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...

Can Small-town Charm Be Built From Scratch?

September 6, 2008

ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS
BY BOB SHAW

Judy Tschumper is chasing a dream.

'It's all right here!' she shouted, over the happy racket of a small-town street party in Lakeville on a hot August night.

Around her was a nostalgic vision of Elvis music, flowerpots, dancing children and food stands -- a throwback to what Lakeville and America used to be. As an old man did the twist beside her, she reveled in the restoration of the everyone-knows-you small-town way of life.

Indeed, that is what most of Minnesota yearns for -- even when it doesn't make sense.

The small towns of yesteryear are gone, yet they grip the imaginations of Minnesotans. From Hudson to St. Paul to Edina, cities fret about losing their small-town charm. Arguments rage and millions of dollars are spent in efforts to preserve or build it.

The rise of the automobile unraveled small towns. When customers could drive to bigger stores, they traded their small-town loyalty for convenience and lower prices.

Meanwhile, air-conditioning and TV kept people indoors. Yards and houses became immense. Neighbors became strangers.

Today, small towns -- like small family farms -- have lost their economic reason for being. Yet Archer said they persist, often with government subsidies.

Full Story Here

Is the time right for Centerville to head in the same direction?

US Home Construction Sinks to New Record Low

Construction of homes falls to lowest on records dating to 1959 as builders cut back.

Construction of new homes plunged last month to the lowest level on records going back nearly 50 years as U.S. builders slashed production while Wall Street nosedived.

Embattled homebuilders, who enjoyed a five-year boom, are now building new homes and apartments at a record-low pace, according to government data released Wednesday. New building permits, a barometer of future activity, also plummeted to the lowest pace on record.

The results were the lowest on government records dating back to January 1959. Previously, the slowest pace had been in January 1991, when the country was in recession and going through a similar housing correction. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected construction to fall even further to a rate of 780,000 units

Wachovia Corp. economist Adam York forecasts that construction will fall to around 650,000 units by next summer. While that's going to be painful for the nation's homebuilders, it will help stabilize the overall U.S. housing market, he said.

"The broader housing market needs fewer homes," York said in an interview. "We built too many homes in the United States and building less is one way to work off the excess inventory."

Story Here

Yet our Merry Band of Leaders have vowed to carry on with the Centerville downtown redevelopment...

Photo above is another vacancy in Circle Pines owned by the Beard Group.

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

Decision Still Delayed On Project Monitoring Request

The Citizen
10/01/2008

Centerville City Council members have delayed their decision on a request by the city engineer for a more that 50 percent increase to his bill to oversee work on CSAH 14.
Engineer Mark Statz explained at the city's September 24 meeting that his company's initial cost estimate of $55,428 to oversee Anoka County's work on CSAH 14 through Centerville had fallen short by some way as the 20 weeks of work budgeted in the 2007 and 2008 was insufficient to see the project through completion. "The reality of the situation is that the time has proved to be significantly less than what we really needed so we are asking at this point to increase our bill on this project by $35,000 to continue our efforts through to the end of the project," said Statz.

Statz added that engineering staff had been spending on average 20 hours a week observing and reviewing the work of the Anoka County contractor on CSAH 14. “Our staff was so short this summer it was not able to do it,” added City Administrator Dallas Larson. “There were things that went wrong right away and we did need to have eyes and ears on the project, so there was some justification for having the time on the project.” City council members tabled the decision until their next meeting.

Although our City Council tabled the decision to the next meeting (almost two months ago) as of today, this issue is not reflected in the minutes. Why? Good question!
Why were City officials compelled to spend any amount of money overseeing a County project? Anoka County has an engineer working on CSAH 14 yet our City Administrator felt it necessary to have eyes and ears on the project? To the tune of some $90,000?
FYI
Mark Statz is not the Centerville City Engineer per say, but rather a consultant for Bonestroo. The following links show that other city's have chosen to make that distinction. For some reason Centerville has not.

Link Here
Link Here
Link Here
Link Here
Link Here
Link Here

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.

Centerville's City Administrator...

