Following a work session with the city’s department heads earlier in the day, Grand Marais city councilors said during their regular meeting Aug. 27 that they expect to discuss and refine the city’s 2015 budget at their next council meeting on Sept. 10.
A preliminary budget must be set by Sept. 15 under state statute. Councilors may then reduce – but not increase – the levy amount before final adoption at year’s end.
The draft budget presented by City Administrator Mike Roth Aug. 13 projected an approximate 2 percent increase, sending the property tax levy from $824,152 to $840,997. Roth cautioned, however, that the numbers were “very preliminary.”
Councilor Tim Kennedy said he liked the idea of increasing the expected income from the city-owned campground in order to reduce the levy. A similar amendment was used last year; next year’s projected revenues from the Rec Park are penciled in at $800,600 (up from just under $600,000 this year).
But Councilor Bob Spry said he saw no reason to amend the numbers just yet. “We should leave the levy where it is at $839,000,” Spry said. “We have until December to make changes.”
Roth suggested that councilors wait until their next meeting, when the budget figures will be firmer and more details will be known. Councilors will then take a look at their priorities and capital expenditures, namely finding funding for a $3.1 million public works facility and possible construction of downtown restrooms.
“There’s nothing now that we can act on,” said Mayor Larry Carlson. “We’ll revise and massage the numbers at our next meeting.”
With that, council moved on to other matters:
. Kennedy and Councilor Bill Lenz reported that they had received calls from a downtown resident complaining about wood smoke. Roth said the city has no regulations or restrictions for wood fires. “We really have nothing to do with that sort of thing,” he said.
. Kennedy alerted the council that the Cook County Local Energy Project will be requesting $3,000 from the city to fund a consultant to move forward with rebidding of the biomass district heating project. The last round of bids garnered only a bid from one excavator, which was $2.5 million over the engineer’s estimate and basically rendered the project unfeasible. Kennedy said getting more bids will put the city in a better position to compete for state funding with a more viable project. He said there was no real urgency on the matter, as long as the details are gathered and put together before next June. A formal request along with more details will be presented at an upcoming meeting.
. Seasonal park employee Carl Olson was discharged from his duties. No reason was given.
. Librarian Patsy Ingebrigtsen appeared before council during the open forum portion of the meeting and urged councilors to expedite the hiring process to alleviate short-staffing problems at the library. In particular, Ingebrigtsen said there are alarming delays in cataloguing new items into the system and getting them onto shelves for circulation. Council directed Roth to discuss the situation with Library Director Steve Harsin and come up with a solution for the backlog; Roth said he would and was sure something could be done. The library has been advertising for a computer technician/cataloger for several weeks following the resignation of Tom Knutson, and interviews with job applicants are under way.
. Judy Siegle, representing the Violence Prevention Center, requested the city’s support and an official proclamation for International Peace Day on Sept. 21. The agency is planning an evening vigil ceremony in Harbor Park featuring the Stonebridge Singers and other quiet music. The request will be considered at council’s next meeting.
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