By Rich Larson, News Director
The Northfield City Council met last night, and among the many items on the agenda was a presentation of the comprehensive housing study put
together by HKGi Consultants.
This was the first housing study commissioned by Northfield in 15 years, and it was indeed comprehensive. It looked at the demographics of the city from population by size, age, sex and ethnicity, showing that Northfield is 83% white, but that number is declining, the city tends to add about 200 people a year to the population, and less than 1/3 of households in Northfield have more than 2 people. The study showed that there are 10, 769 jobs in Northfield, and the city adds around 160 jobs a year. More than 7,000 people work in Northfield that do not live here, and more than 5,000 Northfielders work outside of town.
The study showed a critical need for housing in Northfield. Over the next five years, with approximately 450 housing units under development – if nothing changes – Northfield will have a zero-vacancy rate and will be in need of nearly 200 housing units in all forms. Right now, the study showed, the vacancy rate is at 0.1%.
Northfield Housing Coordinator Melissa Hanson said the study shows a glaring need for housing, but, she said, the numbers in the study do not begin to tell the whole story. These numbers, she said, are a baseline need, and not the numbers the city would require in order to have what would be considered a desirable housing situation.
“That still doesn’t get us to a decent equilibrium where there is a balanced supply and demand. Enough to have choice for our citizens and residents of the city as well as enough out there to provide a healthy market and competition among prices.”
Hanson said a housing shortage like this will have adverse effects on the economy, the school district, and the city’s ability to offer services Northfielders desire. There is a pent-up demand for housing of all types, she said, and it must be addressed.
Child Nutrition and Community Education budgets take a hit thanks to Covid
During the Northfield School Board meeting last week, the board heard presentations from the Director of Child Nutrition, Stephany Stromme, and the Director of Community Education, Erin Bailey. School Superintendent Matt Hillmann said both departments are generally self-sustaining, but during the Covid-19 pandemic, these two areas have taken large financial hits.
Hillmann said that lunch is the most challenging part of a school day for the administration, even when there isn’t a pandemic, and the Child Nutrition Department has had to adapt quickly to several different learning models over the past twelve months. During the summer and in the periods of distance learning, food was delivered to students via bus routes offering curbside pickup, and elementary students were served tableside for the first three quarters of the year. However, just given the fact that so many fewer students were eating food provided by the school means that revenue is down, and that there will most likely be a small increase the cost of breakfast and lunch next year.
Meanwhile, the Community Education department has had to deal with dramatically reduced enrollment which has led to a large reduction in revenue. While the Child Nutrition Department was able to maintain a fund balance, and will therefore finish the year in the black, Hillmann said that the Community Education Department is forecasting a loss for both this school year and the next.
Hillmann said both departments have excellent leadership, and both were prepared for rainy days, but it will take some time to recover from this.
“Just by way of example our Director of Finance, Val Mertesdorf, said for our Child Nutrition budget, we had worked really hard, and she anticipates it’s going to take us four years to get back to where we had been to have that kind of financial stability. So, both programs are incredibly well managed, but still just really bearing the brunt of the pandemic.”
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Dr. Matt Hillmann can be heard here
Northfield Police Department to hire a new officer
The Northfield Police Department is currently in the process of hiring a new police officer. 
Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott said the department had 24 applicants for one opening. Of those applicants, 20 were given initial interviews. From that pool, Elliott said they are now down to nine candidates.
Those remaining, he said, will go through a detailed background check. The candidates are also put through both psychological and physical evaluations, as well as more interviews. After that the position will be offered to the person deemed the best candidate. However, Elliott said, for that person, that is just when the process begins.
“We’ll get them in the door and put them through our field training process, which lasts about six months. And then they’ll spend another six months under very close supervision of our supervisors while they are working alone. And then after about a year they finish that probationary period, and during that entire time we do an evaluation, and bring them on as a permanent member [of the police force] after that one year probationary period.”
Chief Elliott hopes to have someone in place sometime in June.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Police Chief Mark Elliott can be heard here
