City Public Works Budget Study Session Notes: Sept.18, 2012

Public Works Budget Study Session notes.


A part of the OACCT's Public Policy efforts for 2012 is for volunteers from the Public Policy committee attend both City and County meetings and report back on items that are of interest/concern to business.


They have been working on Cost Avoidance this year.

• Painting curbs and strips at night to avoid traffic.
• Sharing vehicles between departments.
• Leased equipment to tear houses down rather than purchase it.
• Used city labor to make improvements at Waste Water Plant.

Note: Waste Water Treatment Plant has received Excellence Award 19 of the past 22 years.

Storm Water – Cleaned up river with volunteers.

Goals for 2013

• Work on storm water flow problems.
• Increase work on road improvements
• Increase security at Waste Water Plant.

It was very difficult to hear anything that was being said, so I am sure I missed much of the important stuff. I have also attached a couple of pie charts that they passed around.

County Board Notes-Sept. 11, 2012

A part of the OACCT's Public Policy efforts for 2012 is for volunteers from the Public Policy committee attend both City and County meetings and report back on items that are of interest/concern to business.

3 PM Committee of the Whole

-Commissioners were to be introduced to new employees; not present/available
-Commissioners heard an update from Charity Floen on the Regional Redesign-Resolution.  Mower and Dodge counties are moving forward with the partnership; Freeborn and Houston counties are out.  Owatonna and Waseca counties are yet to pass a resolution to commit to the partnership. The Bush Foundation is funding up to $80,000 for this partnership effort.
-The commissioners were presented the 2013 preliminary levy budget by Shea and department heads (Victim Services, Jail). Commissioners approved a 2.4% levy increase ($21,349,842.00) at the 7 PM meeting that night.  Shea and departments are to lower the 2.4% before the final adoption.

City Council Notes-Sept. 4, 2012

A part of the OACCT's Public Policy efforts for 2012 is for volunteers from the Public Policy committee attend both City and County meetings and report back on items that are of interest/concern to business.

There were two major points of business to this meeting and they are highlighted below:
Public Hearing: Development plan for Tax Increment Financing (former hospital/Fareway Foods/Sacred Heart Church project)

-Full presentation on the project and all the parts including the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) from the City of Owatonna to make the project work.
-A lengthy presentation explaining how the TIF will work was given by the City’s consultant on this project.
-Several questions were asked by the council.
-Pat Hagen, Fareway Foods gave a short overview of the company and how the process came together between all the parties involved in this site.  He said that everyone had to feel good about the outcome for it to work and to his knowledge all parties are happy with the potential outcome.

Details of the TIF can be found at : http://ci.owatonna.mn.us/sites/default/files/documents/2011/01/Agenda_packet_2012-09-04_Part_A.pdf.
Resolution to approve the increment financing district and use of TIF was approved by the City Council and a hearing date was set on a business subsidy for the $200,000 in TIF being considered for Mayo Health Systems.  That hearing will be on Sept. 18th.

Council approved a resolution setting a proposed levy for 2013.  The council approved the resolution which reflects a 2% levy increase over 2012.  This can be adjusted down from the 2% by the council at the time of their final budget approval but cannot go any higher.

Council also approved a levy for the Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA) of $120,000 which is the same level of funding for the last 12 years.  

In addition, Council approved proposed budget for 2013.  The final budget will be approved in December, no later than Dec. 18th.