But how did that word ‘Lions’ get in the name?

I’m assuming that the Northfield Cannon Valley Lions Club (Facebook page) did something generous to have their organization incorporated into the official name of the park.

But what was that the Lions Club did? When?  And might this option be available to other non-profit organizations?

May 24 update:  Installation began yesterday afternoon. See these photos:

 
Cecilia Cornejo was capturing video of the process. More about her work in this Nfld News article: Northfield Skate Park Coalition becomes subject of documentary.

Two different sources tell me that two Planning Commission members are, well, behaving badly. One, it seems, took it on him or herself to remove signs they felt were illegally placed. Come to find out, the signs were completely legal and placed in the right-of-way by city workers… The second commissioner cranked things up a few dozens notches, apparently dislodging a bench cemented into a Division Street sidewalk and moving to another location down the street.

Members of the City of Northfield Planning Commission-Zoning Board of Appeals (PC-ZBA):

• Thomas Bisel
• James Herreid
• Alice Thomas
• Steve Rholl
• Richard Schulte
• Jay Jasnoch
• Joey Robison

Um, anyone know what is going on?

The first two pieces of sidewalk poetry were imprinted in the sidewalks (one on Third Street and another on Division Street) around the Northfield Public Library on Wednesday morning.

They included a piece from Lily Hanlon, a Prairie Creek Community School student, and Anne Running Sovik. These are selections from the first sidewalk public poetry contest from last year, which was sponsored by the Arts & Culture Commission and the Friends and Foundation of the Northfield Public Library. More poems from the 2011 selections will be imprinted at a later date.

I chatted with Library Director Lynne Young as I was taking photos and asked her about the funding for the project. She said that the Northfield Streetscape Task Force contributed $5,000 last year and that the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC) awarded a grant this year. I see on the SEMAC page of recent grants that the

City of Northfield Arts & Culture Commission received a $7,100 Arts & Cultural Heritage grant for Sidewalk Public Poetry Project.

"Arts & Cultural Heritage grant" is Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment money. Not counted in the total is City of Northfield staff time (public works, engineering).

I love public art and I think sidewalk poetry is cool.  But I think it’s worth discussing whether $12,000 of taxpayer money for this project is a good investment. I’m undecided.

Update May 22: Some additional photos:

Left: I don’t understand why only one poem was installed in this new section.

Right: This section of sidewalk appear to be relatively new. Why weren’t poems installed here?

Two weeks ago, Nfld News reporter Suzy Rook mentioned some filing-related rumors, one of which was squelched by Councilor Betsey Buckheit, i.e., that she’s not considering a run for Rice County commissioner.

Other Council seats expiring this year:

• Mayor (currently Mary Rossing)
• 2nd Ward (currently Betsey Buckheit)
• At-Large (currently Ivan Imm)

The City’s Candidate Filing page says that the “filing period for Northfield Council positions will begin on Tuesday, May 22 at 8:00 am and continue through Tuesday, June 5 at 5:00 pm in the City Clerk’s office. The filing fee is $5.00.”

May 17th – 7:00 – 8:00 PM  – Blue Thumb class to learn about rain gardens

Location: St. John’s Lutheran Church, 500 West 3rd St. Northfield

The class will cover: Rain garden basics; Design and installation for your property; Maintenance.

Bring a rough sketch of your property layout and downspouts for more site specific advice. Northfield residents may qualify for a $250 grant to install their own rain garden. Attendance is free but registration is requested. 

Please contact Leslie at 507-786-3915 or leslie@crwp.net

May 19th – 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM – Way Park Community Planting Day

Location:  Way Park, 720 West 1st St., Northfield

Join us for a community planting day for the new rain gardens in Way Park.  Come for 15 minutes or stay the whole day!

No gardening experience necessary.  Bring gloves and a shovel if you have them.  Please wear comfortable clothing and sturdy footwear. Snacks and refreshments provided.

Questions? Contact Leslie at 507-786-3915 or leslie@crwp.net.

