Northfield Council to set Preliminary Levy tonight
The Northfield City Council meets tonight. They will set the preliminary levy and budget. Right now, 3{b5761be34e80a16b6d0e4dabc1869c131a263f96a745c82bebdd3b8a4330bfa9} is the highest they’re looking at. Once set tonight, they can lower that number up to December when the final number is required near the end of the month. A public hearing on the matter is scheduled for December 6th at 7pm. Back on the agenda is the 4.6 acre portion of Fargaze Meadows that Council has been mulling over turning back to the County and back on the open market. City Administrator Ben Martig will be in studio tomorrow morning at 7:20 with a recap. He is filling in for Mayor Dana Graham during the election season.
Shutting down “School to Prisons Pipeline”
Rice County attorney John Fossum wants to be a part of stopping what some call the “school to prisons pipeline”. With funding from several sources, his office is working on a national program called the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative. They’re bringing together various members of the community including School Superintendents from Northfield and Faribault. While most of us would do anything to avoid a weekend in jail, there are some who get used to prison. If they get used to it as juveniles, they’ll be used to it as an adult. Fossum says “it fosters that level of criminality”. The point of this initiative is to keep kids OUT of custody, keep them in the community while protecting public safety. He says it’s not about ignoring problems but rather “allow these kids to function” and not put them into detention unless they really need to (if they are a threat). Some alternatives might be a foster home, a group home with support, better education and programs. A steering group is working on the initiative and have hired a coordinator. The toughest part is access to programs. Fossum says what they don’t want to say is, “we’re out of options for you, you’re going to Red Wing because we can’t find room in a program to fit you”. Rice County doesn’t have a juvenile facility as it is, they send juvies to Dakota or Olmsted County if necessary.
Farmington man’s quest to quell squirrels causes commotion
A Farmington homeowner fed up with chattering rodents caused quite a commotion. Police responded to report of a man shooting a rifle in a neighborhood. Having had previous calls in the area, police didn’t take any chances. They put the 4 schools in lockdown and set up a perimeter. Officers located and questioned the man, described as “in his sixties,” who said he was fed up with the squirrels on his property so he took out his pellet gun and started shooting. Farmington Police Sgt. Bob Sauter said “He felt pretty bad about it, “There was no intent.”. The man was not arrested.
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