PROBLEM WITH MARKET VALUATIONS?
TAKE IT UP DIRECTLY WITH THE COUNTY
Councilmembers voted 3-0 (Mayor Mary Thun and Councilmember Jim Paul-sen were absent on November 8^th ) author-izing Carver County to become the local board of appeal and equalization, rather than the Victoria City Council.

Stated Jennifer Kretsch, Victoria City Clerk, "We have an option to turn this over to the county, if the Council wishes."  She explained that property owners could make an appeal at any time up to and in-cluding at the County Board of Appeal and Equalization, which is a benefit for the property owner if he had missed the local board of appeal meeting in Victoria.
Asked Councilmember Richard Tied-en, "What this downside for us?"
Replied Carver County Assessor An-gie Johnson, "I don't see a downside.  I only see advantages ... Nothing changes as far as our work is concerned.  We just won't have to come here for one or two meetings."
Said Councilmember Kim Roden, "Originally I felt the city should retain control but now I understand the process.  I am not an effective hearing officer.  This simplifies the steps for the residents.  Val-uations have gotten a lot more tricky.  I'm prepared to move forward.  Chanhassen has even turned it over to the county."
Councilmember Tim Amundsen said that, since this move is a relinquishing of authority, he'd like to know the views of the two absent councilmembers.
Said City Administrator Steve Sarvi, "I've spoken to the mayor and she was looking at this as an opportunity.  It's working for other cities.  There is a three-year window on this.  If it's not working for Victoria, you take it back."
Other area cities giving this job to the county include Carver, Hamburg, Nor-wood Young America, and Watertown. 

VICTORIA STAFF AND METROPOLITAN COUNCIL
TO WORK TOGETHER ON ODOR CONTROL FACILITY
Lengthy discussion on Monday eve-ning, December 3^rd, centered on the construction of an Odor Control Facility at South Lake Virginia Shores Park.  The facility is part of a Metropolitan Council sewer project at Smithtown Road. 

The Met Council requested a conditional use permit from the City of Victoria to own and operate that Odor Control Facility.  The Victoria Planning Commission recommended approval of the request.  The Victoria Council did not approve or deny the permit on December 3^rd but asked the professionals and resi-dents to come with something they could approve.
Stated Mayor Thun, "In these days of science and technology, I'd like the Met-ropolitan Council to ensure there won't be an odor."  Her motion to deny the applica-tion for a permit for the Met Council failed for lack of a second to the motion.
Kevin Arnell, a resident in the Lake Virginia area, spoke to the issue.  He said he was riding bikes with his sons in the area and smelled hydrogen sulfide.  "I don't believe the data," he said.   "There's still plenty of time to correct it," he continued.  "I recommend putting the facility as close to Hwy 7 as possible and as far away from children and the park as possible.  I recommend an active monitoring sensor and putting the burden on the Met Council.  I recommend the Met Council use the gold standard, which is activated carbon, but they're not being required to do that."
Mr. Arnell added, "I recommend that the permit be revised, that the Met Council be required to use activated car-bon."
Councilmember Jim Paulsen pointed out, "We don't have any recourse to the Met Council after it's built.  What do we do if the Met Council screws up the neighborhood?"
A Met Council scientist in attendance that evening replied, "We take odor samples in bags.  If there's a problem, we install hydrogen sulfide monitors to track that smell over time.  The Met Council is very responsible in changing out the car-bon if that happens.  That odor changes dramatically over a day's time.  Carbon is very good at taking out the hydrogen sul-fide.  Carbon itself has an odor."
In response to other questions from Victoria, the Met Council representatives replied there are five scientists with the Met Council who are responsible for a dozen lift stations plus a number of stations at the various treatment plants themselves.
Councilmember Paulsen asked Met Council representatives and scientists that evening, "Has there ever been a situation that you haven't been able to correct?" 
One of them replied, "There are other filters that may work better than carbon, especially ten years down the road with ever newer technology."
Councilmember Richard Tieden stated that a bad smell in a neighborhood would be more offensive than, for exam-ple, noise from a water treatment plant.
Councilmember Paulsen asked the city engineer, ", where is the truth?"
Replied Engineer Cara Geheren, "I am not an air quality expert.  I don't believe he [the resident] was smelling L21, the lift station.  It was something else."
Councilmember Paulsen made a mo-tion for the city attorney, the city planner, the city engineer, the troubled residents, and the Met Council to work together for something that the Victoria City Council can approve.
Stated Mayor Thun, "I'm going to vote against this because I'm tired of attorneys telling us how to run our city business."
Stated Councilmember Kim Roden, "I'm going to vote for this because
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