Remember your firm’s fiduciary duty owed to the Association on the basis of your professional services to the Association. We assume you will honor that duty and not disclose any information pertaining to the Association without our written consent.

Unless the city has a written agreement with the Association that gives them the power to request such an audit, or unless a Minnesota statute grants the authority to a municipality to compel an audit, the city lacks the standing to request an audit.

The Northfield Rescue Squad Association (NRSA) is separate from the Northfield Fire Relief Association (NFRA). The NRSA runs the bingo and duck race fundraisers during DJJD. I don’t know the history on why there’s a need for two organizations. I don’t understand how the gambling/pull-tab revenue is handled.

But regardless, why is it important that the City not know the Northfield Rescue Squad Association financials?

Fighting back against a plunge in profits, Savage is preparing to shake up its municipal liquor operation — and market itself more aggressively… With Matthies retiring, the city is not interested in promoting from within. It is seeking an outsider with a canny eye toward promotional magic, in particular the use of social media to generate buzz.

The Northfield Municipal Liquor Store (the Muni) doesn’t have an active web presence where it promotes its products. It’s not yet using social media, though to be fair, I couldn’t find many Munis that were. The liquor operations managers for both Eden Prairie Liquor and Edina Liquor have blogs, Richfield Liquor has a Facebook page, and Farmington Liquor posts updates on the City’s Facebook page (example here).  Savage Liquor has a Facebook page and one of its two stores has a Twitter feed but they’re not using them very well. Compare those munis use of social media to Haskell’s website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed.

But beyond the use of social media, the Strib article on Savage Liquor had this:

The city is also turning a cool eye on costs. Officials note for instance that Savage is the only city with just two stores to have a person with Matthies’ title and status. As he throttles back his involvement, a replacement will take a humbler role.

Saving nearly $60,000 in the short term, the city is expected to shift from a civil-service grade 14 "liquor operations director" and grade-10 "assistant liquor operations director" to a grade-11 "facility manager" and grade-8 "store manager." There have also been outright cuts in staff over the past two years.

I don’t know what the civil-service grades are for Northfield Muni’s Department Manager Stephen DeLong and staff but I’ll see what I can find out.

The Northfield City Council and the Ad Hoc Finance Study Group have been searching for additional sources of revenue for two years but I don’t think they’ve examined the Muni’s operations.

Last year, the Northfield Garden Club’s President – Mrs. EdDee Imm, helped the City secure a MnDOT grant for $10,000 to be used to  beautify the City.  It was determined that one of the areas that needed “help” the most was along the Hwy 3 corridor from the Cannon River to Jefferson Parkway.

EdDee approached us regarding the trees.  The City of Northfield and the Northfield Garden Club, in a cooperative effort,  purchased the 64 trees from us and we donated all of the labor and other materials used to plant the trees.  Each year we give back to the City of Northfield with  donations and this year, it is the Hwy 3 beautification project.  This donation amounted to $4,000 in labor, equipment costs and materials.

The Garden Club also has received funds to be used to cover the costs of watering these trees for two years which is a commitment under the grant.  We will be working with the Garden Club on keeping these trees well watered for the next two years!

Our crew – Jim Westlund, Todd Marnie & Ben Danielson planted these trees which consisted of Elms, Maple, Hackberry, Birch, Crabapples and Oak trees.  Once again we are very pleased to have the opportunity to give something back to the community that supports our business each and every year.

Hmmm. Is this a case of LoGro trademark infringement?

Sheena Basness, Community Service Officer with the Northfield Police Department, stopped by my corner office at GBM last week to tell me about a cheap spay/neuter clinic on that’s coming to town on April 30, hosted by the Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Program (MNSNAP).

See the Spay and Neuter flier in English and in Spanish. You must pre-register. Call Shirley Taggart at 507-685-2393 to reserve a spot.

Sheena said there would also be some vet services available for a fee. See the image on the right.

More at Nfld Patch: Reduced-Price Spay and Neuter Clinic Coming to Northfield.

