Two of the suspects involved in the July death of Greenvale Township resident Chris Lafontaine have pled guilty to their roles in the case.
The Dakota County Attorney’s office announced yesterday afternoon that 36-year-old Timothy Tuitt of South St. Paul, and 25-year-old Stephanie Peabody of Welch both pled guilty to one count of Aiding an Offender as an Accomplice After the Fact.
On July 2nd, Tuitt and Peabody were apprehended after being stopped in a vehicle belonging to Lafontaine and fleeing from authorities. Another occupant, 29-year-old Nicholas Alan Taylor, evaded capture but was later taken into custody in Montana, along with 22-year-old Elizabeth Smith of White Bear Lake.
Lafontaine’s body was found the same day in his home with hands and feet bound together and gagged with a cable holding a rag and a glove in place to cover his mouth. A Hennepin County Medical Examiner determined that LaFontaine had been beaten but died of asphyxiation.
Taylor has been charged with one count each of Murder in the Second Degree While Committing a Felony, and Burglary in the First Degree. Smith has been charged with one count of Murder in the Second Degree While Committing a Felony. Smith is scheduled to stand trial on January 10th. Taylor’s trial will begin on April 25th.
Malecha says county levy will most likely stand at 4.84%
Rice County will hold a Truth in Taxation hearing tonight at the County Government Center in Faribault. As the county sets the budget and tax levy for 2022, a public hearing s required by state law to go through the budgeting process and allow the public to ask questions and register their opinions.
County Commissioner Galen Malecha said the Board of Commissioners has set the preliminary levy at 4.84%, and he expects that number to stay in place after the hearing. The levy is slightly lower than in years past for several reasons. First and foremost, he said, it is the opinion of the Board of Commissioners that raising taxes in a time when people are struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other issues is not a good idea. Moreover, he said, the county is in relatively good financial condition at the moment.
“During the pandemic we did not have to do any layoffs and we didn’t cut [anyone’s] pay. Things were good, because people paid their taxes. So, we were very good. There were a lot of counties that had people behind on their taxes, so we were fortunate here in Rice County that people were able to pay their taxes.”
Malecha said there have been some slight increases to the budget. The SNAP Food Assistance program had to be increased this year, based on an increased need due to the pandemic and new federal guidelines put in place prior to the pandemic that made more people eligible for the program.
Another reason the tax levy has not increased is due to the valuation of homes, which is up across the country, including in Rice County. Malecha said there will be staff members from the county assessor’s office on hand to address questions anyone may have.
Tonight’s Truth in Taxation hearing will begin at 6:00.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha can be heard here
Martig and Pownell say Commercial Industrial growth is key to city economic strategy
With the City of Northfield looking at a double-digit property tax increase, City Administrator Ben Martig and Mayor Rhonda Pownell said
there is a drastic need to increase the local Commercial Industrial tax base.
According to Martig, Northfield lags far behind many other comparable cities in the commercial industrial sector. In fact, he said, the city is $93.1 million below the average commercial industrial tax base, which puts the city at just 23% of where it should be compared to its peer group.
A commercial tax base that low, then, shifts the burden of financing the inner workings of the city to the residential market. Martig said the proposed budget for 2022 is $11.8 million dollars, which is on the low end of peer city comparisons. However, the tax rate is on the high side, because the residential base is so much stronger than the commercial. Commercial Industrial tax rates can be double the residential rate, and so it is becoming vital that Northfield expand its commercial industrial base.
To that end, the Community Development Department has proposed the creation of a new position that would focus on growing the city’s tax base. Martig said there is a need for a person who can both work as a liaison with the commercial businesses that already exist in Northfield to help them in their growth and expansion efforts, and also recruit new business to the Northfield area. Martig said there are plans in place to create that larger base, it’s just a matter of hiring the people to implement them.
“The city has a lot of strategies. In fact, a few years back, we did an Economic Development Strategy Study, and there are a lot of great ideas in there. But we just don’t have the time, with the staff that we have, to do some of those things. This will really free some of that time up.”
He also reiterated his strong belief that Northfield is a well-positioned community for economic growth. With the city’s proximity to both the Twin Cities Metro Area and I-35, along with two “world class colleges,” and a well-educated, highly skilled work force, Northfield, he said, has great potential for commercial growth.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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