Fall •
The .
OTSEGC
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ON THE GREAT RIVER ROAD
Vol. 18 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007 Newsletter of the City of Otsego
New Public Works ;,,,;
1
building open for use b ,r{ . ;
Otsego's public works department is
very pleased with its new building and i
Al '"'
showed it off to the public during the $ 1-
Otsego Fall Festival. The building's r- - /
design sports many safety, security and 1 s' _ t . '
energy saving features. Natural light
jip
fills the building and many lights are r % i
automated. Oil and automotive fuels are 'a, _
collected for recycling. Software tracks _�
parts and equipment. The fuel reporting , + t ihrer
system computes miles per gallon . ,
automatically and is key coded for each ' '
Yk,
vehicle. � �
Besides all of the maintenance and s;, ,
storage space, there is a meeting room, ,, , -
ist
office space for the Wright County - A
Deputies working in the city and an V
office being rented by the city engineer. I • 4
Otsego Public Works Supervisor Brad Belair says the new facility .
has already saved them time and made it possible to operate more i.
efficiently. Their security cameras have already helped them document
vandals in nearby Prairie Park. _ -
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END �, 4
Otsego's new public works building has room to hold all of the city's vehicles and recreational equipment.The building was planned with
future expansion in mind. Public Works Supervisor Brad Belair(right)gave guided tours during the Otsego Fall Festival.
•
City Budget 2008
NJ O TEThe City Budget is the financial plan for the city of Otsego for 2008.The budget includes
anticipated revenues and expenditures of the General Fund and the Debt Service Fund. The
from the General Fund is used to account for the general government services provided by the city.
mAyorz r These services include general government administration,public safety,public works
including street maintenance and repair, and parks and recreation activities. The Debt Service
Fund includes those funds that are used to pay the bond principal and interest on bonds used to
by Mayor Larry Fournier finance various improvement projects. Sewer and water bonds are paid for by the users through
water and sewer hookup charges. The total tax levy for 2008 is $3,424,716.00. While the total
tax dollars levied has increased,the actual tax rate has decreased from 26.673% for taxes payable in 2007 to 26.540%for
taxes payable in 2008. Otsego has one of the lowest tax rates in the area.
You may review our city's budget anytime at City Hall or at our Truth in Taxation meetings in December. Otsego is a
great place to live. Your City Council is working hard to keep it affordable. / .��•��` `'1. , :�
Roaming dogs -
endanger public
and themselves , 'f -T:
Free-range dogs represent a VT
lot of trouble.They can scare Recycle yard waste
children and other adults, fight Leaves,branches and other vegetative yard waste can
with other dogs who may be be disposed of easily by composting. The University of
secured in their own yards, Minnesota Extension Service(612-624-1222;
terrorize small wildlife, chase domestic animals,damage http://www.extension.umn.edu/)has information on
property, knock over and spread garbage, cause traffic backyard composting.
accidents and deposit feces and urine in neighbors' The Wright County Recycling Center also accepts
property. Dogs are territorial and loose dogs will yard waste with no fee or appointment necessary. Just
continue to expand their territory the more they roam. deposit your load in the rear tarmac area during open
They also form packs which can do even more damage. hours. Shredded wood chips are also available free from
Owners that allow their dogs or cats to roam are the facility located at 505 Co. Rd. 37 NE southwest of
endangering their pet. Dogs and cats that run free are Monticello. Open hours are:
more likely to contract infectious diseases and parasites, Tuesdays 9 a.m. 12 noon&1 p.m. 3 p.m.
and eat things that can be fatal.They also run the risk of
being hit by a car or suffer the wrath of an aggravated Thursdays 9 a.m.-12 noon&1 p.m. 6 p.m.
neighbor. 2nd Saturday of the month 8 a.m.—noon
If your neighbor is allowing a pet to roam, you are the It is illegal to put yard waste in Minnesota landfills.
one who needs to take action. Once you know whose Also, do not deposit it in roadside ditches.
animal it is, take a deep breath and calmly discuss it with If you are going to burn vegetative material, a permit
the owner. A hostile approach will put the owner on the must be obtained from City Hall, a fire warden or DNR
defensive. The neighbor may not know their pet is Forestry office. Burning can only take place between 3
getting out, or may not know it is doing anything that pm and 8 am. Burning contributes to air pollution and
bothers anyone. When you talk to the neighbor,there is a causes wildfires.vw
good chance you will be saving the pet's life.
If your neighbor repeatedly lets their non-aggressive
animal roam and won't listen to you, report the situation „a,
to City Hall. Be prepared to report the name and address
of the owner and your attempts to discuss the situation t,
with the owner. They will be contacted in writing of
their violation of Otsego's ordinance.
Dogs and cats are required to be accompanied by a r
responsible person in control of the animal by leash or
otherwise restrained or confined. .,
A dog that habitually barks or cries could be in
violation of the city's nuisance ordinance. Contact the
Wright County Sheriff(763-682-1162)during the The Wright County Compost Site accepts yard waste free. Drop off
disturbance so they can verify the violation and take branches, leaves and brush during operating hours.
action. u�r
i
I'ghlights EXIT 207 JOTSEGO
st rica
Otsego CITY Or
. %.„, , :irt,40,4,,,,,,„r44,:, -.I,/ .
