By Rich Larson, News Director
With about a month under his belt as a member of the Northfield City Council, Ward 3 Councilor George Zuccolotto is still finding his feet in his new
role, but he said that he feels very fortunate to have been elected and is enjoying the work that the job requires. Zuccolotto said that he has had to jump into some issues mid-stream, like the St. Olaf Avenue student housing project, that have been difficult to get around because there are so many differing opinions and points of view that he has heard. Northfield’s Third Ward is the most diverse in the city, encompassing a large contingent of seniors, young families and areas like Viking Terrace, and he said learning how to balance the input and feedback he gets from his constituents with the business of the council is difficult.
“How do we as a council take every one of these people’s interests into account without hurting anyone’s feelings? And that’s the game of politics. I’m still trying to decipher that.”
With that said, though, Zuccolotto does have a vision for the type of councilor he would like to be, as well as the type of city that Northfield can and should be.
“I have a problem with ‘Cows, Colleges and Contentment’ because contentment means ‘Okay, this is good enough.’ I think, ‘no.’ We have the ability and the potential to be the greatest small town in Southern Minnesota. And I think we can get there with all these brilliant people, so that’s what I have in mind. It’s us moving toward a community that can grow productively and with some kind of vision including everyone.”
The new councilor said that he is having to make some adjustments in his personal life to make time for all his council responsibilities, but he doesn’t consider that to be any sort of sacrifice. He is just happy to serve.
Jeff Johnson’s conversation with Councilor Zuccolotto and Mayor Pownell can be heard here
School board takes ‘legislative action’
With the state legislative session underway, the Northfield School District is paying close attention to the school funding portion of the next state budget. Like every other sector of society, the pandemic has affected the district’s enrollment. With 67 fewer students than they had planned for, the Northfield school district could lose as much as half-a-million dollars in funding next year, when the district expects the enrollment to come back up again.
Concerned about advocacy at the legislative level, Superintendent Matt Hillmann said that at the school board meeting on Monday night, the board established a Legislative Action Committee. School board members Julie Pritchard, Claudia Gonzalez-George and Corey Butler will join Dr. Hillmann on the committee to focus on advocating to the legislature for the things they feel are especially important.
“A couple pieces that are really important for us is that because of the changes in enrollment due to the pandemic, we’re really advocating that the legislature use the better of the two enrollments from either fiscal year ‘20 or fiscal year ‘21, just for fiscal stability, we’re asking the legislature for that one-time investment to make sure that school districts are held harmless on that enrollment change.”
Dr. Hillmann has long argued that when fully funded, school districts across the country have shown that they are the most efficient form of local government, and this year he feels it is very important that they stand up to make their case and get the help they need.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Dr. Hillmann can be heard here
High honor for city accounting office
And the City of Northfield’s accounting office has received a prestigious international award.
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the City of Northfield for its comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. The report has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.
The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.