Low-income families and individuals will have any opportunity next week to get their pet spayed or neutered at a reduced cost. “This is the first time for us doing anything like this,” said Sheena Basness, a Northfield community services police officer involved in the clinic.

The clinic costs $25 for each pet that is spayed or neutered. The visit also includes a basic checkup. A basic neuter usually costs about $150 and a spay costs around $200, Basness said.

Randy Maluchnik, Carver County commissioner and president of the Association of Minnesota Counties, had a commentary in last week’s Strib titled Let serious debate begin on voter ID that I found to be a good starting point.  Two excerpts summarize the partisan divide:

Opponents of the voter ID proposal accused supporters of disenfranchising seniors, college students, minorities and the poor. Proponents suggested that their opponents were simply trying to protect an election system fraught with fraud and open to manipulation. The hyperpartisan rhetoric did little to help inform public opinion…

The debate ended the way it began. Republicans called it a common-sense measure to tighten up Minnesota’s voting system and make sure voters are who they say they are. DFLers said the requirement would not prevent the tiny amount of fraud that exists but may erect barriers to certain voters and throw a bombshell into Minnesota’s popular election-day registration system.

Maluchnik’s concerns about costs:

If approved, this constitutional amendment would require the state to spend millions to provide free IDs to thousands of Minnesotans and to educate citizens on the state’s new voting requirements.

In addition, local governments would need to implement provisional balloting, a process that allows voters who arrive at the polls without an ID to cast a ballot that would be counted only if they subsequently provided the necessary identification. This process would require local governments to print special ballots, purchase new equipment, hire and train additional election judges, and pay for storage and security of provisional ballots. Studies have shown that implementing a provisional balloting process will cost local governments — and, in turn, property-tax payers — millions of dollars every election season.

Yikes.

Collect food and non-recyclable paper from your kitchen and place them into biodegradable bags and bring them out to the Compost Site during regular hours.

All food products can be recycled including fruit, vegetables, bread, cereal, dairy, meat (including bones), coffee grounds, filters and tea bags. Non-recyclable paper includes paper towels, plates, napkins, and pizza boxes.

Items NOT acceptable are plastic bags, styrofoam, glass, metal, diapers and pet waste.

   
We purchased a box of natural waxed paper bags at Just Food Coop and put them in small bucket on our kitchen counter. (The bucket has a lid.) When bucket gets full, we place the paper bags in a biodegradable plastic bag inside a wastebasket in our garage. When that gets full, we’ll take that to the compost site.

I’m not sure if this is the best way to do it. The food sure gets stinky quickly.

Should we buy something like the BioBags Max Air buckets instead, even though we don’t do backyard composting?

Heselton Construction has also indicated they will have their tree removal contractor on site the week of April 23rd to begin on tree removals throughout the entire project corridor…

Staff held the third and final open house Neighborhood Meeting this week. Staff presented the final construction plans to residents, and was on hand to discuss any issues property owners may have about the upcoming Street Improvement Project. Staff sent out a letter early last week encouraging property owners to set up a meeting on-site at their property to discuss the project on a property by property basis. So far, 26 meetings have been scheduled for next week.

See the October 21, 2011 Arborist’s Report and the Tree Impacts Map:

Of the 203 trees on public ROW, there are 31 ash trees recommended for preemptive removal due to EAB (see appendix on EAB). Another 34 are recommended for removal based on a current poor condition or conflict. Nine location points were in fact buckthorn, and listed for removal.

Fifteen more trees of other species are categorized as becoming a possible liability within ten years, and recommended for probable removal due to various conflicts with infrastructure or other issues.

This leaves some 104 other trees that are still in a category of ‘To Be Determined’, as more detailed or confirmed information on impacts become available, and using a CRZ impact approach. Of the trees on private property, 26 are recommended for removal, either due to condition or obvious conflicts. Privately-owned ash trees have not been listed as removals, as treatment options are available.

Given last year’s debacle with trees on Linden and Plum, I hope all residents in the affected areas are fully aware of the plans:

• Linden St N (starting at Lincoln Pkwy)
• Lockwood Dr (up to Meldahl Dr)
• Division St (from Woodley to 8th St)
• 8th St (from Water to Washington)

See the 2010 pool rules document and compare it to the 2012 pool rules draft.

