Finance Services

Organizations of all kinds run on the skills and actions of the people who work for them.  There are obvious differences in large organizations versus smaller ones.  Larger organizations have a depth in staffing, workloads and outputs.  Smaller organizations require the same types of outputs at a smaller scale.  The means to get there however are constrained with staffing.  With a smaller staff count there are few opportunities for redundancy in staff doing the same chores. 

Administrative staffing in Breezy Point is light.  There is one person doing the majority of the financial transactions and others doing other administrative tasks.  We don’t have the luxury of cross training and we cannot get by without that staff position being filled.  Keep in mind we’re talking payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and utility billing along with monthly financial statements.   

Recently the staff person who accomplished the financial functions for the city decided to accept a new challenge and move on to another employer.  That left a large hole for the city to fill in terms of accomplishing all the financial functions of the city.  Hiring to replace a position takes time to accomplish given all the tasks necessary to fulfill that goal.  A temporary solution was needed to fill the gap. 

In looking at options NJPA has developed a relationship with the accounting firm of Abdo, Eick and Meyers.   They have specialists that are familiar with municipal accounting and the software we use to fulfill our needs.  A contract was approved at the August council meeting to hire this firm to assist us with our finances.  This is a short term contract of 6 months that can be terminated early with notice.  NJPA will also assist us with a small portion of the costs associated with this transition.  We are very fortunate to be able to find this solution.

In the meantime we’re looking for a dedicated employee who has the skills and expertise to accomplish our finance functions.     

Public Access Progress

Another step has been made towards the paving of the public access on North Drive.  With the grant being received for the construction costs the city moved forward with the development of plans and specifications for the construction.  These were reviewed by the city council at the July meeting.  They were approved and the council also asked that bids be received on construction.  Bids will be received on August 16^th and will be considered that evening.  If the bids are acceptable an award will be made. 

As part of the grant process Crow Wing County submitted the grant for the city.  Funds from the grant come from the DNR State Road Account.  This makes the process and funding vehicle a State Aid project.  Certain criteria are required as Crow Wing County is also the fiscal agent.  As such they have requested an acknowledgement from the city that we understand our role in this process.  The city is responsible for all phases of the project including but not limited to engineering, design, permitting, award and construction.  The city understands that Crow Wing County is solely a pass-through, fiscal agent for the project. 

Once the project is bid the city will request funds from the county and they will request funds from the state.  The county will provide 95% of the funds to the city to accommodate construction costs.  When the project is completed the city will receive the remaining 5% of the construction costs. 

There was some concern that the city could be obligated to additional costs, particularly if the bid comes in higher than the construction amount.  The city could reject all bids and rebid in the spring if need be.  Change orders could also be a concern.  The council is aware of these possibilities and would like to see the project completed this fall if possible.  Hopefully we’ll see the project completed in that time line. 

Zoning District Narratives

The zoning ordinance of the city has evolved over time as most zoning ordinances do and with that evolution a chart was established to provide concise information concerning what land use was available in what zoning district.  A second chart established setbacks, size of lots, building heights, impervious coverage and other data needed in administration of the code. 

These charts change over time with additions and changes.  Footnotes were added to provide specific requirements in one district or another.  The charts had limited space so sometimes they were a bit cryptic in what was shown, meaning the requirement was vague or subject to too much interpretation.  This lack of clarity in the chart also lead to requirements being placed in the definition section of the code or elsewhere making it difficult to know all the requirements. 

With that evolution a number of conflicts were created.  These were found in both charts and in some language of the code itself.  Is the requirement this or is it that when addressing the same question reading from two different sections?  These conflicts were problematic on several fronts.

A goal was set to change the code from a chart format to a narrative one.  In other words each zoning district would be listed separately.  Land uses would be shown that were Allowed, Permitted, as a Conditional or Interim Use or Prohibited.  Each zone lists setbacks and other parameters that are pertinent for the district.  This effort took a good deal of time.  When conflicts were identified the Planning Commission needed to determine how they wanted to deal with the question.  Questions were also generated about some land uses in some districts, reconsidering if that is what was wanted. 

