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HomeMy Public PortalAbout2018 Feb-Mar Inside this issue: Shoveling Sidewalks ......................................... Pg. 1 Spring Road Weight Limits ............................. Pg. 1 Spring/Summer Recreation Programs .......... Pg. 2 Land Use Applications Under Review .......... Pg. 2 Political Party Precinct Caucuses ................... Pg. 2 Open to Business Program ............................. Pg. 2 2018 Budget Summary ..................................... Pg. 3 Board of Appeal Meeting Date Notice ......... Back City Meeting Calendar ..................................... Back Winter Parking Regulations ............................ Back City Council Email Notifications ................... Back Board of Appeal Flyer ..................................... Insert City Meeting Calendar February 7th Wed—City Council 7 pm 13th Tues—Planning Commission 7 pm 19th Mon—City Offices Closed (Holiday) 20th Tues—City Council Work Session 6 pm 20th Tues—City Council 7 pm 21st Wed—Park Commission 7 pm March 6th Tues—City Council 7 pm 13th Tues—Planning Commission 7 pm 20th Tues—City Council Work Session 6 pm 20th Tues—City Council 7 pm 21st Wed—Park Commission 7 pm All meetings at City Hall unless otherwise noted. Meeting agendas on website when available. Winter Parking Regulations The Medina Police Department is currently enforcing seasonal parking re- strictions. According to Medina City Code 340.05 Seasonal Parking Re- striction, from November 1 to March 31 inclusive, no person shall park or permit any motor vehicle to stand on any street, highway or alley for all or any part of the period from 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. The police enforce this ordinance to keep the streets clear for snow plowing. If you have any question in reference to the parking ordinance, please call the police department at 763-473-9209. City Council Agendas and Minutes Email Notifications Stay informed on what is happening at upcoming City Council meetings. The City emails copies of Council agendas and minutes at no cost to resi- dents. If you would like to be added to the regular email notification list, email jodi.gallup@medinamn.gov to sign up. Board of Appeal and Equalization Wednesday, April 4, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. This meeting is held annually for the purpose of reviewing and correcting the 2018 assessed property values or property classifications in the City of Medina. The double-sided flyer in this newsletter outlines the steps neces- sary to appeal your estimated property values. More information can also be found on the city’s website at http://medinamn.us/boa/. CITY HALL 2052 County Road 24 Medina, MN 55340 p: 763-473-4643 f: 763-473-9359 e: city@medinamn.gov City Hall Office Hours Mon-Fri 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. PUBLIC SAFETY 600 Clydesdale Trail Medina, MN 55340 p: 763-473-9209 f: 763-473-8858 e: police@medinamn.gov Police Department Office Hours Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mayor Bob Mitchell 763-473-1042 City Council Jeff Pederson 612-916-6448 John Anderson 612-618-5702 Kathleen Martin 612-344-1111 Lorie Cousineau 612-251-3244 City Council Meetings First & third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Planning Commission Meetings Second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Park Commission Meetings Third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. Newsletter Editor Jodi Gallup Assistant City Administrator Feb / Mar 2018 Who is Responsible for Shoveling Sidewalks in Residential Areas? Recently, the City has received complaints concerning the sidewalks not being cleared in front of residential homes after a snowfall. Please be a good neighbor and make sure that the sidewalk in front of your residence gets cleared in a timely manner. Medina City Code No. 420 regarding sidewalks states that no property owner, with a sidewalk in front of their home for public use, shall allow any accumulation of snow or ice to remain long- er than 12 hours after the snow or ice has ceased to form thereon. Any owner or occupant who fails or refuses to remove such ice and snow shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to the penalties listed on the above city code. Spring Road Weight Restrictions The Medina Police want to remind everyone that seasonal road weight restrictions will go into effect in early March. The City does not issue permits during road weight re- strictions, other than for emergency utility situations. If you are planning a construction project, please ensure that you have your materials delivered prior to the weight re- strictions. The reason for the restrictions is to protect our roads and to keep the cost of road re- pair down for all taxpayers. We ask all of our residents and business owners to keep an eye out for large trucks using the roads during the restriction period. If you see them using a restricted road, please call 9-1-1 and report it. Help protect your roads! When will road weight restrictions be lifted? There are a lot