One of the issues that came to light last year is the apparel policy. From the Sept. 15, 2011 PRAB meeting minutes:

Resident Anne Sabo approached the PRAB with the concern that she was unfairly approached by pool staff and asked that she dress her daughter in appropriate swimwear. She felt that this was unfair sexualization of girls. The PRAB addressed Ms. Sabo and stated that the swim apparel policy was for public safety for all those at the pool. The PRAB informed Ms. Sabo that they are aware of her concerns but feels that the PRAB is not the place to change the rules of the pool that will be handled with staff involved with the Pool.

I’ve invited Anne to comment here.

Yes, state statute 299N.03, subdivision 7 uses the term ‘volunteer’  to define those firefighters who are paid on an on-call basis as well as those who aren’t paid.  But that’s immaterial.

Northfield’s firefighters get paid $21.63/hour for fire calls and $16.17/hour for training activities (1st Monday of the month paid by the City of Northfield; 3rd Monday of the month paid by the Northfield Rural Fire Protection District).

And if they stay on the job for 20 years, they get a lump sum pension payment of $150,000.  That’s tied for the best lump sum deal in the state of MN.  A few firefighters are nearing 40 years of service and they’ll get $300,000+ when they retire.  (Note: these pension funds are not funded solely by the City of Northfield/taxpayers. State aid/investment returns typically exceed the municipal contribution. See my blog post criticizing the Northfield News for their yet-to-be-corrected error on this.)

It’s true that those firefighters who are also members of the Rescue Squad (is that everyone?) are not paid for going on rescue calls (car accidents, medical problems, etc) nor for rescue-related training (2nd Monday of the month). But I think of these uncompensated hours, as well as the community activities by many firefighters (e.g., speaking to 3rd grade classrooms about fire prevention) as part of ‘the deal:’ stick with this part-time, hourly-pay job that requires a few extra hours per month on your own time and you get a nice nest egg (lump sum pension payment) after 20 years.  Plus, as I’ve written before, it’s an interesting and challenging job in which they get to make a real difference in people’s lives, contribute measurably in the community’s quality of life, and earn our respect for doing so.

Everyone I’ve talked to is surprised that there’s this level of financial compensation for firefighters they considered to be 100% volunteer.  But I’m quick to stress to them that I think this is a good deal for the Northfield community. We get a high quality firefighting force with little turnover for a fraction of the cost of full-time firefighters.

Fundraising by the Northfield Fire Relief Association and the Northfield Rural Fire Protection District (dinners, dances, pull tabs, bingo, duck race, etc.) is a problem. I’ve assumed (as have most of the citizens I’ve talked to) that fundraising money goes towards firefighting equipment or other firefighting-related expenses.  It turns out, that’s not the case.

  
See the Northfield Fire Relief Association check registers for 2010 and for 2011. See their 2010 tax statement.  While there doesn’t seem to be to be anything inappropriate anything that would indicate a misappropriation of funds that I can tell (how would I know!), it seems that, for the most part, the money raised benefits the firefighters, not firefighting.

For example, in attendance at the annual Firefighters’ banquet (not the benefit dance) at The Grand Event Center are the firefighters and their wives/girlfriends and some representatives of the Northfield Rural Fire Protection District. City leaders (mayor, police chief, city administrator) are typically invited. The steak/lobster dinner and open bar the entire night costs a few (several?) thousand dollars.

Fundraising of various kinds pays for this, of course, not tax dollars. I might be supportive of a lavish affair like this if the firefighters were 100% volunteers. But they’re not. They’re well-compensated. And for them to conduct fundraising activities that benefit themselves as if they were volunteers seems more than a little disingenuous to me.

The gambling (pull tabs) revenue is significant ($100,000+) but the cost of goods sold and various expenses were such that gambling generated no profit in 2010.  Is that typical? I don’t know but if it is, why do it?  The purpose of charitable gambling is to generate a profit for the charity’s mission.  Maybe I’m missing it but I don’t see evidence of mission-related expenses.

