CITY MAINTAINS A3 RATING
AND MAKES BOOKKEEPING CHANGES
Councilmembers approved an inter-fund transfer to the city's General Fund in the amount of $476,000.  This increases the General Fund Balance for 2001 to $502,533.
Steve McDonald of Abdo, Eick, & Meyers, LLP, who conducted the annual audit, had said on April 25th that when money is transferred out of the General Fund, it has to be identified to a specific project rather than a specific fund.  Money therefore needed to be transferred from various funds back into the General Fund.
For example, $135,000 was trans-ferred from the Capital Equipment Fund; $215,000 was transferred from the Street Capital Fund; $42,000 was transferred from the Community Development Fund; $84,000 was transferred from the Park Improvement Fund. 
The transfers offset capital outlay expenditures for equipment, street im-provements and maintenance expendi-tures, contractual services for planning and development, and capital outlay expenditures for park improvement. 
Mayor Mary Meuwissen clarified, "This money was there at the end of the year 2001.  It should have been paid earlier out of the existing funds.  We are recoding the money."
Councilmember Jerry Bohn added, "This information is what gets published and tells Moody where we are.  It gives the right picture."  Moody's is a bond rating service.
Administrator Steve Sarvi said, "This council has always been one to specify dollars for funds.  We still got an A3 rating."

BLACKTOPPING THE OUTDOOR ICE RINK
VICTORIA LIONS WILL CONTRIBUTE $12,000
City staff was directed on May 9th to procure blacktopping quotes to pave and upgrade the outdoor ice rink at Lions Park for the purpose of creating a new skateboard park.  The skateboard area at Diethelm Park cannot be used this sum-mer because of construction needs for the Victoria Field House.
Improvements to the outdoor rink are limited to paving, fixing the fencing, and upgrading the existing boards, not replac-ing them with a whole new facility.  According to City Engineer Jack Griffin, the cost to complete this project is $25,839, which is significantly below the $50,000 quoted by the former Parks & Rec Director.
Said Jack, "It's a difficult project to estimate because it's not something you do every day." 
Councilmember Jerry Bohn was con-cerned about spending $25,000 on a tem-porary solution simply because the Vic-toria Field House will be under construc-tion.  Said City Administrator Steve Sarvi, "This is not a temporary solution.  It also looks to give some long term flexibility."  The solid floor will also allow for winter flooding of the ice skating rink.
Mayor Mary Meuwissen pointed out that just because the city directed staff to obtain quotes, does not mean the project will be done.
At the following May 23rd meeting Councilmember Richard reported "good news from the Lions."  Said Richard, "The skate park was put before the entire Lions meeting last night.  It was put before the whole group and they voted to give $12,000 toward blacktopping the rink.  I think it's magnanimous that they're going to do that."
He also reported that people involved in the criminal justice system, working at service to the community, might be doing some of the work on the project.
According to a letter from Lions President Ed Hjermstad, "This money [the $12,000] came from the Lions gaming fund.  The intent was to use this money to fund tot equipment to be located at the Lions Park.  The existing site at this time requires drainage improvements.  It is still the intent of the Lions Club to fund the tot equipment when improvements have been completed.  We understand the upgrade of the outdoor hockey rink will help support skateboard activities and in the future rollerblade hockey.  It will also improve the ability to sustain winter ice."
Administrator Sarvi reported that two quotes received by the city were too high, because it's a relatively small job in a very busy spring season.  "We're talking to some local contractors," he said, "and if that doesn't work, we'll see what we can do in-house."

PUBLIC HEARING ON JUNE 27TH
ON PROJECTS AT PARKWOOD NEIGHBORHOODS
Councilmembers voted on May 23rd to approve the construction plans and specifications and authorize bidding of municipal projects in the Parkwood neigh-borhoods of 80th Street (which is west off Bavaria Road) and Hyacinth Street (which is south off 78th Street).
Those projects include the extension of sanitary sewer, municipal water, and paved streets.  Because the projects are being bid, however, does not mean that the projects will be built.
Several Parkwood residents attended the May 23rd council meeting to express their dismay at the large property assess-ment that tackling all three projects would mean for them. 
The neighborhoods are currently on poor septic systems, private wells, and gravel roads.  A few years ago they peti-tioned for the improvements but all three improvements were also too expensive at that time. 
Said City Engineer Jack Griffin, "With each year a few more septic sys-tems are failing.  Last June, council authorized a design.  We've been working on getting easements."
Jack estimated that a total assessment for all three projects would be around $30,000 per home.  Sanitary sewer would be about $10,000 plus $1,400 core fee to the city and $1,200 sac charge to the Met-ropolitan Council.  The watermain assess-ment would be $4,500.  Street cost would be around $10,000 per property at Hya-cinth.  Individual connections to sewer and water and hookup charges are above and beyond these costs.
Said Jack about a meeting of resi-dents, "The direction was pretty clear they wanted me to move ahead with all three, so we designed all three.  Now some of them don't."

Said Hyacinth resident Jim Critten-den, "We all want it all, just like we'd all like a Rolls Royce, but I drive a Ford Econoline.  We'd like them all but we can't afford all of it.  We have to have sanitary sewer.  They [the septic systems] are in danger of exploding ...

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