of variables that deter- mine when the signs for the restrictions are posted and when they are taken down; such as: how long the cold weather holds out, how fast the frost starts coming out of the ground as the weather starts warming up, which vulnerable roads will need to have the restrictions kept on longer than the State, etc. Please watch the City’s website for up-to-date information on which streets are posted and when those streets get lifted at http://medinamn.us/road-restrictions/. Administration & Planning Page 2 Feb / Mar 2018 Land Use Applications Under Review The following land projects are currently under review by the City. For more information on any of the pro- jects, or for an update on the review schedule, please visit http://medinamn.us/citygov/departments/ planning-zoning/ or contact the Planning Department at (763) 473-4643, ext. 1. Maxxon Site Plan Review and Zoning Text Amend- ment – 920 Hamel Road –Maxxon has applied for a Site Plan Review for a proposed 5,190 square foot ad- dition to their existing facility. The applicant has also requested that the City consider amending its exterior building material standards to allow Nichiha fiber ce- ment panels as a permitted building material on exist- ing structures. The City Council is tentatively sched- uled to review at the February 7, 2018 meeting. School Lake Preserve Final Plat – 2700-2900 Parkview Drive – Wally and Bridget Marx have requested final plat approval for a 6-lot Conservation Design subdivi- sion on 90 acres. The applicant proposes to place 66 acres into permanent conservation protected by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed. The City Council is ten- tatively scheduled to review at the February 7, 2018 meeting. Spring/Summer Recreation Programs in Medina—Registration now Open! Baseball—Registration is now open through mid-March (based on availability) for the 2018 Hamel Athlet- ic Club Season at http://www.hamelbaseball.org/. The Hamel Athletic Club offers youth baseball teams for Tee Ball, Coach Pitch, Rookie, Minors, Majors and Travel (13U-16U). Tennis—Agre Tennis offers tennis lessons and camps for kids and adults at Hamel Legion Park, 3200 Mill Drive. Visit their website at http://www.agretennis.com/ to learn more. Registration is now open. Free One-on-One Technical Assistance for Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs Are you thinking about starting your own business or are you currently operating a small business and interested in FREE tech- nical assistance? Medina has partnered with the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD) to offer the “Open to Business” program. This program provides FREE one-on-one assistance from MCCD’s expert staff, customized to meet the specific needs of each entrepreneur. This can include creating a business plan, suggestions on financial management and bookkeeping practices, assisting with marketing, and referrals for financing. MCCD also administers a small business loan fund which provides capital to expand local businesses. For more information or to schedule a session, please contact Rob Smolund from MCCD at rsmolund@mccdmn.org or (612) 789-7337 ext. 260. More information is available on the City’s website: http://medinamn.us/opentobusiness/. Precinct Political Party Caucuses on Tuesday, February 6th at 7 p.m. Precinct caucuses are meetings organized by Minnesota's political parties to begin the process of selecting candidates for the 2018 election and policy positions to shape the party platform. Caucus- es are a great opportunity to engage directly in the political pro- cess at the "grassroots" level. The Major Parties will hold caucuses on Tuesday, February 6, 2018 at 7 p.m. Precinct caucuses are open to the public and participation is en- couraged by the political parties. In order to vote, offer resolu- tions or become a delegate at a precinct caucus, attendees must be eligible to vote in the 2018 election, live in the precinct and be in general agreement with the principles of the political party. Additional information about the upcoming caucuses as well as contact information for each of Minnesota's political parties is available online at: http://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/ how-elections-work/precinct-caucuses/. The Online Way to Locate Your Precinct Caucus Caucus Finder is an online application that assists Minnesotans in locating the major party precinct caucus meeting of their choice. The Caucus Finder can be found at: http:// caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/. Feb / Mar 2018 Page 3 Finance 2018 Budget Summary The purpose of this report is to provide a summary of 2018 budget information for the City of Medina residents and property owners. The complete budget may be examined at Medina City Hall, 2052 County Road 24 or on the City's website at http:// medinamn.us/regulations-fees/budget-fees/. The final General Fund Budget for 2018 was approved on December 5, 2017 in the amount of $4,426,643, an increase of $116,902 or 2.7% from the 2017 General Fund Budget. The General Fund total property tax levy for 2018 was authorized for $3,229,026, an increase of 3.0% or $94,049 from the 2017 General Fund levy. The overall 2018 property tax levy was ap- proved for $3,904,817, an increase of 2.5% or $95,839 over the total 2017 levy. For 2018, we will see an increase of 5.7% in market value; 2.7% being attributed to new construction. Tax base expansion benefits existing residents helping to lower property taxes and share in current and future infrastructure costs with water and sewer. This expansion aided in lowering the tax rate from 22.269% in 2017 to 21.524% in 2018.     