Park Improvements

The Breezy Point Park and Recreation Committee has some very interesting things to address with the adoption of a revised Capital Improvement Program for park development.  With the Master Park Plan a Capital Improvement Program was developed to plan for future improvements to parks within the community.  The committee oversees an annual allocation of funds to pledge towards improvements as well as Parkland Dedication fees that come from residential development within the community.

The plan carries many long range goals but also short term ones as well. One project that has been in the making for approximately 10 years but only seriously the last three years is the Fishing Boardwalk.  Acquiring the land for the project was the biggest obstacle but once obtained the committee worked to bring the project to completion.  The project was originally scheduled for 2015 construction but with help from fund raising and the PLCC the committee asked the city council if the project couldn’t be moved up for construction in 2014. 

Another project the committee is working on is that of a disc golf course.  When the idea was floated, a simple course in the park behind city hall was considered.  As the idea developed other property was looked at in Whitebirch 15 and 16.  There is a rather large area of undeveloped parkland that would make a very interesting and challenging course.  A disc golf designer has been hired and it is proposed that the design of an 18 hole course be accomplished this year with the possible construction of 9 holes next year. 

The city council approved the revised Capital Improvement Plan for park development which includes both these goals.   

Pay Equity Reporting

The City Council approved the Pay Equity Report to be submitted to the Minnesota Office of Management and Budget.  The city is required to submit a report every three years.  From the information submitted it appears the city is in compliance with the Pay Equity Act but the state needs to make that determination.  If they determine we are out of compliance the city is given a period of time to comply with the law.  

So you may ask, what’s Pay Equity?  Minnesota is the only state to have a pay equity law.  The purpose of the law is to provide equity in compensation between males and females.  To develop an equity position an analysis is accomplished that involves a number of steps.  Simply stated jobs are rated based on job descriptions.  The ratings involve a point system that takes into consideration things like knowledge, ability and skills.  It also looks at supervision, accountability, and responsibility for each job.  Once ratings are done, jobs and pay ranges are compared.  If a female has a job rating that is the same for a male’s job but carries a lesser pay range the situation is not equitable and needs to be corrected.  Said a different way, a female with a job rating of 100 points should have the same pay range as a male with a job rating of 100 points. 

   

Historically females have been paid less than men.  The goal of pay equity was to eliminate that divide. The law does not extend pay equity to private industry, only governmental employees.  If a jurisdiction is out of compliance it generally means there is an inequity in female pay for a job.  The law doesn’t care if there are male inequities.  The system has many variables so managing a pay plan is important in treating all employees fairly.  Having a periodic review of pay equity helps keep compliance in check.  Managing fairness in pay with gender neutrality is what it is all about.   

Septic to Sanitary Sewer Transition

Last year the City Council held a series of meetings discussing road improvements.  The concern is most people would prefer paved roads and the city needs to deal with how they get paid for.  Into that discussion came whether or not sanitary sewer should be installed prior to paving.  The discussion then worked into the concern about existing septic systems, some of which are fairly new.  This makes it difficult to install sewers and pave.  Requiring home owners to hook up to sewer then becomes an issue and an impediment to getting roads paved.  There had to be a better solution.  

It was recognized that sanitary sewer installation was an impediment to paving on at least two counts.  One was the imposition to install it prior to a road being paved.  The other was the property owner was required to not only to pay for sanitary sewer but also pay to connect and abandon a septic system that was in good working order.  Homeowners who wanted pavement felt like they were being held hostage.  

It was suggested that the current policies requiring hookup may be too strong and some leeway in thinking should occur.  Requiring hookup within 2 years did not take into consideration those homeowners that have made an investment in a septic system, particularly when the system was fairly current.  Cities generally require hookup to sanitary sewers when pipes are installed for two basic reasons.  One reason is the need to create revenues to pay for the operations of the treatment plant.   Another reason is to mitigate the advent of pollution from failing systems.  When there is one there is likely more.  With that in mind the treatment plant in Breezy Point is paid for and operations are financed with current operating revenues.  There is no evidence to suggest we have numerous failing systems within the community.  

What was suggested and implemented was a Septic System Operating Permit.  Homeowners who wish to continue to use their septic systems would be required to obtain a permit.  The permit defines maintenance criteria that the homeowner is expected to accommodate to maintain the system.  The permit also defines issues and timelines for hookup to the sanitary sewer in the future.  It is not a one size fits all approach such as within 2 years.  If a system is failing it would need to be connected.  If the system reaches 15 years after establishment of a sanitary sewer main to serve the property or the septic system is 20 years old it would need to be connected.  Some other provisions were established but the bottom line was a reasonable nexus between the age and condition of the septic system and the requirement to connect to the sanitary sewer. 

This change doesn’t solve all problems with getting roads paved but it does address one.  There continues to be drainage issues, right-of-way concerns and tax forfeited properties among other things to think about when making decisions about public improvements.  We have taken a step in the right direction towards solving some problems.  Hopefully we can address other problems in the future.     

Council Appointments

Each year the city council gets organized as there are requirements under the statues that are required to be made.  Some of these involve things like the official depository and the official newspaper.  The city also appoints citizens to various committees and commissions to assist with the policy and decision making of the city.   Council members not only serve in their capacity as a city council member during council meetings but also work towards common goals and managing of the city from a policy perspective. 

The city has established council committees to assist the staff in operations.  These committees include a Finance Committee, a Personnel Committee, and a Roads Committee.  Council Liaison’s also assist staff and citizen committees with a council member contact person.  This liaison is to foster better communication between their responsible area and the city council.  Liaisons do not have a vote on committees but do facilitate discussion and perspectives.  With better communication and understandings it is hoped policy making and operations improve with ongoing dialog. 

The following appointments were made of council members for 2014:

Finance Committee               JoAnn Weaver 

                                        Diane Williams

Personnel Committee            Otto Schmid 

                                        Michael Moroni

Roads Committee                 Otto Schmid 

                                        Michael Moroni    

Cemetery Comm. Liaison          JoAnn Weaver

Park and Recreation Liaison       Diane Williams         

Planning Commission Liaison      Tom Lillehei

Public Works Liaison                 Otto Schmid  

Utility Liaison                          JoAnn Weaver

                         

Council member Michael Moroni

With the resignation of Council member Scott Willer the city had a need to fill the vacant council seat.  Council members are elected to serve four year terms.  When a council member vacates a seat there are procedures established by statute to fill the position.  If the vacancy occurs within the first two years of the term the seat would be filled by special election.  The term for this position would then be the remaining term of the council member who resigned.  If the vacancy has less than 2 years remaining on his term the seat is filled by appointment of the council.  With four remaining council members it is possible that a tie vote could be reached.  If that occurs the Mayor makes the final selection.

The city received letters of interest from individuals who wanted to be considered for appointment to the vacant position.  When the deadline was reached, two candidates expressed an interest.  Upon council consideration they selected Michael Moroni to fill the vacant council position.  Michael has served on the Planning Commission for a number of years and has been the Chair of the Planning Commission since 2011. 

Michael Moroni was sworn in as a council member at the January 6, 2014 meeting to serve until the end of the year when the original term of Willer would have expired.