COUNTRY
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020
Serving Marine on St. Croix, Scandia, May Township
VOL. 37 NO. 17 www.countrymessenger.com $.75
NEWS : County Board approves budget for Recycling and Energy Activities. PAGE 2
Scandia budget up 8 percent for ‘21 Liquor store fined BY KYLE WEAVER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
CHARLIE ANDERSON
Marine Mills Day People of young and old come out for the Marine Mills Day community picnic at Burris Park on August 23. Events included a Founder's Day Observance Reading of the Proclamation, Log Cutting and music from Riverside Hitmen.
Valley wide COVID-19 response fund announces second wave of grantmaking CONTRIBUTED
The COVID-19 Response Fund for the St. Croix Valley is launching a second wave of grantmaking on August 19. The fund will grant an additional $600,000 (approximate) to nonprofits focused on housing, utilities, and transportation and serving Chisago and
Washington counties (Minnesota) and Burnett, Pierce, Polk and St. Croix counties (Wisconsin). The Response Fund was established on March 20, as a partnership between United Way St. Croix Valley, United Way Washington County-East and the St. Croix Valley Foundation (SCVF). From late-March to early-May, the fund
distributed $525,000 to 98 nonprofit organizations responding to basic needs exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis. Following the fund’s quick response to the region’s most immediate needs, the partners paused grantmaking and reached out to regional leaders to SEE GRANTMAKING, PAGE 2
With an anticipated loss of 20 percent of its revenue from building permits, licenses and other fees, City of Scandia taxpayers can expect an eight percent increase in their local property taxes in 2021. During the Scandia City Council’s initial budget workshop last week, City Administrator Ken Cammilleri proposed a local tax levy of $1,617,900, which is $115,200 more than in 2020. The city was able to keep its tax levy flat between 2016-2019 due primarily to surplus building permit revenues, but increased the levy by seven percent in 2020. The 2021 budget calls for increasing the city’s part-time office assistant/parks and recreation coordinator from 22 to 32 hours per week. Cammilleri and City Treasurer Colleen Firkus noted that demand for services
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Early deadline Due to the Labor Day holiday on Sept. 7 the deadline for press releases and advertising for the Sept. 9 edition of the Country Messenger will be noon on Sept. 3.
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from the public and the amount of work asked of city staff has increased significantly over the past three years. “We all feel very swamped in the office,” Cammilleri said. The cost increase for the additional staffing will be about $28,360 for wages and benefits. The city’s capital improvements plans in 2021 include: local road improvements ($895,000); possible improvements for the Scandia Community Center building ($600,000); site planning for a possible second fire station ($180,000); broadband internet expansion, depending on if another grant is received ($165,005); new radio equipment for the fire department ($75,000); a new pick-up truck with a plow for the city’s public works department ($43,500); and replacement of the playground equipment at the Wayne Erickson Memorial Ball Park ($57,000), which will be paid for
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