Ramsey County is planning a new Environmental Services Center in Roseville to make it easier for residents to reduce, reuse, recycle and compost.
The center will be on a 5-acre site at 1700 Kent St. and will include recycling and drop-off for household hazardous waste and electronics. A free product reuse room and space for troubleshooting clinics and environmental education are also provided.
“The center is part of Enhancing Environmental Health Services, an initiative to redesign and add recycling and waste disposal services to better meet community needs,” according to a county statement.
Open Houses this fall will provide the community with an opportunity to learn more and provide feedback. The county issued a request for proposals seeking a construction manager and design teams.
Shannon Prather
Osseo
District holds briefings ahead of referendum vote
Schools in the Osseo area will host two information sessions to answer questions about two funding requests the district placed on the November ballot.
District staff will hold sessions at 6 p.m. on Oct. 4 at Park Center High School in Brooklyn Park and Oct. 18 at Maple Grove High School.
The district is asking voters for permission to raise its operating tax by $7 million a year to fund individualized learning, academic interventions, student mental health needs and other “essential classroom supports.”
A second question will ask voters for an additional $2.3 million per year to maintain technology systems and support staff, increase school safety and security technology, and create digital learning spaces.
If both applications are approved, the tax impact on the average homeowner would be less than $9 a month, the district said. If the measures fail, the district said it will have to cut $5 million from its budget for the 2023-24 school year. This number could reach $49 million in 2024-25 if existing levies that are set to expire are not renewed.
Tim Harlow
Anterior lake
The City’s proposed budget includes a full-time fire department
Prior Lake’s 13.35% tax increase for 2023 provides funding for a full-time fire department, which would include hiring 12 full-time firefighters.
“It represents a huge part [of the levy increase]”Said Mayor Kirt Briggs. “We have to do this for the safety of the community.”
Just under half of the money from the levy increase would be used to move away from the department’s paid care model, a change that city officials say is needed to keep up with community growth and increased call volume. The city is also struggling to recruit and retain firefighters.
Officials are waiting to see if the city will receive funding from the federal Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant program. The proposed tax increase and budget assumes the city won’t get the grant, Briggs said — if the money comes in, the budget and tax will be adjusted and the city can start hiring as early as Jan. 1.
The grant covers 100% of the costs of transitioning to full-time service for the first three years, or about $1.5 million per year, City Manager Jason Wedel said. The city will still have on-call firefighters after the transition, he said.
In addition to serving Prior Lake, the fire department is committed to providing services to the Townships of Credit River and Spring Lake.
Erin Adler