Signs of the Times _
By Jacquie Rognli U
In 1990 the Otsego Vision volunteer City logo signs were purchased by Otsego's
committee was working on establishing a Otsego is a destination worth an new City Council in 1990.
exit sign on 194 in 2007.
sense of community identity for Otsego. Pam
Black contacted the Minnesota Department of Transportation(MNDOT)to try ;Itat �
toget an exit sign for Otsego on Interstate Highway 94. She was told no r °" Otsego's
ego'sthumsign of
g g Y Otsega'ssipnof
because"Otsego is not a destination." the times on 101 v
The group held a city logo contest and the new City Council ordered green ._. ,
and white signs with the new logo. They were placed on each of the Wright •-- a-m--------
'%»;...,
County roads entering the city. Many people were surprised to learn where Y-�-K.. ..
Otsego's boundaries actually were. With five different zip codes in the city, ;� - . 4,••••••••••••—•=-7—.111)
many people had thought they lived in the town where their mail was addressed. '
With improvements to Highway 101 underway and the completion of the
1990 census, Jacquie Rognli contacted MNDOT to see if Otsego could get a
population sign on the highway now that it was a city. Signs were ordered and -
put up in 1991. When the northbound sign was placed too far south, Franklin MNDOT erecting Otsego's first population
Township residents call MNDOT to complain and it was moved. signs was newsworthy enough that there was an
In the summer of 2007, Otsego was added to Exit 207 on Interstate 94. Does article in the July 3, 1991 Star News.
this mean we are now a destination?v.,v
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Otsego Fall Festival Otsego Lions
Trophies(above)sat ready to be awarded to classic car show The Otsego Lions grilled hamburgers and hot dogs at the Otsego
winners at the 2007 Otsego Fall Festival Sept. 16 at Prairie Park. Fall Festival and provided a wellness van for free health screening.All
Otsego's royalty were crowned in the afternoon:Rachel Haskamp, funds after expenses go toward local community needs.
Little Miss Otsego;Chet Jurrens, Little Mr Otsego;and Alexis The Lions meet the third Tuesday of the month,7 pm at Rockwoods.
Bestul,Junior Miss Otsego.The royalty will make a variety of Lion Lester Anderson will be guest speaker for the evening on Nov.
appearances to represent the city.Thank you to Rose Cassady, 20th....}....A.....
chair and her many volunteers for another successful festival.Thank
you also to all of the vendors and exhibitors.U.,ti,
Santa Day at City Hall
Sat. Dec. 15
10 am to 1 pm
i
`:1!"' PRESORTED STANDARD
cOT GO US POSTAGE
! ``� PAID
L°Sy,
r, Tltx ,NFA.'C.rVPI!u,:#tra PERMIT# 1791
8899 Nashua Avenue NE MINNEAPOLIS,MN
Otsego,MN 55330
(763)441-4414
11 0
PARKING ON
CITY STREETS
OR
RIGHT OF WAY .
FROM
2AM TO 6AM
NOV I-APRIL I '
II
City of Otsego HERITAGE PRESERVATION
8899 Nashua Avenue NE CITY STAFF
Mike Robertson,City Administrator Ron Black,Chair
Otsego,MN 55330 Judy Hudson,City Clerk/Zoning Administrator Shirley Isaacson
Administration:(763)441-4414 Karee Rowell,Deputy Clerk Isabel Stander
Building Dept.:(763)441-2593 Gary Groen,Finance Director Jon Stander
Utility Billing:(763)441-2310 Kathy Grover,Bookkeeper Joan Vasseur
Fax:(763)441-8823 Brad Belair,Public Works Supervisor Chris Wilson
Email:cityhall@ci.Otsego.mn.us Tim Rochel,Building Official POLICE COMMISSION
Web Site:www.ci.Otsego.mn.us Barb Williams,Building Permit Technician Jane Theisen,Chair
Sandy Lindenfelser,Special Licensing Denise Andrusko
OFFICE HOURS Tami Lott,Administrative Assistant Linda Lewis
ADMINISTRATION: PLANNING&ZONING Sandra Michaelson
M-Th 8 am-6 pm;Fri.CLOSED Richard Nichols,Chair Edgar Pearsall
BUILDING DEPT: Pam Black,Vice Chair Jeff Stimac
Tammie Fallon Joel Torkelson
M-Th 8 am-6 pm;Fri.8 am-noon Doug Hackman
UTILITY DEPT: Jim Kolles
M-Th 8 am-5 pm;Fri.8 am-noon David Thompson
Trog
CITY COUNCIL John W Thelen, Sr MEETING CALENDAR
1 alternate
Mayor:Larry Fournier Brian Gerten,2nd alternate City Council 2nd&4th Mon.,6:30 p.m.
Council Members PARKS&RECREATION Planning&Zoning 1St&3rd Mon.,7 p.m.
Tom Darkenwald Aaron Stritesky,Chair Parks&Recreation 2nd Wed.,7:00 pm .i
Vern Heidner Mike Brumm,Vice Chair Heritage Preservation 3 d Thurs.,7 p.m.
Jessica Stockamp Rose Cassady g
Mark Thorsted Beverly Kumar,Secretary Police Commission 2nd Tues.,6:30 p.m.
Russ Langer All meetings are open to the public.Call City Hall to
Kathryn Roberts confirm times if you plan to attend.Agendas and
Peter Torresani minutes are available on the city's web site.
OT EGO VIEW
The Otsego View is Otsego's bi-monthly newsletter.
Jacquie Rognli,Editor