Appealing Estimated Property Values and Board of Appeal and Equalization Meeting Your total property taxes that will be due and payable are determined by the following four factors: the amount of money budgeted to be spent by taxing jurisdictions; the impact of the market value exclusion credit; the taxable market value of your property as of January 2nd of each year as determined by the City Assessor; and your property tax classification. The City Assessor establishes the taxable market value of Medina property as of January 2nd of each year. Notice of the City Assessor’s conclusion as to the taxable market value of each property in Medina as of January 2nd of each year will soon be mailed to every Medina property owner. If you believe the classification of your property or the taxable market value established for your property is in error, you may take steps to appeal the classification and/or the January 2nd valuation (for taxes payable the next year). Those steps are: Step 1 – Discuss your objections with the City Assessor as soon as possible If you believe that the estimated market value of your property is higher than comparable properties or is improperly classified, you should first contact the City Assessor. The City Assessor is Southwest Assessing, at 763-473-3978. Based on the information you present, the City Assessor may make an adjustment to the taxable market value of your property or assist you in re-classifying your property. Step 2 – Attend Board of Appeal and Equalization Meeting If, after your discussions with the City Assessor, you still wish to make an appeal, you should: (a) Submit the information you wish to present to the City’s Board of Appeal and Equalization for its consideration before it meets on April 4, 2018. The application form to appeal is available on the City’s website at: http://medinamn.us/boa/. It is also recommended that you submit supplemental information with any supporting documentation that you believe is relevant. The property owner is responsible for presenting evidence to the Board as to why the market value as determined by the City Assessor is not fair or the property classification is not appropriate. The information can be submitted to the City Administrator via email at Scott.Johnson@medinamn.gov, via regular mail or by delivering the information to the City.     (b) Attend the meeting of the Board of Appeal and Equalization. The Medina Board of Appeal and Equalization meeting is annually held on the first Wednesday in April at 6:30 p.m. at Medina City Hall located at 2052 County Road 24, Medina MN 55340. In 2018, the meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 4th at 6:30 p.m. Property owners will be allowed ten minutes to present their appeal to the Board. The Board may decide to hold a reconvened meeting at a later date for the purpose of considering appeals presented at its meeting, but new appeals will not be heard at the reconvened meeting. Appeals at the Board of Appeal and Equalization will be considered in the following order: 1. Property owners who have discussed the January 2nd valuation with the City Assessor and have advised the City that they wish to appeal the City Assessor’s determination to the Board of Appeal and Equalization. 2. Property owners who have presented their cases in writing to the Board of Appeal and Equalization prior to the meeting but who have not discussed their appeal with the City Assessor. 3. Property owners who have come directly to the Board without providing advance notice or without contacting the City Assessor prior to the meeting. Please note that the Board of Appeal and Equalization cannot address the taxes due the previous year because the market value on which taxes due and payable the previous year have been finalized and can only be addressed by the Minnesota Tax Court. Step 3 – Appeal to Hennepin County Hennepin County Board of Equalization If desired, the market value can be further appealed to the Hennepin County Board of Equalization. The County Board convenes the last two weeks in June. The dates and phone number to appeal are listed on your market value notice. Additional information may be found at http://www.hennepin.us/residents/property/property-value. Step 4 – Appeal to Minnesota Tax Court Minnesota Tax Court The final avenue of appeal is to petition the Minnesota Tax Court. All appeals for tax court must be filed on or before April 30 of the year the tax becomes payable. Additional information may be found at www.taxcourt.state.mn.us.