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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-03 -- Spring (1) March 7 – Corcoran Athletic Association Summer Program Registration – 4 – 7 p.m. – City Civic Center -- Call 763.745.1878 for program information 8, 15 – Corcoran Athletic Association Summer Program Registration – 9 a.m. – Noon 16, 23 and 30 – Firearms Safety Instruction – 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. – City Civic Center – PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED -- $10 for residents $20 for non-residents Call City Hall or www.ci.corcoran.mn.us for details 29 – Seniors 55 Alive Refresher – 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon – City Civic Center – sponsored by the Corcoran’s Lions April 6, 13 -- Firearms Safety Instruction – 6:00 p.m. – City Civic Center – See above 7 – NWHHSC 15th Annual Senior Forum – 8:30 a.m. – Keynote Speaker: US Senator Dean Barkley -- Living Word Christian Center, 9201 – 75th Avenue, Brooklyn Park – Call 763.493.2802 or email beth@nwhhsc.org for more information or to register 10 – Local Board of Review – 7:00 p.m. – City Hall Council Chambers 19 – JC’s Easter Egg Hunt – 10:00 a.m. – City Hall Grounds 25 – Motocross – 6:30 p.m. – Lions Park 26 – Firearms Safety Practical – 8:00 a.m. – City Hall 26 – Lions Chevy Dinner – 7:00 p.m. – Monte Club May 2, 9 & 16 – Motocross – 6:30 p.m. – Lions Park 31 – Tractor Pull – 7:00 p.m. – Lions Park July 10, 11, 12 & 13 – Hamel Rodeo – Lions Park 31 – Hennepin County Fair – Lions Park August 1, 2 & 3 – Hennepin County Fair -- Lions Park 5 – National Night Out -- Check Police Department page in this newsletter for further information September 6 – Demo Derby – 7:00 p.m. – Lions Park 12, 19, & 26 – Motocross – 6:30 p.m. – Lions Park Notes from the Administrator’s Desk… As you are well aware, the condition of the State Budget has been a primary focus over the past few months. Governor Pawlenty’s budget proposal has local governments re-evaluating how they will provide essential services to their residents. In the current proposal by Governor Pawlenty, it is proposed that the City of Corcoran would receive $96,000 less in revenues than what has been budgeted for 2003. In one of the State Auditor’s reports released in the last month, it addresses unreserved fund balances held by cities. These reports are based on the 208 cities with populations over 2,500. Unreserved fund balances are maintained by cities for several reasons, but they are largely relied on to meet expenditures during the first five months of the year until cities receive their first property tax settlement and state aid payments. That report identifies that the acceptable fund balance should be 35% - 50% of the city’s total current expenditures. The State Auditor’s Reports can be seen at www.osa.state.mn.us. Along with 18 other cities in the State, Corcoran has an unreserved fund balance equivalent to 30% of its current expenditures,. The Auditor identifies that as a “low fund balance”. The State Auditor prepared another report which calculated the per capita costs of 208 cities which provide various services to its residents. Below is a chart identifying how Corcoran compared. Expenditure Type Corcoran Per Capita Average Per Capita General Government $ 77 $ 94  Public Safety $ 89 $212  Street and Highway $101 $ 81  Culture and Recreation $ 12 $ 88  Health Expenditures $ 0 $ 30  Economic Development $ 0 $ 56  Debt Service $ 13 $198  Capital Outlay $120 $375   As you can see, the City of Corcoran remains below the average, except in the area of Street and Highway Maintenance. The City of Corcoran has over 63 miles of city roads to maintain, of which 22 miles are gravel. Gravel roads tend to require more maintenance then that of a paved road, due to placement of gravel, grading, packing, etc. The Council has taken a very strong proactive approach to the proposed budget cuts and is working diligently toward a contingency plan. We will identify priorities as well as sacrifices that we are able to bear with the least amount of consequences. It is most probable that Cities and Counties will not be fully aware of all the impacts that will come from the State Budget cuts until April, when the Legislative Session is nearing the end. This also causes concern, as the first four months of operation will have already been completed by then. You may wish to go to the League of Minnesota Cities website (www.lmnc.org), where additional information regarding impacts to cities can be seen. The City will continue to monitor and analyze this situation and will work toward viable solutions that will enable us to continue our efforts in providing essential services to our residents. -- Sue Vergin, City Administrator, CMC