I think the Northfield Fire Relief Association should quit marketing itself as the Northfield Volunteer Fire Department.  And any public fundraising activities should be pitched as directly benefiting a specific cause, activity, or piece of equipment.  If they want to have an all-expenses paid annual banquet/bash, fine, but make sure donors know that that’s what their contributions are paying for.

An easy first step towards more transparency would be for both the Northfield Fire Relief Association and the Northfield Rural Fire Protection District to each have separate websites where Articles of Incorporation, by-laws, mission, and members are all posted and where financial statements, meeting minutes, etc. are regularly updated.  Nearly every Northfield area non-profit and membership association of any size has a website and most have blogs. Why not these two? They both play an important role in our community and public awareness/accountability is now needed.  They both have the financial resources to pay for it.

it shall be unlawful to… Operate a bicycle except on official trails and in designated areas;

Next week, there’s going to be a meeting to discuss mountain biking. On the RBNC website:

Calling All Mountain Bikers

On Thursday, April 19, from 7 to 8 pm, River Bend Nature Center will be hosting an informational meeting regarding the trails that are being used for mountain biking. The meeting will take place in the Interpretative Center. Snacks and beverages will be provided!

Thanks to Curtis Ness at Milltown Cycles in Faribault for alerting me to this meeting. I’ll be there.  Anyone else going?

See the poster and the press release on the talk, as well as the description of the event by Barbara Hill on Northfield.org.  

The bill, sponsored by Rep. John Kriesel, R-Cottage Grove, would allow the sale and use of the full range of consumer fireworks, including aerial rockets and firecrackers. Currently, the state only allows the sale and use of ground-based items such as small fountains, sparklers and snakes.

Sen. Michael Jungbauer, R-East Bethel, is the author in the Senate.

One of my cranky dad’s passions was his love of fireworks, one of the few things that that he loved to do with me and my brother. He’d buy $100 or more of fireworks every year, and this was back in the late 50s when that would buy an arsenal.

He showed us how to blow up sandcastles and cardboard houses; how to launch tennis balls high in the air by putting them on top of lead pipes and lighting a cherry bomb underneath; how orange juice cans were great to use with regular black cats; how to launch cherry bombs into the air with a slingshot. He loved that we loved it and I cherish those memories.

When Minneapolis Tribune columnist Cedric Adams successfully led a campaign to ban fireworks in the state, he was not deterred. He and many fellow Munsingwear employees would place an annual fireworks order with the interstate truck drivers. They’d purchase them down south and bring them back for distribution at the loading docks. ‘Civil disobedience’ he called it.

I know the dangers of fireworks firsthand. When I was 13, some buddies and I climbed to the top of an empty barn silo to drop Black Cats mid-air for the big echo effect. I had about 20 of them stuffed in my front shirt pocket and when the fuse died out on one that I was ready to throw, I put it back in my shirt pocket so that I could harvest its powder later.  It exploded in my pocket which set off a couple more went off.  I was sure my left nipple was blown off but fortunately, the burns were just below it. I borrowed a shirt from a friend and hid the injury from my parents for about a week.  A real memory-maker.

Follow Krisel and Jungbauer on Twitter. And see this KARE-11 clip from this morning, Fireworks bill moves forward at Minnesota Capitol:

But Washington Park is a neighborhood park, not a community park, defined by the City of Northfield’s Park System Master Plan (chapter 3) as serving “a broader purpose than neighborhood parks. Focus is on meeting community-based recreational needs, as well as preserving unique landscapes and open spaces. ”

The Master Plan’s Facility Development Guidelines clearly show that a skatepark is inappropriate for a neighborhood park and instead should be located in a community park or athletic complex. (Northfield has 6 community parks: Ames, Bridge Square, Babcock, Memorial, Oddfellows, and Riverside Lions. And it has 3 athletic complexes: Sechler, Sibley Soccer Fields, and Spring Creek Soccer.) Given the close proximity of that corner of Washington Park to the houses at 8th and Union (see aerial map), it doesn’t seem an appropriate location.  Skateparks can generate a fair amount of noise.

