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VOTE CLOSE: for market-rate apartment complex PAGE 2
Proposed tax levy reflects serious increase BY DEBRA NEUTKENS STAFF WRITER
WHITE BEAR LAKE — September is tax levy time. And the number for 2023 is up. Reflected in the $1,875,000 increase over the previous levy is a 12.5%, or $1,008,000, increase for operations and a 2.45% increase, or $198,000, for debt service related to the 2022 street improvement project. But that’s not all. City Council decided to move ahead with the public safety building project at its Sept. 13 meeting, which adds $669,000 to debt service in 2023. The city will issue bonds to finance the renovations. That increase in debt service puts the preliminary levy 23% higher than the previous levy, and brings the total proposed to $9,955,000. “This increase is shocking and scares me, but I was sold on it for a bunch of reasons,” observed Mayor Dan Louismet. “Everyone is facing increased costs. Our main revenue stream is the tax levy. The increase is substantial, there’s no denying that. We are going to build a shiny new police and fire station, which we’ve decided is worthy of spending tax dollars on, and we’ve decided to better compensate our employees so we’re competitive in the market. Those are two noble endeavors, and they’re costly. We are still dead last (per capita) in comparable cities and that’s a good place to be. There’s not a lot of fat in the city’s budget. The city operates as frugal as it can.” The mayor was referring to a list of 11 cities with similar populations that shows White Bear Lake on the bottom for taxes per capita. Residents will pay $450 in taxes, according to a chart provided to
PAUL DOLS | PRESS PUBLICATIONS
Phase 1 planting project Nick Voss, Carol Nelson and Leo Schuck prepare to plant prairie drop seed in an area of the Rotary Nature Reserve in White Bear Lake that is part of a native plant restoration project. In a partnership between the city of White Bear Lake, Rotary and the Vadnais Lake Area Water Management Organization (VLAWMO), a mix of native wildflower plants, including butterfly milkweed, are being planted in the first phase of the project. A rain garden brush up and demonstration event is scheduled in downtown White Bear Lake on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. Find more information and register for the event at vlawmo.org.
SEE TAX LEVY, PAGE 13
City gets history center, historical society gets permanent home BY DEBRA NEUTKENS STAFF WRITER
WHITE BEAR LAKE — Although details of a purchase agreement have to be ironed out, city leaders agreed to sell the Armory to the White Bear Lake Area Historical Society for $1. That happens to be the same price the city paid for the building in 1996. A bit of history was provided to City Council in a staff memo at the Sept. 13 meeting, which explained how the Armory’s purpose was not just for National Guard drilling and training when built in 1922. In 1925, for instance, events were held in the gymnasium to raise funds for a piano to entertain community members at the facility. On Dec. 7, 1928, a fire destroyed
nearly all of the front portion of the building. It was redesigned by original architect Philip C. Bettenburg. The building suffered another calamity when the roof was damaged in a 1941 tornado, but was repaired. The local National Guard unit departed from the Armory in 1941 for Camp Haan, California, and tours of duty that evolved into service in World War II. During the war, the “Home Guard” held meetings and training sessions at the Armory. From the 1950s through the 1980s, the 257th Coastal Artillery, later the 257th Military Police, was based from the Armory. When it was decommissioned by the National Guard, the city bought the building for community events and
office space. As a condition of sale, a preservation easement was granted to the State of Minnesota ensuring any future changes be reviewed and approved by the State Historic Preservation Office. The building was also placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. The White Bear Center for the Arts called the Armory home from 1996 to 2013. The historical society moved there in 2013, vacating the train depot on Hwy. 61. The White Bear Lions Club also have an office in the building. The staff memo said the society approached the city in early 2022 after a generous community donor
WHITE BEAR LAKE HISTORICAL SOCIETY | CONTRIBUTED
The Armory in the early 1920’s.
SEE ARMORY, PAGE 13
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