I see it has been a while since I posted to the blog. Alot has been going on - I will try to recap and talk about future things on the Horizon.
The City is currently looking into several options. The buzz words of the times are Shared Services. There was a pretty hard push by the Mayor and a Council Member to attempt to Share Policing with Hennepin County Sheriffs Dept. That is currently somewhere in Limbo as the motion did not pass to move on the issue, and apparently my lack of support for such a transition at the following meeting was insufficient to move ahead.
I did spearhead a study by the City when I was first in office, and the numbers did not support such a short or long term change with significant cost savings. The preliminary numbers came back as more expensive and the costs climbed higher than they had in the recent previous years. I would bet this topic to resurface within the next several months, as it is a community hot topic that people are very passionate about. Whenever a constituent comes to you and says that they would voluntarily be willing to pay additional taxes to support a program, I have found it prudent to listen.
The Osseo Community Survey is currently underway. The survey was commissioned by the council at recent meeting as a way to get an unbiased feedback from the community. Look for caller ID to read Decision Resources to validate this call.
One of the things that has frustrated me since my taking office was the Osseo rumor mill. You hear about things 2nd, 3rd, or 4th hand, when it would be much better for me to hear about it first hand. I CONTINUE TO ASK THAT ANY FEEDBACK ON ISSUES BE DIRECTED TO ME FOR CONSIDERATION. i appreciate the opportunity to present all sides of an issue for consideration, which I rarely get the opportunity to do. Comment on this blog, email to mschulz@ci.osseo.mn.us or calls directed to 763-425-7457 will be answered in as timely manner as possible.
Planning will start soon on the next fiscal year budget. I was quite pleased with our investment to Capital issues through our Capital Improvement Plan, and Financial Management Plan. We also are investing more money to decrease the eventual financial burden through unexpected financial assessments on Property Tax holders. the projects are currently planned out for several years. This will give the property owners of Osseo the chance to plan ahead to avoid interest on the improvements - there by saving them money. I will continue to push for the City to save the funds for the projects in advance, rather than issue bonds for the same reason. If we could give a little more up front - to avoid Interest and Fees associated with Capital projects - that is Money in the pockets of the City Of Osseo. My analogy is to save for the new TV vs putting it on credit card.
I will try to be a little more regular with this blog - also offering explanations as to voting whenever possible (sometimes in Government there are things you just have to keep confidential as to avoid the possibility of Litigation against the City).
Have a great March Sunday and I will be checking in with you all soon!
