to fix the ongoing problems at a reasonable to the City. The pipes are failing in sections and perhaps we can bury our heads in the sand and hope the rest will be ok but if not who is going to pay the extra tens of thousands of dollars to fix the problem... the tens of thousands of extra cost due to delaying the project or dividing the project once again.**** Our newest Council Member will be on the Council for this discussion.

The other major item revolved around annexation of properties 100% enclosed by the City. My concern was that City Taxpayers were subsidizing these properties by providing services that were not being paid for. We received agreement with the township board that these services should be paid for and the Council directed us to negotiate a settlement....

The sad part of this discussion was a township resident and former School Board member that was rude, offensive and made a number of false accusations. This situation led me to use my gavel for the first time ever in a Council meeting. The derisive attacks on our City Administrator and the intellectually lazy arguments were sad & offensive and can not be tolerated. The accusation that his process was being conducted in private or there was a secret 2nd list of properties and that he was getting his information from a "secret" unnamed source was reprehensible. The lie that was spread last night was that the properties would see a 250% tax increase was FALSE. If the annexations would have moved forward - which they will not - the increase per the County Assessor would range in area of 30%. If the former School Board member would have looked a little a deeper into the numbers and not simply tried to find inflammatory results he would have seen that the county portion is higher for a township property versus a City property because the County provides more services to a Township than it does to a City.

Election Results 2011

2011-03-15T20:20:00.001-05:00

Lundeen 76

Streiff 60

These are the unofficial returns but with this low of a turnout and this margin I doubt it will change much... Lundeen will be sworn in at the first April meeting....

Vote Count

2011-03-15T13:21:00.001-05:00

we are at 58 votes at 12:48 today... get out and vote for your candidate... every vote really does count in this type of election ....

2012 Property Tax Valuation

2011-03-15T08:50:00.001-05:00

My home value according the County's valuation has dropped over 30% in the last 3 years.... I expect a further drop for 2013 then hopefully the property market in our region will stabilize.....

The Downside

2011-03-15T08:48:00.001-05:00

I have been dealing with an unfortunate situation of a direct threat to my family and myself the last week. This is the downside of holding office. The anger and hatred of a few is focused on the leadership of the community. It saddens me this has to happen and that I have to consider whether or not serving the public is worth risk to my family. These types of actions drive good people out of office or from considering serving in the first place.

Special Council Election Today

2011-03-15T08:45:00.003-05:00

The Special Council election is today.... Be informed and Vote your conscience....

My Spring Isantian 2011 Article

2011-03-15T08:44:00.004-05:00

As you read this article, we will have a new Council member as a result of the March 15th special election. Once we have the Council up to full strength, we will be dealing with several difficult issues – water & sewer rates, annexations and City service levels.

We discussed the expansions on the east side of TH 65 and the costly consequences of this action. I am especially frustrated by this project, since as a Council Member, I voted against the City taking on the responsibility of this project instead of having the developer pay for the expense as was traditionally done. With the collapse of the housing market, the bonds are not being paid for by new construction as anticipated. The City has been left with this debt. Even though I was against this action and fought hard to stop it, we are now left to deal with this problem. This leaves the debt payments to you and I to pay for through increased water and sewer rates. Rapid residential growth has saddled our community with problems, of which, we are trying to work our way through.

The issue of annexation has arisen as we are dealing with 23 properties that are 100% surrounded by the City; receive Isanti police protection, planning/zoning and public works support but pay no City taxes. These properties are Isanti Township and pay their taxes to the township which provides none of these services. It is a basic fairness issue that if these properties receive City benefits - they should pay City taxes – otherwise current taxpayers will continue to subsidize these areas. It is something new and the property owners will not like this action but we cannot afford to continue to provide City services to these areas for free while we are looking at cutting service levels elsewhere in the City.

At the time of writing this article, Community meetings have been scheduled for March 1st and March 4th to receive public input on the City’s service levels and to explain how your tax dollars are spent. We are looking for input into what is most important to our citizens as we work our way through this Great Recession. Isanti has seen a 10% reduction in the total value of all properties in the City, which means lower property taxes paying for City services. We have made the commitment to not increase property taxes to make up the difference as many communities have done. This does mean that we will be looking to make further cuts to balance our budget. The many actions we have discussed previously have bought us time to deal with these issues in an appropriate manner. Our budget reserves along with efficient City government will get us through this dark period. A positive in this area is our new 3 year contract with our Police Union in which they have agreed to share a greater part of their health care expenses. This now brings all employees into the same health care plan.

