The Pelican Woods Cemetery is Breezy Point will see an “All Veterans” memorial in the near future due to a grant that was given the cemetery (city) this past year from the Fletcher Foundation. The Breezy Point Cemetery Commission has been actively pursuing this goal with hopes of having a sculpture and benches installed by fall.
The Breezy Point Cemetery Commission is a group of 6 individuals and a city council liaison who share a passion for the management and betterment of the cemetery. They address the needs of contract maintenance, garden development and weekly maintenance of the cemetery through coordination of the “Friends of the Cemetery”. The Friends of the Cemetery are a group of people who meet on a weekly basis every Monday morning at 10:00 am to assist in the maintenance and improvement of the cemetery grounds. If you are interested in participating as a Friend of the Cemetery you can show up at the cemetery on Monday morning. The volunteer effort is largely one of gardening but they have also assisted in portions of projects accomplished at the cemetery.
The project this year has been the Veterans Memorial. This has been a long awaited venture that is only possible due to the grant received. As stated the memorial will include a sculpture what will be built by Jeff Kreitz. Some of you may recognize him but for those who do not he is a local artist with many projects under his hand. I’m sure you have seen his Moose along Ski Chalet Drive. The sculpture will be an image of a non-gendered person with a purple heart. A couple of stone benches are to be established in the area of the sculpture. Accomplishing all this will involve some fill and compaction in the area of the memorial. The memorial is to be located at the fork in the road.
The scope of the project is limited at this point but the cemetery commission would like to continue to improve the memorial as time and funds permit. Fund raising has started by soliciting general donations but the thought has also been to also sell some form of paving bricks/stones which commemorate veterans of all branches of service. If you have an interest in a donation please forward it to Breezy Point City Hall. Your donations are tax deductible.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
2010 Audit
Each year the city does an annual audit. The audit is a means for an independent accountant to look at the records and clarify the financial position of the city. In doing so they look at all funds making sure revenues and expenditures were coded correctly, expenditures were valid and we have met other requirements of law regarding municipal finances.
This year was a bit different in that we have restructured our accounting slightly to deal with better accountability in reporting and also start a long range financial plan for capital expenditures. We also had established a finance committee to oversee the finances on a monthly basis. This in itself does not create change but as we discuss and deal with the city finances we have developed different approaches to some accounts, which prompt journal entries to better acknowledge the situations.
The audit went well with only a few items that needed discussion. With the change in the budget and financial statements format there was some confusion about where things go where. When working through these we came to the final amounts for reporting.
The general outcome is the city is in good financial shape. The general fund, which includes debt service and the revolving capital fund, has net assets of $2,360,379. A portion of these funds are earmarked and some are strictly reserved for specific purposes. The sewer fund, which is an enterprise fund, has reserved funding that can only be used for sewer activities. Here the overall balance is $2,610,926. Most of this is reserved for sewer capital expenditures.
A statement was made regarding the state auditors fund balance reserve amount should be between 35% and 50% of the budget amount. The budget for 2010 was set at $1,671,975. With fund reserves at $816,570 we have 48% reserve which meets state recommendations. This reserve increased by about $60,000 from that of last year.
Looking forward one recommendation was to decrease debt service. This can’t be done immediately. It is anticipated that with the call date on two bonds approaching in the next couple of years that we call bonds and retire them. This would free up a substantial amount of cash on an annual basis.
One area of concern is that of tax collection. This was not discussed at the council meeting but collections of levied taxes are not 100%. The city saw a collection rate of 92% overall for 2010. A good portion of this has to do with foreclosed properties. We are seeing properties selling which provides for the payment of past due taxes, which is helpful. The other part of this concern is with a tax appeal we’ll see in 2011 a rather large amount of taxes unpaid in addition to the general tax collection. The outcome of this concern is to be really prudent about spending. I believe the city will manage it well but the audit for next year will show a rather large decrease in tax collection to budget.
The good news is we’re doing OK but could always be better. The not so good news is a stressed economic future for 2011 based on revenues. We do however have some control with expenditures which are being watched closely. Breezy Point is not a rich city but we are managing within budget and revenue constraints.
This year was a bit different in that we have restructured our accounting slightly to deal with better accountability in reporting and also start a long range financial plan for capital expenditures. We also had established a finance committee to oversee the finances on a monthly basis. This in itself does not create change but as we discuss and deal with the city finances we have developed different approaches to some accounts, which prompt journal entries to better acknowledge the situations.
The audit went well with only a few items that needed discussion. With the change in the budget and financial statements format there was some confusion about where things go where. When working through these we came to the final amounts for reporting.
The general outcome is the city is in good financial shape. The general fund, which includes debt service and the revolving capital fund, has net assets of $2,360,379. A portion of these funds are earmarked and some are strictly reserved for specific purposes. The sewer fund, which is an enterprise fund, has reserved funding that can only be used for sewer activities. Here the overall balance is $2,610,926. Most of this is reserved for sewer capital expenditures.