Council votes 5-0 to dismiss Larson
The Beacon/Cannon Falls, MN

9/16/2004
Council members comment on resignation request

9/17/2004
Larson confirms: two council members ask him to resign
Dallas Larson, longtime administrator for the city of Cannon Falls, confirmed this week that two members of the city council have requested his resignation. Larson declined to identify the council members, but said he’d give his decision this Thursday, Sept. 16, during the regular council meeting.

9/27/2004
Mediator hired to resolve city issues

10/14/2004
Special meeting to evaulate performance of Dallas Larson

10/14/2004
City council meets in closed session to evaluate Larson

10/21/2004
City, Larson work on separation agreement

10/28/2004
City council meets; no Dallas Larson

11/10/2004
Council votes 5-0 to dismiss Larson

The 2005 sitting Council (Capra, Lee, Lakso, Paar and B-Vickers) was aware of this information during the hiring procedure. Mr. Larson does currently reside in Cannon Falls, not Centerville.
City Council Minutes 3/9/2005
Mayor Mary Capra indicated that after the second round of interviews there was consensus to offer the City Administrator position to Dallas Anderson.
Motion by Council Member Lakso, seconded by B-Vickers to authorize Lynn and Associates to offer the City Administrator position to Dallas Larson.
Council Member Tom Lee indicated that it is his intent to oppose Mr. Larson as City Administrator.
Vote
Ayes 4
Nays 1
Motion carried.

1/13/2005
Larson's future still up in the air

1/13/2005
CF grows, changes during Larson's tenure

1/26/2005
Larson has until Feb. 3 to accept agreement

2/10/2005
Larson agrees to $40,000 settlement

Election Results

It looks as though there was not much changing of the guard in Centerville this election year. However, the residents did speak loud and clear.

The fact that our Mayor received 777 votes while 1,251 were cast against her speaks volumes. Mary Capra was reelected with only 38% of the vote. We hope that she will remember this as she votes on issues that impact our checkbook.

Of the 3,408 votes cast for the seven council candidates, Mr. Paar received the highest count of 706. Had there not been six others on the ballot, the results may have been quite different. A 21% vote is not a vote of confidence. We hope he keeps this in mind.

Congratulations to our newly elected Council Member Ben Ferhenbacher. He beat Mr. Rawlings by just 20 votes. Hopefully Ben will be able to add a fresh new voice to our City.

The residents of Centerville and this group look forward to continuing to follow all the issues in the City and keeping the residents informed. We have some very important tax and assessment meetings coming up.

Endorsements

As you may have noticed, the CCETR has dropped fliers about town endorsing
Laura Powers for Mayor ~Resident 16 Years
Link Here
Tom Fairbrother for City Council ~Resident 12 Years
Link Here
Neal Rawlings for City Council ~Resident 18 Years
Link Here
With so many terrific people on the ballot, it was a difficult decision!
These are the candidates we believe will best represent the will of the people. They did not only talk the talk but they did walk the walk. Each of the above candidates did sign the State Audit Petition, kept their campaigns positive and has been respectful of the voice of the people. They understand the importance of a simple little thing called common courtesy.
We LOVE Stephanie Blomseth and look forward to hearing a lot more about her but unfortunately we can only choose only three of the ten candidates. Hopefully she will give the incumbents a run for their money in 2010!

Good Luck Centerville!
The time for change is upon us... It's up to you who is elected to represent Centerville this day and we promise to be here watching no matter who is left standing!
Thank you to everyone that has worked so hard giving support of this blog, our group and our City!
HAPPY ELECTION DAY!

Reality Check 2

We have been getting comments and phone calls from the press asking the blog representatives about the idea of the consolidation between Lino Lakes and Centerville. We are not involved with this idea or are participating in any such discussion.

Kindest Regards,

Centerville Citizens for Ethitical Taxation

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.

Centerville Downtown Redevelopment

The City officials are working closely with The Beard Group to bring new business to town. Take a look at what redevelopment has done for downtown Circle Pines.

If you click the photo to the right you will notice that this is one of the empty buildings currently not leased and The Beard Group phone number (952) 930- 0630 is clearly shown. Link Here
Is this what the citizens of Centerville want? Why is the current council forging ahead with a plan that appears to not work in this economy?

See Mary Capra's statement in the Quad Community Press, Voter's Guide 2008.

