One Resident Questions Why

Her property was assessed $90,000 while the street in front of her driveway was dropped approximately 5 ft due to the Clear Water Creek Development.
Centerville City officials are on record stating the assessment payments would not have to be paid until the driveway was fully corrected. Payments came due last December, ironically the same time this homeowner was hit by a following vehicle while entering the unsafe drive. Prior to the Clear Water Creek Development start this driveway was level with the street and there were no safety issues.
The real question may be who is responsible for repairing the collapsed drive? The City of Centerville or the Developer?

A Little History Review
Per The Citizen July 10, 2008
Fruth had appeared before Centerville City Council at a previous meeting, at which she claimed her drive had been left four feet above street level since the road improvements had been made.
She was offered two options to remedy the situation by the city engineer at the July 10 meeting, but explained she would need further time to decide which course of action she wished to pursue. The City Council voted to delay the passing of a resolution on Old Mill Road residents’ special assessments until a later meeting when Fruth’s situation had been resolved.
The Citizen

Ms. Fruth questions why the City of Centerville is insisting her property is potentially worth over one million dollars while the Anoka County property tax statement shows her property value has dropped approximately $50,000 and Zillow.com estimates a value of $272,500. Ms. Fruth is willing to sell to any developer willing to pay the price (One Million) the current council claims the property is worth.
Why do Council members continue to insist they know everything? We see every day how their pretending to be decorators influenced the colored concrete and street lights on Main Street!

As you can see the driveway issue has still not been resolved by the City of Centerville yet the resident has already been assessed $90,000. Curiously, the Developer (previous member of Planning and Zoning history) has had his assessments deferred.
Additional history Here

Who Has The Right to Decide What One Can Do With Their Private Property?

CENTERVILLE’S DEBT

2004 $5,710,000
2009 $ 11,272,000
A 97% INCREASE IN FIVE YEARS!
What do we have to show for it?

As the current Mayor & Council continue to push forward a downtown redevelopment vision, they have delegated the Planning & Zoning Board to have a Public Hearing in regards to recently rezoned “nonconforming” downtown resident’s property. Even though the City can no longer legally eminent domain private property (exception being roads, bridges, parking lots and trails ) they are currently holding hostage many residents in the downtown area. The nonconforming designation stops the citizens from making improvements to their property which might increase its value as these homes wait to be purchased by a developer. Although The Beard Group has backed out of the Downtown Redevelopment citing the poor economy and there are STILL NO OFFERS on the table to purchase these properties our four members of Council and the Mayor continue to hold these fellow Citizens at their mercy.
In their glorious wisdom, they have voted to punt the nonconforming issue to the Planning and Zoning Board for a decision. Could it be that the Mayor and Council believe this board is more qualified to make that decision or is it a duck and cover move?
This push is exploding our debt, property taxes and we ALL are paying the price!

The Planning & Zoning meetings are no longer televised. Ironically, in the interest of "saving money" the Council voted to discontinue this important public service last year.
UPDATE 03/03/2010
The entire Council (excluding Jeff Paar) sat in on the Public Hearing/Input Meeting last night. City Attorney Kurt Glaser and City Administrator Dallas Larson were also in attendance. More information to follow soon.

I’m Just Baffled at How This Stuff Works

"I am the best candidate with the most experience and have proven I can handle difficult issues and make tough decisions. I make all of my decisions based on all of the residents of the city, not just one special interest group. I have been elected twice because I keep my promises, I am honest, and the residents trust me. "

Link Here

In other action, the council:

Agreed to submit a grant application through the Safe Routes to Schools program in the hope that the old adage, “Third time’s a charm” will be true for this particular project. The application for funds to construct a tunnel crossing under CSAH 14 near Centerville Elementary School has been rejected twice previously, but city engineer Mark Statz said the city had been given a “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” from MnDOT that the application would likely succeed this time around. Council members expressed concern that if successful, the project would require the digging-up of a section of the newly relaid Main Street, but agreed that they would make a decision on whether to proceed if the funds were allocated to Centerville. “I’m just baffled at how this stuff works,” said Council Member Jeff Paar, commenting on the news that the application might be successful after the reconstruction of CSAH 14 had occurred.