I want to share a few fun items for the spring. The City has taken possession of a 22 acre parcel of land along the Rum River that is bisected by Isanti Brook in the Northwest quadrant of the City. This passive park will have a walking trail and will be kept in its natural state for future generations to enjoy. Redbird baseball will be gearing up soon along with Rum River BMX and our Soccer complex will be humming as well. Our Soccer complex will be hosting nearly 5,000 players and 20,000 spectators from the end of April through May as we host the Minnesota Cup. Let’s make sure everyone feels welcome to our great community.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments please contact me at 763-442-8749 or email me at George@georgewimmer.com . You may also get my City updates on Twitter at twitter.com/mayorwimmer Facebook at facebook.com/GeorgeAWimmer or my blog at georgewimmer.blogspot.com

Follow-up to March 1st Council Meeting

2011-03-15T08:44:00.003-05:00

As I had argued previously we now have a positive of roughly $308,000 for the City by the cancelling of the Pedestrian Bridge.... http://georgewimmer.blogspot.com/2011/02/pedestrian-bridge-project-needs-to-end.html

The first community meeting was well attended and there were several pointed questions - the second meeting had only 4 people in attendance and even though the business community was specifically invited no one single business owner or manager attended. I will assume that the business community must be completely satisfied by the direction of the City considering not a single one attended.

The general impression is from the meetings along with emails and phones is that the vast majority wants to maintain the current service levels....

2011 Arctic Plunge was a Great Success

2011-03-12T08:51:00.001-06:00

A lot of fun... Thanks Hazelle for being crazy enough to join me

Couple Quick Things

2011-03-01T23:06:00.000-06:00

The Council came around to my position and cancelled the Pedestrian Bridge project due to lack of funds. We had a good group at the Community Meeting tonight and had some good exchanges.... I will be writing much more about these tomorrow but wanted to delivery the Pedestrian Bridge news....

Community Meetings

2011-03-01T09:13:00.003-06:00

The first Community meeting is tonight at 7pm at Isanti City Hall. This is your chance to have your voice heard. The second meeting is Friday noon at Isanti City Hall.

Accurate Coverage of State of the City

2011-02-25T11:26:00.003-06:00

Link to State of the City Address

http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9769&Itemid=59

Interesting Cambridge Isanti Comparison

2011-02-23T18:18:00.000-06:00

Industrial/Commercial development has to be done right...... even with the commercial development in Cambridge their Property Tax Rate is over 15% higher than Isanti's rate. When I was elected Cambridge's Property Tax Rate was lower than Isanti.... the past few years they have steadily increased their taxes as we have lowered.... just an interesting fact to ponder....

Presenting Doug Woog with Jersey

2011-02-23T12:26:00.001-06:00

Mayor Wimmer, Coach Woog and Local Mite Hockey Team at Lindell Rink in Isanti

Isanti's own Steve & Steph Lindell's winning rink in the Backyard Rinks 2011 Competition

Interesting

2011-02-19T00:24:00.001-06:00

The City can not hold a referendum on spending money on the Community Center even if it wanted too. A City may only place certain specified items on the ballot and a community center is not one...

NLX light rail is Dead

2011-02-19T00:17:00.000-06:00

http://abcnewspapers.com/2011/02/18/county-changes-course-on-nlx/

Pedestrian Bridge Project Needs to End

2011-02-16T16:44:00.000-06:00

I asked the Council last night to end the Pedestrian Bridge project but lost the vote 4-1. When this project started I had promised I would only do it if we received all the federal trail funding and that no City Taxpayer money would be used to build this project. All the Federal funding did not come and there would not be enough park fund money to cover the $370,000 plus city portion which means taxpayer money would need to be used.

I also believe we live in a different time. The rules around park funds is that it can only be used for new park land or equipment but the interest we make off this money can be used. The interest income form this money is over $126,000 and can be used to make up for the lack of state funding Isanti is owed which would allow us to balance our budget without having to raise taxes.

