Even though the individual property assessments are high, they would be double that high if past city policy pre-vailed.  In the past, property owners paid 100% to upgrade a road from gravel to bituminous.  The 50/50 pay policy has been related to street "reconstruction" as opposed to street "upgrade.'
The feasibility study also included costs for the installation of municipal water, should the residents and the city decide that the street project should in-clude water at this time.  The per unit assessment for municipal water, for which benefiting properties pick up 100% of the tab, ranged up to $9,100 per unit depend-ing on how the water distribution system would be expanded to reach Hyacinth.
Street construction begins in 2006 with the addition of municipal water still not totally ruled out.

SNOWMOBILLING ON WINTER BURNER
VICTORIA WILL BE VOTING ON IT AGAIN
Stated Councilmember Kim Roden on December 8^th, "I've gotten two com-plaints this week about snowmobiling.  We are still in a process, I want to remind residents.  If I continue to get complaints, it will be hard for me to vote in favor of allowing it."
"We do have to make a decision in March," informed Mayor Jerry Bohn.' Said Councilmember Richard Tieden, "In a city of 5,000 to 6,000 residents, how do you make an assessment of only one or two calls?  If I was a resident against snowmobiling, I'd keep peppering you with phone calls every time anybody did anything." 
Councilmember Thun said she'd be in favor of city administration from both Victoria and Shorewood meeting to re-view the snowmobiling situation in the growing communities.

PARKS MASTER PLAN COMPLETED
TAKING VICTORIA UP TO YEAR 2020
Mark Kaltsas, Planning Consultant for the City of Victoria, presented coun-cilmembers with a Parks Master Plan on December 8^th that was met with rave re-views.
"This will be an excellent tool for the city in the future as we're working with developers," said Councilmember Terry Bishop.  "We know exactly what we've got with our park inventory."
Mayor Jerry Bohn complimented Mark and the Victoria Parks and Rec Committee.  "It's good that we have fees in place that will fund a lot of this," he said.  Members of the Parks and Rec Committee include Dan Barsness, Mary Erickson, Jeff Hohertz, Jerry Moja, Ann Hoelscher, and Terry Bishop as council liaison.
Dan Barsness, who has served on the committee for 18 months, commended Consultant Mark Kaltsas on his leadership and professionalism.  He also recognized that Mark's past experience as Victoria City Planner was invaluable as they worked on Victoria's Master Park Plan.
"This plan will take Victoria up to the year 2020.  This is a draft plan and it has not been 100% edited," said Mark on December 8^th.  He pointed to the many trail connections that are a priority of resi-dents according to a recent survey, and also two waterfront parks.
He also mentioned as future possibili-ties in the Plan such things as Lake Tam-arack Park Reserve and a Sports Com-plex, "not necessarily needed today but a lot of communities are looking at things like this.  We've got an opportunity to put it on the front burner."
In addition to developer fees paying for Park amenities over the years, he said that a referendum may also be required.
He said the Park Plan piggybacks on top of the city's Comprehensive Plan and encompasses the annexation area of Vic-toria.
Final approval of the Park Master Plan was given on December 22^nd with the top priorities listed as follows:  Trail Con-nectivity, Large Urban Park, Waterfront Park, Green Ribbon System, Urban Town Square, Lake Tamarack Park Reserve, Victoria's Gateways, and Sports Com-plex.  The list was garnered from a citizen survey and Parks & Rec Committee.

ANOTHER NEW SOUND SYSTEM
FOR VICTORIA CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER
On December 22^nd Victoria council-members approved the purchase of a new sound system that should improve cable-cast quality of city meetings.
Stated Mayor Jerry Bohn, "If we're not satisfied, I want them to agree to take it all back."  Indeed, the motion to approve included satisfaction guaranteed and more background information from satisfied users.
Cost of the new system is $6,000 plus expense for a backdrop curtain.  The existing sound system, purchased within the last few years, will be traded in for $1,200. 
Seating layout for councilmembers and audience will also be reconfigured at the Hall.  A curtain will be hung in front of the kitchen facilities as city meetings are being taped for cable TV.

CLEANING UP VICTORIA ORDINANCE
TO PERMIT USES ALREADY PERMITED
Upon recommendation of the City Planner and Planning Commission, Victoria councilmembers amended city ordinance to allow off-sale alcoholic beverage sales and multiple dwellings in the Central Business District of Victoria.  Said the city planner, "In reality it's a matter of cleaning up the ordinances."
The issue came up because of inter-est in opening up a bottle shop in the location of Victoria Antiques, which is closing its doors.  There is currently a bottle shop in Victoria at Hi-5, and there is currently a multiple dwelling unit on the Shores of Stieger Lake.  Thus, the amendment allows what is already in existence.

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