As the city’s various departments begin to conclude their budgeting processes for 2023 in order to submit them to the City Council, the
Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Service has made it very clear that their budget will increase dramatically, possibly by as much as $400,000 if the decision is made to hire a fulltime fire chief. That sort of increase would be problematic for the Rural Fire District.
NAFRS is comprised of three governing bodies: the City of Northfield, the City of Dundas, and the Rural Fire District. Within Rural Fire are seven townships, three located in Dakota County and four in Rice County. While the City of Northfield and the City of Dundas will be able to absorb the increase by adding it into their tax levies, the Townships do not have that luxury.
State law mandates that townships set their tax levies for the following year at their annual meetings in March. With those levies, then, having been set nearly five months ago, it is not possible to make the necessary changes to absorb a 50% increase in in the budget for fire protection.
Glen Castore, the treasurer of the NAFRS board, and a longtime member of the Bridgewater Township board said the Rural Fire District does its best to anticipate for NAFRS budget increases before submitting numbers to each of the township boards, and because of that, there is some money set aside, but most likely not enough to cover the full increase.
The situation is one of the reasons, in fact that Rural Fire is making the establishment of a NAFRS taxing district a priority. If a new taxing district is established, then the organization will be able to set its own property tax levy and pass that along directly to the citizens of the area, instead of making the collection incumbent upon local municipal governments.
NAFRS Interim Chief Tom Nelson said the taxing district will not change the department’s ability to fight fires, but it will make budgeting much easier for key members of the area.
“I think of all these things as real ‘Back of House’ [moves.] It’s not going to change the operation in the ‘Front of House.’ It will make it easier for some of these things, especially out in the townships, because they don’t have the same luxuries that some of the municipalities do of being able to change levies and move things around, because their tax bases aren’t as big.”
Nelson said the Taxing District Committee will meet again in August, and it will make a full recommendation to the full board by the end of the year.
Age Friendly Northfield updates Resource Guide
Age Friendly Northfield is promoting its Resource Guide for older adults. 
The 30-page guide can be viewed as one document or in sections online and is available in a print version. The guide includes resources for key aspects of the lives of older adults including home modifications, health and wellness, transportation, and civic and social engagement opportunities
The guide is regularly updated and is just one of the ways Age Friendly Northfield has worked to support residents through the process of aging since the organization’s founding in 2016. Age Friendly Northfield is part of the World Health Organization and AARP network of Age-Friendly Communities. The group collaborates with many local organizations like FiftyNorth, Northfield Retirement Community, Three Links, and the City of Northfield.
According to the Age Friendly Northfield website, the goal is that Northfield “residents are better able to remain in their own home or community even though there may be significant changes in their physical and economic health.”
For Jeri Neumann of Age Friendly Northfield, the work of the organization consolidates and continues work that has been done for a long time to make Northfield an inclusive community for older residents.
“As part of becoming an age-friendly city, we already have a lot of strengths in the community for older adults, but we have action items to be taken to ensure that the growing number of older adults have the housing, transportation, communication, and services and other resources needed to live engaged and independent lives.”
The Resource Guide is a compiled list that can assist residents in accessing all kinds of services in the community.
Neumann reminded residents that Age Friendly Northfield does not endorse the resources in the guide. Instead, the group has simply compiled the resources in a user-friendly way to help readers make educated decisions about their own homes, health, and lives.
The online version of the guide can be accessed at agefriendlynorthfield.com under “Northfield Resources.”
To volunteer with Age Friendly Northfield or access a printed version of the Resource Guide, email agefriendlynorthfield@gmail.com or call 507-664-3709.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Jeri Neumann of Age Friendly Northfield can be heard here
Night to Unite can bring ‘positive effects’ to a neighborhood
And Northfielders will celebrate the Night to Unite tomorrow night, with neighborhood block parties throughout the city. 
The Night to Unite is an annual event held on the first Tuesday of August across the country that is meant to build community and promote safety in Northfield. A statement issued by the city said, “When families know one another and communicate frequently, it can have a positive effect on the whole community.” The event is also meant to build positive connections between residents and law enforcement.
Police Chief Mark Elliot said Night to Unite is an excellent way to get to know the people in your neighborhood. A strong proponent of crime prevention programs, Elliott said when neighbors and members of a community know each other, it can make the job of the police department that much easier.
“We all know that a number on deterrent of crime is loss of anonymity. So, if you know those folks that are your neighbors, if you know their regular patterns and who belongs there, it’s really easy to spot someone that doesn’t.”
Parties can receive a visit from representatives from the Northfield police department, the fire department, emergency medical services, the mayor, or city staff.
For information about gatherings in your neighborhood and throughout the City of Northfield, call the Northfield Police Department at 507-645-4477.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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