A statement was made regarding the state auditors fund balance reserve amount should be between 35% and 50% of the budget amount. The budget for 2010 was set at $1,671,975. With fund reserves at $816,570 we have 48% reserve which meets state recommendations. This reserve increased by about $60,000 from that of last year.
Looking forward one recommendation was to decrease debt service. This can’t be done immediately. It is anticipated that with the call date on two bonds approaching in the next couple of years that we call bonds and retire them. This would free up a substantial amount of cash on an annual basis.
One area of concern is that of tax collection. This was not discussed at the council meeting but collections of levied taxes are not 100%. The city saw a collection rate of 92% overall for 2010. A good portion of this has to do with foreclosed properties. We are seeing properties selling which provides for the payment of past due taxes, which is helpful. The other part of this concern is with a tax appeal we’ll see in 2011 a rather large amount of taxes unpaid in addition to the general tax collection. The outcome of this concern is to be really prudent about spending. I believe the city will manage it well but the audit for next year will show a rather large decrease in tax collection to budget.
The good news is we’re doing OK but could always be better. The not so good news is a stressed economic future for 2011 based on revenues. We do however have some control with expenditures which are being watched closely. Breezy Point is not a rich city but we are managing within budget and revenue constraints.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Trails
The Park and Recreation Committee has been looking at park needs within Breezy Point and trying to address various aspects of recreation for the community. Most people think of these activities in terms of active parks such as that found at city hall with ball fields and play structures. This still is predominately their focus but they also embrace passive recreation with open or green areas.
There has also been a movement in general throughout the county to establish trails and linkages between various areas. These linkages can be between parks and parkland or can be linkages from one area of the community to another. Many cities have a system of sidewalks which serve pedestrian travel. Many cities focus on a broader trail system which includes bicycle trails. In this area we have the Paul Bunyan Byway system which links several communities to the Paul Bunyan Trail with some bicycle designations and hiking trails. Building on this system has generally occurred with the county highway system but some discussion has occurred at local levels.
Using existing transportation corridors within city right-of-ways is being considered. Some of the roadways in Breezy Point have the potential for a trail system to link areas together. Recently, at a council meeting, a resident made an appeal to work towards a trail that would be adjacent to Dove Street and link Co. Rd. 4 with the Camping Cluster II. This trail, if built in the future, would be approximately 1 ¾ mile long. Other opportunities for trails have been expressed for collector roads of the city.
Trails are great and really enhance the character of a community. They are however more costly than some people would imagine. The consulting city engineer has given us a ball park estimate of about $35 per lineal foot for construction costs. Having adequate right-of way or easement is sometimes a problem. You would think with a 66 foot right-of-way there would be adequate space for roadway and trail when you consider most roadways are supposed to be centered in the right-of-way. You don’t want the trail to be in the bottom of the ditch so it needs to be moved to the edge of the right-of-way.
In any event the aspect of trails is something that will be considered for the Comprehensive Park Plan. The city isn’t flush with money so accomplishing them is maybe another issue but having a long term plan for them is important. If you have concerns or insight you’d like to offer please contact a member of the Park and Recreation Committee. They are listed on the web site.
There has also been a movement in general throughout the county to establish trails and linkages between various areas. These linkages can be between parks and parkland or can be linkages from one area of the community to another. Many cities have a system of sidewalks which serve pedestrian travel. Many cities focus on a broader trail system which includes bicycle trails. In this area we have the Paul Bunyan Byway system which links several communities to the Paul Bunyan Trail with some bicycle designations and hiking trails. Building on this system has generally occurred with the county highway system but some discussion has occurred at local levels.
Using existing transportation corridors within city right-of-ways is being considered. Some of the roadways in Breezy Point have the potential for a trail system to link areas together. Recently, at a council meeting, a resident made an appeal to work towards a trail that would be adjacent to Dove Street and link Co. Rd. 4 with the Camping Cluster II. This trail, if built in the future, would be approximately 1 ¾ mile long. Other opportunities for trails have been expressed for collector roads of the city.
Trails are great and really enhance the character of a community. They are however more costly than some people would imagine. The consulting city engineer has given us a ball park estimate of about $35 per lineal foot for construction costs. Having adequate right-of way or easement is sometimes a problem. You would think with a 66 foot right-of-way there would be adequate space for roadway and trail when you consider most roadways are supposed to be centered in the right-of-way. You don’t want the trail to be in the bottom of the ditch so it needs to be moved to the edge of the right-of-way.
In any event the aspect of trails is something that will be considered for the Comprehensive Park Plan. The city isn’t flush with money so accomplishing them is maybe another issue but having a long term plan for them is important. If you have concerns or insight you’d like to offer please contact a member of the Park and Recreation Committee. They are listed on the web site.
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