The Citizen

Link Here

Downtown Lighting/Business Promotion

The ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on December 9, 2008 at 6 p.m. This will be after the additional lighting on the south side of the street has been installed.
Newspaper ads have been placed in several newspapers and invitations are scheduled to go out by Wednesday (tomorrow) of this week.
The City has updated ALL the council meeting minutes (as of 11/24) but the City still continues to refer to Statz as the "City Engineer" and even lists him as a staff member.
Link Here
Transcribed by Mary Capra, Centerville Mayor...

State Audit Update

We have received several inquiries regarding the status of the Centerville State Audit.
The Office of State Auditor has been met with and the matter is in their hands now.
Regarding what will be investigated:
It is up to the State officials to determine what will be looked into.
Some of the spending concerns raised by many residents may fall under the City's jurisdiction.
At this point we have no further information and do not expect to receive any until the audit is complete. At that time it will become public information.
Thanks again to all the people that supported the effort.

Third Time's a Charm?

In other infrastructure plans, the council unanimously agreed to apply for a grant — for the third time — to fund a tunnel under County Highway 14 along Clearwater Creek. Larson said this may be the last chance for the city to secure such a grant.
The route would be used for bicyclists and students who want a safer way to cross the road on their way to school, Capra said.
City Engineer Mark Statz (Bonestroo Consultant) said the project has a better chance of getting funded this time by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
“(The safe route) is rising to the top of this next budget cycle,” he said.
One concern about the proposed tunnel is spring flooding of Clearwater Creek, which could submerge the path and render it useless for extended time periods. Partially draining the creek and lowering its level below the proposed path could help alleviate the problem, Statz said.
Another concern was voiced by council member Tom Lee, who believes the added construction will make things worse on Highway 14.
“It will be a nuisance for everyone for more than a day,” he said.
Statz estimated that construction of such a path would take about a month and a half.

Quad Press
Nicholas Backus
Tuesday, 11/18/2008

How much money do you suppose this will cost the citizens of Centerville? Partially draining a creek could be a pretty penny if not completely covered under the proposed grant. The tunnel on Birch Street frequently floods...

Special Tax Assessment Hearing

Hearing on $2.8 million Street and Utility Improvements Tentatively set for Jan. 7, 2008
A public hearing to discuss the 2009 Street and Utility Improvement Project has to wait until next year, as the Centerville City Council unanimously decided Nov. 12 that it needs more information on the water improvement portion.
The hearing is tentatively set for Jan. 7.
A major issue to consider in the project — estimated to cost $2.8 million — is financing of the initial water main construction, as residents would not pay until they used the water. A city water enterprise fund would pay for initial water main extensions in developed areas, but costs wouldn’t be collected until after hook-up, according to City Administrator Dallas Larson.
The plan is a departure from the 2004 assessments and previous projects in which work was assessed at completion.
“We want to be fair to (those assessed in) 2004 and the others before, because they have already done their part,” said Mayor Mary Capra.

The council will meet Dec. 1 for a workshop to further discuss the project and Capra said further workshops might also be necessary.

“This will have a big impact on taxpayers and we have the responsibility to give it due diligence,” she said.
As for the 2009 Street Project as a whole, tax levy costs for all Centerville residents and commercial properties are estimated as follows, according to Larson.

The pay period would be 15 years per the project’s bond financing.
• Owners of a home with a market value of $250,000 would pay $152.54 annually.
• Owners of home with a market-value of $500,000 would pay $305 annually.
• Owners of a commercial property with a market value of $250,000 would pay $259.32 annually.
• Owners of a commercial property with a market value of $500,000 would pay $564.59 annually.
Projected costs have yet to be finalized, however, and Capra said the city might still pull or add roads to the project.
Full Story Here
Quad Press
Nicholas Backus
Tuesday, 11/18/2008

Hey, What About That 5.5 Million In The Bank?

As stated by Mr. Paar and Ms. Capra during the campaign season, the City of Centerville has 5.5 million in the bank. This statement insinuated there was somehow a savings account.
Apparently the insinuation was incorrect... Go figure!

