by Rich Larson
As city budgeting discussions approach in the next month, the city council and city staff are now evaluating their own 
departments and priorities in order to facilitate the best use of the city funds. With a brand-new strategic plan in place, the city leadership is taking steps to ensure that the coming budget reflects the values and the preferences laid out in that plan.
May Rhonda Pownell said making sure the budget and the strategic plan line up together is very important.
“So now is this opportunity that we have as staff and as a council to really make sure that our strategic plan is a part of the budget development process. They shouldn’t be separate; they should be very closely aligned. Our budget should be helping us to move those initiatives forward.”
To that end City Administrator Ben Martig took some time during the city council meeting on Tuesday night to highlight some areas within those initiatives that should come under consideration during the budget talks.
For example, under the heading of Economic Vitality, Martig said attention should be paid to growth areas and areas of potential redevelopment. Under Quality Facilities topics the ice arena and the Community Resource Center, and within that, Fifty North were brought up as potential topics of discussion. Within the Climate Resiliency section, Martig said there are potential opportunities for onsite solar power, for public buildings. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives could include further training for city employees or offering further funding and support to the Emerging Leaders program.
Mayor Pownell said the previous strategic plan had 37 different initiatives. The new plan has many more than that, so it is important that these ideas be top-of-mind in the negotiations.
The first major 2022 Budget planning event is scheduled for the council’s work session meeting on Augst 10th.
Elliott credits public vigilance in apprehension of homicide suspects
Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott said last week that among the reasons authorities have four suspects in custody in connection to the Greenvale Township homicide investigation, is because the various law enforcement jurisdictions work so well together, and because members of the public were observant and did not hesitate to report something they thought was wrong.
Elliott said two neighbors of the victim, Chris LaFontaine, were instrumental in apprehending the suspects. One neighbor took the time to check on LaFontaine when he had not seen him as he usually did. When that neighbor knocked on the door to his house, two of the suspects ran out of the house and off of the property. That man called another neighbor, who then saw the same two suspects run out of a ditch and into a waiting SUV that he believed belonged to LaFontaine. He called 911 to report what he had seen, and Chief Elliott said that was the single best thing he could have done.
“He called 911 right away. He knew it was suspicious. ‘This isn’t right. These guys don’t live there. I know my neighbor. There’s something wrong.’ And he didn’t wait, he didn’t call two other people and say ‘Hey, what should I do?’ He called right away. And that was instrumental in this. Because that call went to the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, and that information, of course, got passed on to us right away.”
The suspects were quickly found by Northfield Police. Two of the three people in the car were apprehended right away. And because witnesses were able to give a good description of the third suspect, he and another person wanted in connection with the case were caught a week later in Montana.
Chief Elliott said they were able to put the city on alert, because of the Everbridge Community Notification System. All who had registered to receive 911 notifications on their phones were alerted that a suspect was at large, along with his description and a warning to not approach him but to call 911 if he was spotted. Elliott said the Everbridge System is becoming a valuable tool to notify or warn the community of not just serious crimes, but of weather emergencies like blizzards and tornados as well.
Those wishing to register for community alerts can do so by clicking here
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott can be heard here
Tour de Save set for July 31
Registration is now open for the 2021 Tour de Save. The annual event to promote suicide prevention education and awareness 
is now in its 18th year. Organizers expect up to 250 participants this year, taking part in five different routes ranging from a family friendly 7 mile track to a 55 mile gravel ride.
The event supports Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, or SAVE, which an organization that seeks to increase public awareness of suicide and reduce the stigma associated it. They offer programs for those impacted by suicide and to educate the community about how to help prevent suicide.
Dr. Dan Reidenberg is the executive director of SAVE. He said while the number of actual suicides dropped slightly in 2020, the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic have made the work of the organization more important than ever. He said mental health challenges have increased, and suicide numbers are back up in 2021.
Locally, the Tour de Save began as an opportunity to honor a member of the Northfield cycling club who died of suicide. Over the years, the event has grown from a small group of friends to a community event open to anyone impacted by suicide or someone who wants to learn more about ways to help.
The event is run this year by Jeff and Nancy Christenson who lost a son to suicide in 2016. Jeff said the people who ride in the event have become a community for those who need a little help.
“It is a community of people on this ride. This isn’t a journey that anybody aspires to take. Losing a loved one to suicide is very sad. But it helps to have other people on that journey with you.”
The Tour de Save will be Saturday, July 31 beginning at 9am. Early registration is $35 per person or $75 per family. Day of Registration is $45 per person and $100 per family. For more information on both the SAVE organization and the Tour de Save, visit save.org.