The second part of this is that there is a $22,000, cost to the City, under ground power line going through Blue Bird park that the Park fund could pay for if it were not bankrupted by the Pedestrian Bridge. Now the $22,000 has to come from taxpayers.

3rd part revolves around $60,000 plus loan from the City General Fund, taxpayer money again, that would have to be issued to the park fund to pay for the bridge.

4th issue is if we do the pedestrian bridge the city will not be able to do any park and recreation activities for at least 5 years according to my best calculations....

Lastly if we cancel the Bridge project the City can sell the House and property we bought for right of way adding another $100,000 plus to the City....

$308,000 worth of reasons to cancel this bridge.... At a time we are looking at cutting services this project makes no sense

State of the City Help

2011-02-15T12:12:00.001-06:00

I am giving the State of the City tomorrow at tbe Chamber Luncheon. The Chamber does not have a projector and one is needed for tomorrow. If you have one and willing to let us use it please contact me at 763-442-8749

Community Center Referendum

2011-02-11T16:03:00.002-06:00

There is a great deal of passion regarding the Community Center and I think the best way to settle it might be by letting the Voters of Isanti decide if they want to spend the funds necessary to refurbish this building and pay the taxes required to do so.... This is what should have happened for the new Isanti City Hall that was built in 2005... I am looking to see if we can place such a thing on the 2012 general election ballot... What do you think?

Bad News

2011-02-09T17:28:00.001-06:00

It is looking more and more that the East 65 expansion debt that the previous Mayor and Council burden us with is going to trigger higher water and sewer charges.... We tried to refinance but the State has made that to costly... we are still looking at other options but the options are quickly disappearing.... I especially hate this as I voted against this costly expansion and the taking of property from a private landowner.....

Senior Dining

2011-02-08T15:52:00.003-06:00

I am speaking at senior Dining tomorrow. Always a great group and fun time.... They ask some of the hardest questions....

February 1st City Council Update

2011-02-02T11:53:00.000-06:00

We approved our 3 year Police Union contract last night. The contract extends a 2nd year of zero pay increase on top of last years zero pay increase. There is a 1.5% increase in 2012 and a 2% increase in 2013. The major change was moving our Police Union employees off of the Gold health care plan that will save the City considerably over time. This move increases the cost sharing of health with our employees while maintaining a good health care plan. This shift has been a long term goal that we were finally able to achieve to ensure as efficient an operation as possible.

We recognized the great work by Officers Barrows and Gau at the Meeting last night.

22 Acres of new Park Land

2011-01-27T12:09:00.002-06:00

We added 22 acres of beautiful wooded land, through negotiation with landowner at zero cost, that Isanti Brook flows through and abuts the Rum River. We will develop a walking trail and small walking bridge over the Brook. This is a beautiful section of the City and will be kept in its natural state for generations to come...

5,000 Player Soccer Tournament Coming

2011-01-27T11:31:00.002-06:00

5,000 player soccer tournament spread over 5 weeks with 15,000 to 20,000 spectators will be coming to Isanti at the end of April... Great chance to show case our wonderful City... more information to come...

Homestead Tax Credit

2011-01-27T11:29:00.001-06:00

State Legislature should either end the Homestead Credit or pay for it. These hypocrites take credit for tax break but cities, schools and counties now pay it. There is great talk about ending unfunded mandates and cutting aid to cities.... this new legislator needs to live up to the hype and be honest about the Homestead Tax Credit....

Township and City Tax Base of Isanti County

2011-01-22T02:34:00.000-06:00

I thought it might be interesting to share what percentage of the County's overall tax base each township and city represents. I have listed the townships first followed by the cities - you will see the name then the percentage of the total tax capacity for each entity.... It gives a better understanding of how much tax capacity is in each community and whose taxpayers are paying the bills.... All of us pay County taxes and those of us in the cities pay our own city taxes for city services such as police, planning and other services the county provides to township residents at no additional charge. I try to make this point when the County ask the City for more money from us when at the same time they do not ask the townships for similar contributions.