(Question 5: What is your stand on redevelopment of older neighborhooods? To what extent should their character be maintained at the expense of increased property values and tax revenue?)

5. Keep the comprehensive plan laid out so one area of the city would not compete with another for commercial. Downtown needs to attract one type of commercial while the industrial part attracts another to keep all areas growing, and not just one commercial area of the community.
We need to focus on having a variety of housing options that will serve the various stages of life; singles, couples, young families, senior citizens and those who need nursing care."

(Question 6: Would you be willing to raise taxes to fund improvements to your district, and if so what improvements?)

6. "I plan on following through with current projects, but for future projects, if all other ways of funding had been exhausted, and there was no other way to cut the budget or provide additional funding for health and safety service, within the city, I would be willing to raise taxes. I have always kept a close watch on our budget and in this difficult economy I will continue to watch the national economic problems, and their impact on our community.

So we are curious Mary, is our nation in an economic crisis, and if so, what are you doing about the impact it IS having on our community?

DEAR CITY OFFICIALS,
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO WASTE TAXPAYERS MONEY ON FIVE DIFFERENT COLORS OF CONCRETE WHEN YOU KNEW IT WOULD BE STRIPED (PAINTED) FOR CROSSWALKS?

Selective Ordinance Enforcment Part Six

Is The City Harassing Senior Citizens?

Yard work was halted at the home of one of our senior citizens on 10/3/2008 without prior written warning, the City issued an "ORDER TO CEASE AND DESIST FROM CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES" drafted by City Attorney, Kurt Glaser. According to Mr. Glaser one must obtain a building permit when bringing more than 10 yards of fill to a property in Centerville but he did not cite the ordinance or include a copy. The order further indicates that the senior resident has significantly altered the "approved drainage plan" and is somehow in violation of the Rice Creek Watershed District.
Unfortunately, the resident (living on a fixed income) has been forced to retain an attorney because OUR city is also issuing a criminal complaint before the Anoka County District Court.
The order was copied to:
Administrator, City of Centerville
Centennial Lakes police Department
Rice Creek Watershed District
Houston Engineering
The senior citizen obtained the appropriate permits from the Rice Creek Watershed issued 10/22/2008 when no violation was found by their inspectors. Link Here
The resident is still waiting for our City to lift the cease and desist order and hopeful that Centerville will do so before the frost sets in. Until the order is lifted, the dirt can not be moved from the driveway!
Could all this have been avoided if the City had contacted the RCWD in the first place?

The Centerville State Audit Petition Has Been Certified by Anoka County and Sent to the State!

Mayor Mary Capra

In a letter to the Editor of The Quad Press 10/28/2008 the Mayor addressed a couple of her constituents. While doing so, she could not stop herself from taking a swipe at this little blog.

"The City of Centerville does have debt as most cities do and individuals. The "Watch Dog/Blog group always fails to mention the other half of the equation, the assets of the city. All of the indebtedness of the city is for public purpose and has to meet the standards set forth by the State of Minnesota. You cannot consider one without the other. The current balance in the city's fund accounts is in excess of $5 million dollars."

A couple of thoughts quickly come to mind. The amount of debt incurred by a city or individual is a choice. If an individual chooses to go deeply into debt, it is their choice and their money. If a city chooses to go into debt it is the choice of the elected officials and the individuals have no voice. Hardly analogous.
If all the debt is indeed for a public purpose, what was the rational behind spending an additional $500,000 plus on decorating the downtown? This is surely not a standard set forth by the State of Minnesota!
If the City does indeed have an excess of $5 million in the bank, what are they doing with it while we are assessed for road maintenance?

The Citizens of Centerville Have Spoken!

As of this moment we are awaiting certification from the County Auditor. The required number of signatures have been confirmed. Although the citizens only needed 423 registered voters to move forward with the State audit, there were approximately 650 collected. We apologize to those residents who wanted to sign but didn't get the opportunity to do so due to time constraints. Thank you all for your support!

Update! Council Meeting Minutes!

It took long enough but the City has finally updated the council session minutes for September 10th, 17th, 24th and October 8th today!
They are currently only one meeting behind! Good to see they are actually doing their jobs!

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...