The process of review was completed.  A public hearing was held.  The Planning Commission recommended the changes to the city council which were adopted by the council at their May meeting. 

These changes added a good number of pages to the zoning code.  However one of the benefits of these changes is that if an individual wants to know what they can do with their lot they can look at the zoning district where their property is located and know what is required or allowed.  It reduces the hunting and looking at various sections to find the information.  The chart was maintained as a reference but will not all inclusive.  The district specific language will prevail to hopefully avoid conflicts.     

Double Chip Seal

The city of Breezy Point has a number of gravel roads.  The city has a goal to eventually pave all of these but with 65 miles of roadway in the city and less than half of them paved it will take a good deal of time and resources to make that goal a reality. 

Roads are a concern for everyone and they all require maintenance whether gravel or asphalt.  With paved roads we all think of maintenance with pothole repairs.  Seal coating is another maintenance effort accomplished on paved roads.  This extends the life of a road by covering minor cracks and giving the road a new wear course. 

With gravel roads we have understand they need to be graded to refresh the surface.  Grading moves the materials that have been pushed to the side into the traveled portion of the road.  It also returns the roadway to a flatter surface eliminating washboard surfaces and other imperfections.  Most of the well-traveled roads also see dust coating accomplished. This involves an annual layer of calcium chloride which coats the surface to keep the fine materials of the road in place. 

A new approach for treating gravel roads is something the city will be trying.  In some respects this is an old approach with a twist.  The old approach is that of applying tar on a gravel road to slowly build up the surface towards a paved road.  The new approach is similar with the application of the seal coat used on asphalt roads along with a rock application done twice.  This is known as a Double Chip Seal.

This application won’t build up to eventually give us a paved road but it will provide some of the attributes of a paved road.  It provides dust coating.  It seals the gravel to hold it in place so grading isn’t required.  It also provides some erosion control.  Unfortunately it isn’t a permanent solution.  The treatment generally lasts 5 to 7 years and is an expensive maintenance activity versus that of dust control.  With the approval the council sees this as a demonstration project.  We’ll try it out to see how it holds up to determine if this is something that might be used elsewhere.   As a demonstration project they want to determine; how long it will last, how it holds up to plowing and traffic, and does it give us some erosion control.   

This will be tried on three streets in one area; Aspen Lane, Birch Lane, and a portion of Oak Lane.  Prior to installation of the Double Chip Seal the roadway needs to be final graded and firmed up with some compaction.  This will be done with the seal coating that is scheduled for later in the month.  We hope we have good results with this but time will tell.  We really don’t know if you don’t give it a try. 

Improvements to the City Public Access

Last fall the city applied for a state grant that would pay for the public landing on North Drive to be paved.  The grant required some preliminary engineering in drawing up a plan and pricing the improvements.  The grant would cover all costs associated with construction but does not cover any of the engineering costs.  The estimated costs of construction are $106,000.  The grant was submitted and we were told the state would make a determination about who would be funded in April.  We were awarded the grant so the process of getting the landing paved has begun.

In developing the preliminary plans we had to find a way to deal with drainage.  The public access is on North Drive which is a hill that slopes down to Pelican Lake.  Once the roadway is paved drainage will continue at a higher velocity and that drainage needs to be contained without going directly into the lake.  Crow Wing County has tax forfeited property abutting North Drive with enough area to provide a drainage basin.  In working with them we were able to obtain an easement on this property to create this drainage basin. 

The project requires a public bidding process which means plans and specifications are required for bidding and construction.  Plans and specifications need to be reviewed and approved by the state to be assured it meets their requirements. The project needs Crow Wing County approval as they will be the fiscal agent for the grant.  Finally the City Council needs to approve the plans and specifications before bids can be received. 

The City Council ordered plans and specifications for the project at the May City Council meeting.  The cost for these efforts has been estimated at $27,200.  Funds have been earmarked for these costs.  Plans and specifications will be reviewed by the City Council at the July meeting so bids can be solicited.  With any luck we should be able to get the project completed this fall.