Last week during the City Council work session, Tom Olinger, a partner with the city’s accounting firm, ABDO, made a presentation on the
annual audit of Northfield’s finances. Once again as has been the case for the last ten years, he said the audit was “clean,” and that there are no discrepancies in the financial reporting.
The city’s general fund balance is in good shape sitting at 55-60% of next year’s budget. City Administrator Ben Martig pointed out that the city did spend more money than had been planned, but the amount of revenue the city brought in was significantly higher due to funds received through the federal American Rescue Plan and other Covid related relief programs.
Martig said the city’s water fund is in particularly good shape, which is conveniently good news because the city is planning on some of major expenditures in that area soon.
“We’re acquiring two pieces of property this year. One [will be the site] for a water tower on the Northwest side of town, and then a water plant location on the east side of town. And there’s also a pretty major water plant project that we’re looking at. So, we know that cash will be used up by some of the capital projects that we’re planning on.”
There are also sewer projects totaling about $8 million over the next five years, he said, which will also have to be accounted for.
Martig mentioned the city has begun the process of finding funding resources for the proposed new drinking water treatment plant, and there is hope that they could land a grant from the federal government that would pay as much as 75% of the projects $30 million price tag.
“That might be wishful thinking,” he said, “it would be on the high end, but it would certainly help, so we’re thinking positive.”
The audit showed that the city’s debt level is low compared to other cities of similar size, but, he said, that could speak to the need to reinvest in and renew much of the city’s infrastructure.
And, he said, the tax rates show Northfield to be higher than many comparable cities, but the total taxes paid per capita is lower. Martig said part of the higher tax rate is due to the low amount of revenue generated by the city’s Commercial/Industrial sector. He said the city has made it a goal to increase recruiting efforts in order to grow that tax base which would provide relief to individual taxpayers.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Cit Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
Anniversary celebration of Northfield Fire Department will offer something for young and old
Next month the Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Northfield Fire Department. 
The celebration will be held on July 23rd. NAFRS Firefighter Aramis Wells said the department will hold an open house at the Northfield Fire Station that afternoon from 4-7pm. There will be demonstrations of the way the firefighters do their work, opportunities for the public to see the fire engines and emergency vehicles up close. There will also be hands on opportunities for the kids, including, Wells said, a demonstration on how to put out a kitchen fire.
The Minnesota Fire Engine Club will be on hand on the 5th Street Bridge, and both the East and West Sides of the Cannon River. The group will bring a large collection of vintage and recently decommissioned fire engines to Northfield, as they have in past years. The members of the club held their Pumpers in the Park event in 2019 on Bridge Square, with the intent of making it an annual event. With the interruption of the Covid-19 pandemic it was canceled in 2020 but was revived again last year to great enthusiasm.
Len Schrader, a member of the club’s board of directors who lives in Farmington, said the club will display the power of the trucks with a water stream display. Schrader said they will pull 2500 gallons of water per minute out of the Cannon River and into the air. After sunset, he said, LED lights are used to create what he said looks like a prolonged fireworks show.
Events like this, said Schrader, are important to the Fire Engine Club for several reasons. The group’s mission is to make contact with the public and educate people about the history of firefighting. And, he said, they have larger goals as well if the public would like to make a contribution.
“You can email us. You can join us. Above all you can donate to help support our cause. We’re preserving history. Someday we would actually like to have a museum where people could stop by and see some of the neat, neat fire apparatus that we have.”
Wells said the celebration will wrap up with a free dance at the Grand Event Center, featuring the band Roadhouse 6. For more information on the event visit the Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service Facebook page, or nafrs.org. For more information on the Minnesota Fire Engine Club visit mnfec.com.
Summer holiday plans and announcements
The City of Northfield has announced plans for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday. 
The Northfield fireworks display will be held on Monday, July 4 starting at 10 p.m. at Northfield Middle School. Suggested viewing areas near the fireworks display include Northfield Middle School parking lot and south fields, Tyler Park, and the fields north of Jefferson Parkway. The city is asking those going to or watching the fireworks to please not block roads, streets, sidewalks, trails or driveways.
Northfield Liquor Store will be open July 4 from 11am to 6pm. Northfield city offices, including the Northfield Public Library, will be closed on July 4.
The Northfield public swimming pool will be open for regular hours on July 3, 4, and 5 from 12pm to 8 pm.
Northfield city offices will be open today, despite the federal observance of the Juneteenth holiday. A statement issued by the city on Friday said, because the State of Minnesota has not yet recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday, city offices are not required to be closed. It also said they are aware that other cities are closing today, voluntarily.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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