by Rich Larson
The City of Northfield has announced a franchise fee refund program for those who have been assessed for street repairs and 
improvements in the last ten years.
At the end of last year, the City Council approved a new franchise fee program that replaced the assessment program. As of this past March, instead of being hit with a bill for $10,000 or more every twenty-years, Northfield residents are paying, on average, an extra $5.50 in their Xcel Energy bills every month. That money is returned to the city by Xcel Energy in quarterly installments and is then allocated to fund major road and infrastructure improvement projects.
The program the city has now put in place will not refund the money paid on assessments but will instead refund new franchise fees. Eligible properties will have an opportunity to apply and be refunded for all 12 months of the calendar year, with the exception of 2021, where properties will only be refunded from March through December.
Properties that have been identified as having a street assessment within the last 10 years, are eligible for the program. Letters and applications were mailed last week to those eligible. The city is asking that applicants submit one gas and one electric bill from Xcel Energy from between the months of March and December of this year, along with the refund application, by December 31st.
Refunds will be mailed in the first quarter of 2022. Each fall a letter will be sent to eligible property owners for the Franchise Fee Refund.
For more information, contact the city Engineering Department at 507-645-3020, or visit the Finance Page on the City Services section of the Northfield City Website.
Slow progress on Mill Towns Trail
Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha said he is pleased with the progress being made on the Mill Towns Trail project, but there are still some major hurdles to overcome before it becomes a reality.
Malecha, who is the current chair of the Mill Towns Trail Board said Dakota County is making progress on its portion of the trail. Last year the section connecting Cannon Falls around Lake Byllesby was finished, and they are making progress through the Randolph area as well. The County is also working with Waterford Township, providing some funding to re-deck the Waterford bridge, which will eventually be part of the trail.
And earlier this summer, the Northfield City Council approved the route the trail will take through the city from Highway 19 East through Riverside Lions Park and then into Dundas. The city hopes to have that section of the trail complete by 2025.
There are other areas, however, that still need to even begin development.
“So, there’s a three mile stretch from County Road 9 into the City of Faribault, that we have yet to designate a route and approach property owners. That’s just the purchasing of the property. Then it goes into doing the actual trail and getting the funding to do the trail work and lay down the asphalt for the trail.”
Funding is, of course the major hurdle to completing the trail. Northfield has a request into the bonding bill at the legislature next year, but state funding has been difficult to come by for much of the development which is why the trail is in, as Malecha put it, step-by-step development.
When finished, the Mill Towns Trail will connect the Sakatah Singing Hills Trail to Cannon Falls, providing bicyclists with a route that will stretch from Red WIng to Mankato.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Commissioner Galen Malech can be heard here.
Dog Swim at Old Memorial Pool
And with summer winding down, the Old Memorial Pool is getting ready to close for the year, but not without one last bit of fun
for the whole family, including your dog.
Today and tomorrow from 5-7pm, the pool will be open to dogs who want to enjoy the pool and go for a swim. Dogs can chase a ball thrown in the pool, swim around, and even dive off the diving board. The large pool as well as the smaller wading pool will both be open for the dogs to enjoy.
The cost is $5 per dog, and the city is asking that there be no more than 2 dogs per person. All dogs must be up to date on vaccinations and friendly towards other dogs and people. Any dog who is acting non-friendly will be asked to leave.
As the chemicals have been removed from the swimming pool, humans will not be allowed to swim with their dogs. The parks department also asks that everyone clean up after their dog, as well.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