"Consolidation now would be just as difficult, especially with Centerville's debt," Capra said. It was Centerville's $7.8 million long-term debt that spurred the petition, signed by more than 600 residents, for a state audit of the city's spending. "
"If Lino Lakes absorbs our debt, then that's on the taxpayers of Lino Lakes," Capra said.
Capra is quoted 11/15/2008 in the Pioneer Press
Here

Centerville petition spurs talk of merger with Lino Lakes
The last time around, Lino Lakes officials were concerned about how taking on Centerville would affect its tax base. "They had accumulated a lot of debt per capita," said Sylvia Marier, a Lino Lakes representative on the 1992 consolidation committee. "And we would've absorbed that." Marier doubts enough has changed for another attempt to work.

She's probably right... This blog does not support nor oppose the merger issue. We are dedicated to holding our Centerville City Officials accountable.

Reality Check

(from a comment under previous article from a citizen)
I have just spoken with the MN Attorney General Office AND the MN Secretary of State Office. (Attorney General: 651-296-6196)
(Secretary of State: 651-296-2551specifically: Tom Karlson, Manager of Standards and Procedures for Secretary of State 651-296-4715)

If the City has not yet had their required audit by the firm they hire for 2008 (Centerville has NOT yet for '08), the City CAN indeed "replace the independent auditing firm with the State's audit" for the year. If you still do not believe this, please take it up with the Secretary of State.

Again, the incumbents can honor their word from the Candidate Forum and get behind the State Audit. The City & incumbents do not need to proceed with hiring their independent firm for '08 at an added cost of $30K.

Selective Ordinance Enforcement Part Five

Is the City using the selective ordinance enforcement to impact the election?
City ordinance is quite clear, there shall be no more than one political
sign per candidate per residential property. Why have some residents received letters from the City asking to remove signs in opposition of Mary Capra and Jeff Paar while their signs are left standing? What makes this issue particularly disturbing is the fact that Tom Lee is currently in violation and as a sitting council member, he should know better. Does the current council think they are above the ordinance laws?


The City has been removing signs they consider to be in violation of the ordinance and is dropping them behind the Public Works building, near the dumpster. If you are missing any, this might be a good place to look first.

UPDATE! Council Member Tom Lee is in compliance with the sign ordinance as of this evening. (10/27/2008)

WARNING! Residents of Centerville!

This is actually the title of a flier Jeff Paar is dropping on doors around town. The flier goes on to state:
"Do not believe the information going around the city by a supposed watch dog group or some of the other candidates. There is a lot of half-truths and misinformation being provided. I have delivered action with results!"
First, we would like to question what exactly are the half-truths and misinformation Mr. Paar is constantly referring to? He does not point out any specific example, not one.
As far as the other candidates he fails to mention any names, which is the height of irresponsibility and fear mongering!
Paar further states that he has delivered action with results.
That is certainly true, is it not? When will we know what our property tax increase is? What about the special assessments?
Paar also states in red lettering that "Some candidates are saying they are running for you the residents of Centerville actually want Centerville annexed by Lino Lakes."
Again, he fails to mention which candidates he is referring to, and continues with the baseless attacks. Who is really providing half-truths and misinformation?
The final and most offensive statement is:
"Don't give your vote to candidates who misrepresent facts. Visit www.centervillemn.com to get accurate information."
This is laughable considering the City has not updated the Council meeting minutes online since 8/27/2008! Therefore; any accurate information on the past two months is unavailable!
Is Jeff Paar using a CITY WEBSITE as his own personal campaign tool? It would certainly appear that his campaign has been assisted by the information currently posted (and not posted) on OUR City website.
Is Centerville better off now than it was six years ago? That is how long this man has been in office. As for being a "supposed" watch-dog group? We cite each statement with a factual source which is more than Jeff Paar's flier does.
Be wary of anyone on the attack without the facts to back their attack. It goes to the heart of their credibility. It's time to ask Jeff Paar to explain...

Quarterly City Newsletter 10/15/2008

You might have noticed a small but significant change to the Centerville Newsletter.
It has been titled just that, The Centerville Newsletter for years.
The new title is... Drum-roll, please!
Centerville's Resident Communicator - Striving to Keep Residents Informed
Could this change be due to City Hall finally listening to the citizens and not an attempt to save face during an election year? Let's hope! Either way, the residents of this city and the supporters of the blog are forcing change!
If the City is really concerned with keeping residents informed, it might want to update the council minutes. As of today, the last published minutes (if you can find them) are from August 27, 2008. They are almost TWO MONTHS behind! This does not jive with the transparent government they always proclaim to be!

Thank you everyone for all your support and hard work! Let's keep it up!