Athens 5.53%

Bradford 8.93%

Camb Twn 6.98%

Dalbo 2.11%

Isanti Twn 6.32%

Maple Ridge 2.58%

North Branch 3.35%

Oxford 2.89%

Spencer Brook 5.02%

Springvale 4.14%

Stanchfield 6.49%

Stanford 6.49%

Wyanett 7.22%

City of Cambridge 21.07%

City of Isanti 11.41%

City of St Francis 0.03%

City of Braham 2.52%

The Cities of Cambridge and Isanti contribute roughly a third of all taxes to the County.

2011 Goal Setting

2011-01-21T14:47:00.001-06:00

the Council's 2011 Goal Setting will be at Isanti City Hall 8:00 to 12:00 Monday the 24th.... Incredibly serious issues will be discussed.... I have linked the Agenda so if you are interested the meeting is open to the public...

http://www.cityofisanti.us/images/stories/minutes_agendas/cc_agenda/2011/01-24-11_city_council_goal_setting_agenda.pdf

Community Center Reality 2

2011-01-21T14:41:00.000-06:00

The City of Isanti has subsidized the Community Center in the Amount of $61,808 the past 5 years... many who use it are not City residents.... is it fair that our tax payers subsidize this facility for other communities.... We will be discussing this Monday at Goal setting...

North Branch Home Invasion

2011-01-20T12:47:00.003-06:00

Link to Isanti County News Story

http://isanticountynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9595&Itemid=1

Wimmer's Rhetoric

Thank You

Isanti's Rum River BMX Track 5th Best in Nation

Great Cause

Favorite Commisioners

County Board Meetings

Isanti County Redistricting

Isanti County Board meeting in a few minutes to discuss redistricting in an unrecorded no newspaper coverage situation. Wonder why???

Please do the right thing and go with the option that our Independent County Auditor proposed as the best option .. this places the City of Isanti with Isanti Township. Take the politics out of our elections...

State of the City

Community Center Task Force

10th Annual Arctic Plunge

Break is Over

Council Press Coverage

County Board Elections Matter

Saving Money by Absorbing Clerk Duties in City Administrator Position

The State Raises Business Taxes

Maybe this is why for the first time I have been Mayor neither our State Representative or State Senator has come to an Isanti City Council Meeting.... If you are going to vote to raise our businesses taxes at least you could come explain why....

More Homestead Tax Fiasco Fallout

Winter 2011 Isantian Article

Channel 5 KSTP Isanti Crossing Guard Story

When Country Calls

Info on Foley MN Replacing Police with Security Guards

Taxable Market Values

A Quick Note on Property Values

A Quick County vs City Comparison

Isanti's Redbirds Win State Championship

Fall 2011 Isantian Article

Two New Businesses on Main St

Isanti Chamber Call to Action - Comedy or Tragedy

Lowe's Cambridge

Isanti Amphitheatre

Isanti County News Coverage of Storm Damage

Bike/Walk Trail Signage

County EDA Wants to Raise your Taxes

Local Government

Coming Post on County EDA soon

Recent Tweets

Outhouse Races this Weekend

Parade Route

Rodeo Jubilee Days

Hardware Hank is reopening in July

Great Yard Award

Small Cities

Mayor's Employer Celebration Day June 9th Pictures

Tonight's Fire

Memory Care Commercial Project

Park and Recreations Board Opening

Mayor's Great Yard Award

Congressman Chip Cravaack Visit to Isanti's Ever Cat Biodiesel Plant

Foreclosed Homes Update

County News got it Wrong

May 17th City Council Agenda

Mayor's Employer Celebration Day June 9th

State Budget Update

Mayor's Great Yard Award

Ground Breakings

A Reason

More Good News

Today's Tweets

Senator Al Franken at Ever Cat Fuels

***** CRAZY RUMOR ALERT*****

2011 Street Project

A few of the Audit Stats

Angst

City Audit Report

Week of the Young Child

Plowing Damage

Water and Sewer Rates Update

City Hall Retirement

Arctic Plunge Donation

2011 Road and Utility Project

Guest Writer Alan Duff for Connexus Board of Directors

Council Meeting Update

Election Results 2011

Vote Count

2012 Property Tax Valuation

The Downside

Special Council Election Today

My Spring Isantian 2011 Article

* CRAZY RUMOR ALERT*