Classic Cadillac Diner True to Name

Walking into the Classic Cadillac Diner is literally a step back in time.

Coca Cola memorabilia and classic car posters line the walls. Colorful vinyl booths provide a cozy retro atmosphere. And then there’s the mint 1907 Cadillac, which justifies the diner’s name.
Tucked inside Jason’s Bobby & Steve’s Auto World at the junction of Interstate 35E and Cty. Rd. 14, the diner received a complete makeover recently when Jason Snyder and partner Bobby Williams ended a franchise agreement with Embers.

Centerville Elementary will be getting a $750 grant through Exxon Mobile on behalf of Auto World and Jason’s Bobby & Steve’s contributed to Centerville’s Adopt a Family last year, a benefit for the Jay Hauer family.

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Quad Press

What's Going on With the State Audit?

This is a question we have received from several Centerville residents. We are expecting the State Auditor to release the investigation results very soon. We are aware that the audit has been completed and is in review.
As soon as we obtain a copy of the audit report, we will post the highlights and link directly to the OSA website where every resident will be able to read the complete findings.
It is our understanding that the report will be delivered to the citizens and the City officials the same day but we have not been given any further information.

Thank you for all your support.

Centerville City Finance Director Posting

The City will be accepting applications for the position of Finance Director in the near future. Please check the Pioneer Press for this posting.
Link Here

Street Project Still Riling Residents

The 2009 Street Improvement Project, the topic that won’t go away, took over the Feb. 11 Centerville City Council meeting.
A dozen residents of Peltier Lake Drive showed up at the meeting to speak their minds about assessments, appeals, attorneys and recent actions of the City Council.
Although City Attorney Kurt Glaser said the public forum was not supposed to be a question and answer session, the bulk of the meeting turned into a dialogue between the council and the residents.
Several residents of Peltier Lake Drive reported that they had met before the council meeting to discuss ways to reduce their assessments short of litigation. “For the most part, people on Peltier Lake Drive want to have a win-win and work with the city. We don’t want to litigate,” said resident Daniel Skoog.
Despite recent public hearings and consultations with Glaser, the residents still had questions for council members. Among them: why the city holds closed-door sessions, why residents can’t get appraisal data, whether it’s worthwhile to obtain a special appraisal to appeal and why residents have to pay for the street project.
As the council moved through its agenda, discussion stemming from bid rejections and the reopening of bidding for the 2009 Street Project consumed the meeting again. William Svetin wondered whether savings from the new bidding process would lower their assessments.
“If the bids come back lower, pass it on to the people,” he said.
Glaser said assessments only represent 20 to 25 percent of the project’s cost, so if the overall project costs drop, it will affect the taxpayers paying for the remaining 75 to 80 percent — not the individual assessment amounts.
If the total cost of the project doesn’t go up, no public hearings will be necessary, and residents appealing their assessments must keep following the same time line as a matter of law, Glaser said.
Quad Press

Grants are Great When You Can Afford Them

BENSON, Minn.—Minnesota cities are struggling in the down economy and in Benson, finances are so tight that it's decided to send back $167,000 in state transportation money.

City Manager Rob Wolfington says they money is going back to the Minnesota Department of Transportation because the city can't afford its share of matching funds.

Wolfington says the city received the grant in 2006 for a trail extension that would cost about $280,000 to build.

With matching funds and the required engineering costs, the city would be on the hook for nearly $115,000 to build the project.

The City Council could have rolled the project back to 2012, but Wolfington says the city doesn't think it will be in any better financial shape in three years.

The council took the action on Monday.

Associated Press

The Hunt for a New Finance Director is On!

The Centerville City Council accepted Finance Director John Meyer's letter of retirement at its Jan. 28 meeting and quickly took steps to find his replacement.
Meyer submitted a short letter on Jan. 23, citing a “deteriorating medical condition and related limitations” as the cause for his retirement, effective Jan. 30.
“It's really with a heavy heart that the City of Centerville accepts Mr. Meyer's retirement letter,” Mayor Mary Capra said. “Meyer was an outstanding employee for the city, leaving big shoes to fill with all the talents that he brought to the council.” The mayor added there would be a potluck for his retirement. “If he is able to come back, we will certainly welcome him,” she said.
Because Meyer leaves an important position open, the council went to work immediately to seek a new financial director. The opening will be posted immediately. City Administrator Dallas Larson expects a new financial director on board within two to three months at the earliest.
Quad Press

Centerville paid Mr Meyer the Finance Director over $80,000 annually. We are currently paying over $90,000 to our City Administrator Dallas Larson. Could these positions be shared with Lexington and Circle Pines? We already share our police with them. Many small cities team together for these larger salaried positions in the interest of saving their citizens tax dollars.

More Bad Press for Centerville...

Pioneer Press 2/1/2009

Centerville residents are finding strength in numbers as they fight what they consider hefty and poorly timed special assessments.

The Peltier Lake Drive Group is made up of dozens of residents who have banded together to contest the assessments for a $4 million road and water project meant to improve streets and hook up homes with private wells to city water. The group is considering several options — from negotiating a smaller bill to a lawsuit, should it come to that.

"The neighbors are very concerned about having to pay for a road for the third time. Everyone is of the same feelings and, therefore, formed a group to find a solution to this problem that would mutually benefit both sides — a win-win situation," said organizer Daniel Skoog, who lives on Peltier Lake Drive.

A battle over the project has been brewing for months. Many of the 250 affected residents are baffled that the city is forging ahead. They say now isn't the time to hit homeowners with special assessments.

This will be the third time in 30 years that many of his neighbors have paid for a new road on Peltier Lake Drive, Skoog said. They were most recently assessed in the late 1980s, he said.

"We're talking about large assessments against the neighbors at a time when the economy is terrible," he said.

Full Story Here