Page 28 of Chapter 3 of the Master Plan’s discusses the location of the skateboard park, and includes a table of the pros and cons:

Skateboarders’ interests were represented by The Northfield Skateboard Coalition during the public process. The group currently has a proposal and design concept for a new skate plaza that would serve their needs. The desired size of the facility is 12,000 to 15,000 s.f. Access to nearby parking, bathrooms, drinking fountain, vending machines, benches, picnic tables, shady areas, and grassy areas for sitting is also desired. A facility of this size would have a capacity of up to 200, although daily use would be less.

A key positive aspect of the skateboard park is that it would serve an age group not always interested in other forms of outdoor recreation. The advocates also point out the importance of the social aspect of the activity, underscoring that location matters for facility success.

The importance of selecting a location for this type of facility that addresses the needs and concerns of the user group, along with those of the larger community, should not be underestimated. To that end, and after much discussion, the PRAB concluded that the facility is best located in a community park, with Ames, Memorial, and Babcock Parks being candidate sites.

The PRAB also concluded that a separate public process was necessary to adequately consider the issues from various perspectives and select the site that best balances the interests of the various stakeholders. To aid that process, the following table identifies the opportunities and limitations of each of the sites currently being considered.

Considering the list of pros and cons for Old Memorial Park, I think it’s a much better choice than Ames or Babcock.  And the constraints listed for Memorial “surrounding residential properties (i.e., noise,
traffic, security concerns, etc.)” and “loss of general open space” are really minor issues.

Look at these photos:

   
Old Memorial Park is a huge park.  Yes, the open space is one of its assets.

  
But there are a number of places where a skate park could be ‘tucked’ into the park without affecting the open space or the neighbors. One spot seems ideal: the north side of the park, just below the sand volleyball court (photos above).

There is only one house nearby and it’s not that close. See the aerial view with my arrow pointing to it (right). And the night I took these photos, I met the homeowner who said that that would be a much better location than out in one of the open spaces.

   
Other smaller spots are possibilities, too.

I don’t have any skin in this game.  But now that the City has the skate park equipment and the Union of Youth has the money to put towards an asphalt or concrete pad for it, it’s time to get this done.

I’m fine with a temporary location this year at Riverside or Babcock. But I think Old Memorial Park is the best permanent location for the skatepark.

Let the discussion continue here. (I’ve closed comments on the Feb. 25 blog post, Where should the Union of Youth skateboard park be located?)

Robbie gave the dispatcher (at the Pearl St. 911 Dispatch Center in Owatonna) the license plate #, car description, and our location and description of our car. Within a few seconds, they handed us over to a dispatcher in Northfield.  As we entered Northfield, the dispatcher asked us if we were willing to continuing following the car, which turned out to be convenient as it was taking the same route as we were.

A Northfield Police Department squad car spotted us just after Jefferson Parkway and Hwy 3 and shortly afterward, followed the car into a neighborhood nearby.

Was the driver intoxicated, tired, on a cell phone? No clue.  But we felt good that we’d done our civic duty and were pleased with the response by the local law enforcement people on duty.

Open: Saturday, March 31; Sunday, April 1; Saturday, April 7 (but closed Easter Sunday, April 8).

Saturday hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays: noon to 5 p.m.

TJ said that they won’t be ready for accept food scraps and non-recyclable paper until later in April. See this Nfld Patch story by Mary Schier, Northfield Compost Program Expands to Include Organics:

Most folks who keep a compost pile at home know the rules: No bones, no meat, no dairy, no paper plates or napkins unless you want to attract rats and other unpleasant critters. Those rules won’t apply when the City of Northfield embarks on a new organics-recycling program at the city’s compost site near Sechler Park this spring.

