Q the Clique
Walk in the park
Local band’s ‘Do the Waddle’ is hit at zoo
Apple orchard offers off-season diversions
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www.savagepacer.com
SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011
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PACER
SAVAGE
Lingering recession is impacting city’s budget BY NANCY HUDDLESTON editor@savagepacer.com
T he li ngeri ng rec ession wi l l continue to have an impact on next year’s budget, warned City Administrator Barry Stock Monday night (July 11) during a work session of the Savage City Council. It is a l ready a nticipated t hat the 2012 budget will be negatively impacted by about $515,000. Those shortages are coming in the form of less transfers from the liquor fund
into the general fund to pay off the library bonds ($200,000) and other miscellaneous items ($175,000); an $ 80,000 increase in health and life insurance expenses; and $60,000 to pay for a 1 percent increase in union contracts. Even though the budgeting process is just starting, “the bottom line is we’re still short,” Stock stated. What’s more, City Council members have already indicated they do not want the levy to increase, so there will be little or no new revenue
Downtown residents want to lock into assessment rate
coming in next year from property tax collections. “Although what I said to council sounded like a doomsday prediction, it was really just a quick and dirty review of the changes we anticipate between 2011 and 2012,” Stock said after the work session. In order to meet those challenges, Stock told the City Council that he’s looking at staffi ng levels. “We’re having department managers look at opportunities from the top down to see if staffi ng needs match
work flow needs. It might mean more staff in some areas and less staff in others,” he said. In terms of the liquor fund transfers, Stock is seriously considering the auditor’s recommendation to stop taking $200,000 a year from that fund to pay off the library bonds. The other $175,000 transfer into the general fund for miscellaneous unexpected expenses has already been suspended. But the library bonds still need to be paid until February 2018, so the
city will have to determine which fund shou ld b e t app e d to pay those. And as unexpected expenses come up, the city may have to dip into fund reserves instead of making Barry transfers out of the Stock liquor fund. “I’m not sure if we need to totally
Budget to page 6 ®
PUTTING OUT THE LAST FIRE
Original project was six phases BY NANCY HUDDLESTON editor@savagepacer.com
Some residents of downtown Savage have been waiting over 10 years for the Hamilton District utility reconstruction project to reach their streets. So it seemed natural that when members of the Savage City Council promised to get back to residents in August about options to lock into an assessment rate that one resident asked for clarification with two words: “this year?” That comment resulted in laughter from both residents and City Council members Monday night (July 11), who acknowledge the schedule has not gone as planned when the project was proposed in the late 1990s. Original ly, the entire project was envisioned to take place in six phases in six year’s time. But those six phases have been split up over the years and even though the fi fth phase is planned next year, three more of the original phases remain on Monterey, Ottawa, Natchez, Kipling and Joppa avenues and 126th, 128th and 129th streets. Residents of the last three remaining phases are asking the city to develop a pre-assessment program
“Locking in the rate would eliminate raising assessment costs for homeowners regardless of the time required to complete the phases.” Kurt Schwie President, Hamilton District Association whereby homeowners that have not yet been assessed for infrastructure improvements can lock into the 2011 Phase V rate of $5,725 per lot. Participation would be voluntary and there would also be a provision that homeowners would waive their rights to appeal the assessments. “Locking in the rate would eliminate raising assessment costs for homeowners regardless of the time required to complete the phases,” wrote Kurt Schwie, president of the Hamilton District Association, in a letter to the City Council. “We believe
PHOTO BY NANCY HUDDLESTON
It appeared that John Lloyd from Lloyd’s Construction was putting out the last fire at the Quentin Avenue Fire Station in downtown on Thursday morning (July 11), but in reality he was keeping the dust down as the building was being demolished. The city took the station out of service last July when the new Dakota Avenue Fire Station was opened on the City Hall campus. The Quentin Avenue building was built in the mid 1960s and not only served as a fire station, but doubled as Savage City Hall. At the time, the city was one square mile with a population of 2,500 people. The city has no immediate plans to redevelop the site because the intersection of Quentin Avenue and Highway 13 will be reconstructed next year, and that project includes realigning 123rd Street on the north side of the old fire station property. See next week’s edition of the Pacer for a story about the building’s history.
Hamilton to page 6 ®
Local man offers a ‘Dose of Music’ to those in need July 22 event designed to get charity off ground BY ALEX HALL ahall@swpub.com
PHOTO BY ALEX HALL
Dose of Music founder Jason Hopp.
Local entrepreneur Jason Hopp has a lot of projects on his plate, but the one he’s the most passionate about is the one that hasn’t taken off quite yet: his music-based charity Dose of Music. Hopp started the nonprofit a year and a half ago, envisioning it as an organization that would cheer up sick, disadvantaged or people otherwise in need, through the joy of music. Think of it as Patch Adams with a guitar and amplifier. “I thought it’d be a nice charity to have where local
musicians could come together to play at hospitals or (senior) homes or anything like that,” said Hopp. “It could be karaoke, DJs, bands, whatever the event calls for.” Hopp said the charity will provide a wide selection of musical entertainment to children in hospitals, seniors in assisted living facilities and military troops returning home, as well as for charity fundraisers and disaster relief-type benefits. To help get the new charity off the ground, Hopp has organized a fundraiser for Friday, July 22 at Neisen’s
If you go … What: Dose of Music Charity “Fun Raiser” When: Friday, July 22. Doors open at 7 p.m., music starts at 8 p.m. Event is all ages before 10 p.m. and 21-plus after 10 p.m. Where: Neisen’s Sports Bar and Grill, 4851 W. 123rd St., Savage Cost: Free Info: www.doseofmusic.com
Music to page 6 ®
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