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CITY OF VICTORIA REACHES MILESTONE
TO RECEIVE ITS GAS TAX MONEY FOR ROADS
Councilmembers adopted a resolution establishing municipal state aid streets in the City of Victoria. Since Victoria now exceeds a population of 5,000 residents, it is designated a Municipal State Aid City.
According to the resolution, the City of Victoria has certified to the Minnesota Department of Transportation that Vic-oria has 32.23 miles of improved streets, and the state allows the city to designate up to 20% of its streets as Municipal State Aid Streets. Victoria is therefore allowed 6.45 miles of state aid streets.
All city roadways are funded primar-ily through locally raised revenues (usual-ly the property tax or special assessments) or state aid funds (Municipal State Aid funds).
As a Municipal State Aid City, Victoria will now receive its own share of gas tax money to improve all or a portion of its state aid streets. Prior to now, Carver County has been receiving Vic-toria's share of gas tax money to disburse for road improvements. Only cities with a population over 5,000 are eligible to receive their share of state motor fuel tax receipts.
City Engineer Jack Griffin said that Victoria will probably receive an annual minimum of $150,000 and up to $250,000 that can be put toward the improvement of its state aid roads.
Jack said those dollars are not arbi-trarily handed to the city. "When funds are designated to the city, the funds kick in as you pay the contractor," he said.
As he presented a list of the state aid streets so designated in the City of Vic-toria, he explained to councilmembers, "The state does have construction stand-ards. You will probably never build some of these as state aid roads. You can always un-designate a state aid road."
Jack pointed in particular to Wood-stone Drive and Narcissus Street that are on the list of designated state aid streets in Victoria. "You will probably never build some of these as state aid roads," he said.
He also pointed to other city streets on the list, however, including Smithtown Road and Kochia Lane, as one day being constructed to state standards. "The City of Victoria will now have access to funds to build those roads," he said. "It's based on population needs. And you will get money in 2005 for 2004 roads."
Jack also stated that one criteria for being identified as a state aid road is that it must connect to two state or county state aid highways, one on each end of the section so listed. For example, 78th Street from Arboretum Blvd. (TH #5) to Bavaria Road (County State Aid Hwy #13) is on Victoria's list of state aid roads.
State aid streets in Victoria include portions of Woodstone Drive, Deer Run Drive, Kochia Lane, 78th Street, 80th Street, Narcissus Street, Stieger Lake Lane, Victoria Drive, Quamoclit Street, Bavaria Road, Smithtown road, and the future collector street from Arboretum Blvd. (TH #5) to Bavaria Road (#13).
STILL NEGOTIATING AT THE CREAMERY
WANTING $105,068 FROM CITY OF VICTORIA
On January 27th Council tabled a res-olution that would have authorized the City of Victoria to pay Jill and Edward Anecki, owners of the Creamery Building in downtown Victoria, a sum total of $105,068.
This issue is related to the city's con-demnation of some footage on the peri-meter of the property that the city needed to help make downtown parking available as part of downtown redevelopment. The city's appraiser valued the taking at $64,400, but the Anecki's disputed that appraised determination.
Councilmember Terry Bishop was not happy with the new negotiated num-ber. He asked, "Why is this a good deal for the city?"
Replied Planning Consultant Mark Kaltsas, "We'd not be subject nor liable for further lawsuits."
Stated Councilmember Bishop, "I am a lawyer and I don't have enough infor-mation here to make a decision or consid-er this. I don't see the risk here one way or another. I want to know what the attor-ney's opinion is. We're talking about an additional $30,000. There's no way I can approve this. I want the attorney to be prepared to support his recommendation and he should not have to charge us for that. He should know that already."
The issue was tabled 5-0.
The amount of $105,068 includes the special assessment of $98,818 levied on the Anecki property for downtown street and utility improvements (which would be cancelled) plus a check for $6,250.
VICTORIA'S "SILENT DEPARTMENT"
ALMOST $60 MILLION IN NEW CONSTRUTION
In speaking of the Building Inspec-tion Department at the City of Victoria, Tom Gray said, "We're kind of the silent department." Tom is the head of that de-partment.
At the January 27th city council meet-ing he reported that a total of 507 permits were issued in the City of Victoria during 2004, "for everything" including porches and decks and additions.
Of that total, he said, 124 were for dwelling units - 79 for single family homes and townhomes plus 45 condo-minium units.
He said the 2004 total construction value of $59 million is a new building record in Victoria and it beats the $40 million in construction during 2003.
In summarizing, Tom said that seven large projects contributed immensely to this large valuation. He listed all the pro-jects that were featured by the Victoria Gazette in the January 2005 New Year's Addition. These projects included the new public elementary school, the Mount Olivet Church, Emerald Crest, the Step Group Home, the Kid Talk building, and others.
In speaking of the silent department, Tom included Bill Schwanke and Kristi Mock as being of invaluable assistance. He said their work contributed to the City of Victoria recently receiving an ISO rating of "3."
"Every five years, municipalities are evaluated by ISO and they give us a grade," said Tom, referring to Insurance Services Organization. On a scale from 1 to 10 - "with 1 being perfect and 10 being less than perfect" - the city received a "5" in 2000.
"This time we got a 3," he reported. "A lot of cities don't get a grade like that. It should mean a savings on insurance rates for residents."
According to the internet, the Build-ing Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule assesses the building codes in effect in a particular community and how the com-nunity enforces its building codes.
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