Beginning April 10, when the compost site opens for the season, residents will be able to bring food scraps, including dairy and meat, as well as non-recyclable paper, such as napkins and paper plates, to the compost site for recycling. Residents must use special recycling bags, available at Just Food Co-op, and place their food waste into a lockable bin at the compost site.

Scott Doyon is Director of Client Marketing Services for PlaceMakers, an urban planning firm. He published a post to his Better Cities blog last week titled Public process: Don’t botch your online engagement (also on their Placeshakers blog here):

New tools have made it easier than ever to set up a project website, fast and cheap, for just about any endeavor. So easy, in fact, that people often assume the task of populating it with content is equally so.

It’s not. Instead, what you end up with is city staffers with limited time and limited resources, and who already engage with the public regularly in person, suddenly presented with the task of doing so electronically as well. Not surprisingly under such circumstances, whenever they find themselves in possession of any piece of information even remotely related to the project, their response seems obvious: Put it on the web.

Raw information. Posted. Done.

That’s a problem.

The City of Northfield has a history such failed project web sites, some done by the city staff, some by consulting firms. Some recent examples:

• 4th St. construction
• Safety Center (two sites, here and here)
• Northfield Business Park
• Northfield Transportation Plan

Doyon writes:

Think of the parallel: You’re in a traditional public meeting and someone asks a question about why the city is doing something. Do you provide a concise rationale, spelling out its benefits and role in larger community goals, or do you hand them a binder with 300 pages of reports and memos and tell them to have at it?

What should local governments do instead with their project sites?

Provide however much content it takes to express, up front and at each step along the way, what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how people can participate. No more. No less.

Exactly.  Unfortunately, Doyon doesn’t provide examples so here’s one I’ve worked on for the past 9 months: the GrandView District project blogsite for the City of Edina, MN. 

In that time, the project blog’s been updated 36 times with many dozens of photos and has nearly 300 comments attached. It includes all the files, Powerpoint presentations, archives of the webinar, and links to meeting videos.

Doyon also points out that local governments are unwitting victims of the “Blank Slate” dilemma:

Another common fumble is confusing the difference between collecting ideas and building consensus around community goals. A variety of new tools have made it easier than ever for cities to engage citizens in a discussion of ideas. “What would you like to see?,” they ask. “Provide your ideas and rate the ideas of others.”

That is, when presented with a blank slate, people naturally assume that anything is possible. But as you know, it’s not. Avoiding problems is all in how you ask the questions. For example, you’ll often find questions like this: “How can we improve Founder’s Park?” Sounds empowering, right? Unfortunately, it also sets a foundation for failed effort.

Instead, the question should be posed this way: “The city has budgeted $4 million towards renovations for Founder’s Park. Keeping in mind that further land acquisition isn’t an option at this site, what improvements, initiatives or recreational options would you like to see prioritized?”

That’s the exact approach the City of Edina took with another engagement project, the 2012 budget.  Working with the Citizens League, the areas of the budget that citizen input was sought were very narrowly defined. Ultimately, the process proved to be very effective and will be repeated again this year.

For background, see all my Edina-related blog posts about my work with the Edina Citizen Engagement project.

A council-appointed study group on Tuesday will recommend a thorough review of the future of the city-owned Northfield Hospital, including a look at the facility’s ownership. The Ad Hoc Finance Study Group, charged with reviewing potential revenue streams for the city, made the recommendation after more than a year of discussions with the Hospital Board. It’s expected to discuss its findings during next week’s City Council meeting and ask that a task force be appointed to conduct the in-depth review.

LWV observer Jane McWilliams reported on the March 13 Council meeting:

In addition to selling the hospital, other options the study group has discussed include establishing an annual contribution to the city from the hospital, similar to that approved earlier this year, and creation of an alternate ownership while retaining local control…

How the task force and the hospital board might work together was a concern. Councilor Betsy Buckheit said it should be clear that the city is instigating this.  Councilor Ivan Imm who serves on both the council and the hospital board said cooperation shouldn’t be forced, but the council should ask for the opportunity to work together. The city administrator and hospital president will support the task force in its work and it is possible they will contract  “outside resources.”

