by Dave DeMars
news@thenewsleaders.com
At its Sept. 26 meeting, the Sauk Rapids City Council scrutinized adjustments to the budget laid out in July, then passed the preliminary property tax levy for 2017 and will send it on to Benton County for collection.
Under the direction from the council, staffers reviewed revenues and costs, and were able to find $169,000 in savings in the general fund budget, but that will still mean a 4.3-percent increase over the 2016 budget. The general fund budget is slated to cost $5,437,200.
Debt-service levy to pay interest on past bonds was $980,000, and the general levy was $2,572,000. The total 2017 preliminary tax levy is set at $3,552,000, a 3.9-percent levy increase over 2016. That amounts to $133,600. The levy can be reduced in the future but cannot be increased after Sept. 30.
The council also held three public hearings. The first hearing was to consider a vacation request of an easement for travel and roadway, and utility purposes in the Good Shepherd Community Plat. Throughout the years, the roadway easement had been built over by Good Shepherd. With no objections, the council approved the vacation of the easement.
The second public hearing was to consider a conditional-use permit that would allow solar panels to be mounted on the home of Eugene Star at 1511 Summit Ave. N. The only concern Community Development Director Todd Schultz said he had was the possibility of a reflection that could blind drivers or cause annoyance to neighbors. After consulting with the city attorney, the council approved the permit on the condition the installation of the solar panels not cause problems of glare for drivers or inconvenience neighbors in any way.
The third public hearing had the council considering a preliminary plat for single-family lots in the Scenic Acres addition. The council approved the development of the lots provided five conditions were met to bring the lots into compliance with city code.
The council also took action when the city was requested to sell back a portion of property to its former owner, Pam Christianson. The city had acquired the property 30 years ago with the intent of creating a road extension. Throughout the years, the lot through which the road would have extended had been developed and a home had been placed on the property. That left the city owning a small piece of property of little use to the city. The original owner of the property sought to buy back the small piece of land as it abutted the larger lot. The council approved the sale of the property back to Christianson for the price of $1, the price the city originally paid for the lot in 1985.
Council issued a reminder the next scheduled meeting will be held Tuesday, Oct. 11, because Oct. 10 is Columbus Day, a holiday.
