Outgoing Sheriff Troy Dunn said last week that the number of traffic fatalities in Rice County has increased to four for the year, after the
driver of a car died from injuries incurred when her vehicle crashed into the Warsaw Township Town Hall.
Driving safety has been a constant theme brought up by local law enforcement since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. When fewer drivers were on the road, speeds increased dramatically. But even as traffic levels have increased over the year, those speeds have not come down, nor have incidences of inattentive driving and impaired driving.
According to the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety, through October, 411 people have died on Minnesota roads in 2021, which is the highest number in 14 years. Of those, 132 people died in speed related crashes, 104 died in alcohol related crashes, and 19 people died in distracted driving related crashes. In October alone, 46 people were killed on Minnesota roads, compared with 28 in October of 2020.
Sheriff Dunn, who will retire this week, has said the most difficult part of his job has been to inform families of those who have been killed in a traffic accident that they have lost someone. And he has expressed frustration over the fact that nearly every fatality he has had to deal with was preventable. Dunn has constantly asked that people watch their speed, pay attention to what they are doing when behind the wheel, and always wear a seatbelt.
The number of people killed in Rice County this year is down from 2020, but he said the message remains the same.
“That puts us at four for the year, and I hope that’s the last one for 2021. We don’t want to come even close to the ten that we had in 2020. Again, it’s a life safety issue, and we all need to do our part to make sure that we get everybody home safe.”
Sheriff Dunn’s final day on the job will be Friday.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn can be heard here
Pownell and Martig discuss use of TIF
Mayor Rhonda Pownell has taken steps to help the people of Northfield better understand Tax Increment Financing, or TIF. The program, used by cities across the country to aid in housing development, among other things, is governed by several state statutes that make understanding the process, the purpose, and even what it is, difficult.
In her monthly column posted to the city website last week, Pownell said the City of Northfield has used TIF to help finance the construction of affordable housing in four developments, Maple Brook, Presidential Commons, Spring Creek l and Spring Creek ll, and last week the council voted to establish a TIF district for the proposed 100-unit apartment building that is part of the Kraewood project.
The city uses what is known as a “Pay as You Go” model for tax increment financing. In that model, the developer pays all of the upfront costs on a project. Over time, the value of that development will increase, as will the amount of property taxes that are paid on the development. Tax Increment Financing captures the increase in property taxes and pays an established amount of money back to the developer over an agreed upon amount of time, typically 25 years.
In her column, the mayor said the city uses a public finance advisor to verify that the proposed project would not be able to move forward without the requested tax increment. Once the development is complete, the city will again examine the process to ensure that only the amount of increment needed to make the project financially feasible has been agreed to. Finally, an annual test is done to verify that rental income requirements are being met.
City Administrator Ben Martig said that when the state established Tax increment Financing, there was concern that the mechanism could be abused. They have made the rules for TIF very complicated, and that is by design.
“It’s pretty complex language. I would say it’s one of the most complex issues related to the regulation of property taxes… And it’s really kind of intentional as the state has placed a lot of restrictions around the use of this tool and I think the result is you end up with a lot of technicalities on the back side.”
The mayor said affordable housing, and housing in general, is a top priority of the city right now, and they will be using whatever means are available to attract more housing development in Northfield.
Council will meet tonight in closed and open sessions
And the Northfield City Council will convene for a work session tonight in the City Council Chambers at City Hall, after first meeting in
closed session to discuss ongoing labor negotiations.
The first item on the agenda will be consideration of the MnDOT property at the Intersection of Woodley Street and Highway 3. MnDOT will vacate the property in the next two years and has given the city first right of refusal to buy the property. There will also be a discussion of neighborhood flooding issues as the city continues with its flood study, an update on the Northfield Park & Recreation Capital Investment Plan, and an update on the Carbon Reduction Fund for 2022.
The final item on the agenda will be a review of the final budget items, grants, and Capital Improvement Plan as the council prepares to present the final 2022 budget for public hearing and final vote on December 7th.
As in all matters, the city and the council would like to hear from the general public on any of these items or anything else of public interest. Those who do not wish to address the council at a meeting can email their councilor through the Council page on the city website, or a comment may be made via the eComment button in the “Agendas” section of the city website.
The open portion of tonight’s meeting will begin at 6pm.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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