Jane included this comment with her report:

What are core city services? The work of the Finance Advisory Group appears to be guided by their collective understanding of what constitute core services. This is a topic the council has not discussed, and thus has not given the advisory group direction on this important value. It is a topic we need to think about as citizens in evaluating the work of the council as it struggles to adjust to difficult financial times.

I don’t have an informed opinion about Northfield Hospital ownership but I like what the Ad Hoc Finance Study Group has done thus far so their recommendation to have council-appointed study group look at the issue seemed a good one.  But for some reason, even talking about the issue is troubling for some people. In yesterday’s Nfld News: Hospital study on hold, pending conversations between leadership

“This has been very disturbing for us at the hospital,” said Crow. “This has been very disturbing for our staff. There’s a devaluing of what we do just by having this discussion.” Speaker after speaker asked — even implored — the City Council to take care when studying such a valuable community asset. The hospital, owned by the city for nearly 80 years, showed a net profit of $2.7 million in 2010.

Hospital President Mark Henke likened the process to a digital rectal exam, saying “there’s only so much you should fight.” “We’re trying to run a $75 million company … and we’re going through a lot of distractions. As we go through our exam, it remains to be seen if we will need sedation,” he said.

See the links to the video archive of the Council discussion in this KYMN blog post.

I’m with Jane McWilliams. Why not have a Council-led community discussion about what constitutes core public services, including the Northfield Hospital?  After all, real men don’t fear the finger.

But one thing we did agree on (hence the smiles in the right photo) was that the two versions of the Northfield News stories about the firefighters’ pension contained some misleading information. In the March 6 version, Northfield firefighters: paid or volunteers?, reporter Suzy Rook wrote:

According to a state auditor’s report for 2009, the city’s firefighters, who also serve the Northfield Rural Fire District, have $7,500 apiece placed in the fund annually;

In the sidebar:

$7,500 — Northfield’s annual pension contribution per firefighter

After the March 6 story appeared, Tom’s email to me and Suzy included this:

Northfield Fire Relief is presently at $7500/yr of service.  This is not to be confused with “The City pays each member $7500/year” as was stated in the Northfield News e-edition last week.  The impact on the annual budget is only the Municipal Contribution amount.  For this year, the impact is slightly more than $900/fire fighter.

Likewise, in the comment thread attached to the March 6 story, firefighter Aramis Wells argued with her about this issue.  But to no avail, as this week’s March 13 version, Northfield’s firefighter wages, pensions among highest in state, contained the same text and sidebar.

My take

Individual firefighter pension obligations DO NOT cost the City of Northfield/taxpayers $7,500/year, as the Northfield News’ stories indicate.

Rather, if they stay on the job for 20 years or more (and past the age of 50), the pension fund pays them $7,500 per year of service. Big difference.

The amount in the fund fluctuates with the stock market and so the City’s annual contribution to the fund fluctuates.  Back in 2008, the City contributed nearly $100,000 to the fund. In 2009 it was half that. This year, Tom says it’ll be about $29,000.

I think the City of Northfield and we citizens get a good deal with this arrangement because the pension encourages firefighters to stay on the job.  Lack of turnover is generally a good thing when it comes to firefighting and I think we’re better served by having so many firefighters with so many years of experience.

But we need not worry too much that the current turmoil with the City and the Northfield Fire Department will cause many firefighters to quit.  Fire Chief Gerry Franek’s attorney David Hvistendahl, Northfield Area Rural Fire District administrator Jerry Anderson and others are wrong to, um, fan these flames.

Why?

The firefighters get a good deal, too. If they stick with it for 20 years, they get a decent lump sum payout of $150,000. A few are going get twice that as they been on the job for nearly 40 years. Plus, they have an interesting and challenging part-time job in which they get to make a real difference in people’s lives, contribute measurably in the community’s quality of life, and earn our respect for doing so. Not many $21/hr part-time jobs offer all this.

I’m glad the Northfield News did the story because it has helped raise awareness of the issue.  But I think they owe it to the firefighters and to the citizens to run a correction.