Street and restoration projects in Victoria continued through November, including the laying of sod in the editor's neighborhood.  Thanks, guys.

VICTORIA TOWN COP APPROVED
GOES ON DUTY JANUARY 1ST, 2005
Council approved the 2005 contract with the Carver County Sheriff at an estimated cost of $206,528.

Stated City Administrator Steve Sarvi, "The City of Victoria is going to fundamentally change the way Victoria is  going to receive police services from Carver County.  It's an exciting time!"
He said that a contracted person, probably to be known as the "Town Cop," will be an employee of the county but will office here in Victoria. 
"Responsiveness will dramatically increase service in the city," said Steve.  "It's been quite a struggle.  We started looking at animal control and basically changed the way we're doing business," said Steve.  Animal control still remains an issue, in some ways, because of cost.
Steve said "VICTORIA" will be printed on the side of the Town Cop Car.  "Residents will know when and where our officer is at all times."
"I think this is a good opportunity for the town," said Councilmember Dave Lindgren, who represented the City of Victoria on the Sheriff's Committee along with Steve Sarvi and City Planner Mark Kaltsas.
According to the new contract:
1) The Sheriff's Office will provide one Full Time Equivalent town deputy to work Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. January 1st through December 31st, 2005, at a charge of $87,901.
2) The Sheriff's Office will provide 1.5 Full Time Equivalent deputies to work June 1st through December 31st, 2005.  This will provide a deputy working even-ing hours every day of the week for 8 hours per day, at a charge of $77,962.
3) The Sheriff's Office will provide a contract patrol deputy in Victoria five hours per day in evenings for 151 days from January 1st to May 31st, 2005, at a charge of $40,664.
In addition, the motion of the Victoria councilmembers approved a contingency of $8,000 for overtime and $2,100 for a Drug Task Force.

PLEASE LICENSE YOUR DOGS
AND HELP PAY FOR A NEW CITY HALL
Council approved the 2005 Animal Control Contract with Country Kennels out of Mayer, Minnesota, at a cost of $3,700 which is substantially more than last year.
Explained City Administrator Steve Sarvi, "We've been contracting with Mayer for the past few years and they do a good job.  Our Public Works staff will pick up the animal and put it in a pen at the Public Works building, then call Country Kennels to come and pick it up.  It's very important for this person to com-ply with the laws or else the city would be liable by pet owners."
"This is quite an increase over last year," said Steve, "but I think more and more people are going to request this ser-vice from the city.  We do have a signifi-cant number of animals in this town that are not licensed."
He stated there are only 72 permits issued in Victoria.
Commented Councilmember Richard Tieden, "If we had a license for every dog in the city, we could afford a new City Hall."
Councilmember Mary Thun hopes that next year the city will send out a Re-quest for Proposals to ensure the best competitive price for animal control in the City of Victoria.

NEW TEAM ROOM AT VICTORIA FIELD HOUSE
FOR HOCKEY PLAYERS AND AREA CAMPS
Councilmembers voted 4-1 to allow the Victoria Hockey Association to build a team hockey locker room at the Victoria Field House for the hockey players at Holy Family Catholic High School and other teams and contribute $3,500 toward the project.  The dissenting vote came from Richard Tieden.
Randy Matheson of Matheson Cabin-ets in Victoria is donating labor and ma-terial for the construction.
Councilmember Mary Thun pointed out that the city contribution is paying only for the ventilation system for the room which enhances the space at the Field House regardless of its use, including if it's renovated into a kitchen as previously planned.
It was pointed out that everything in the team room will be mobile and remov-able.  Stated Parks and Rec Director Tam-my Abrahamson, "The Field House board reviewed this, having a specified team room for the Holy Family Catholic High School for a certain number of months of the year.  We also hope to have a number of camps that can use the room."
Tammy said that approximately one year ago the Victoria Lions indicated no interest in holding their Pancake Break-fasts at the Field House, which means a kitchen is not needed at this time.

Click here for more City Scoop.