During their work session on Tuesday night, the Northfield City Council finalized the recommendation it will make for the 2023-24 municipal
The council heard presentations from some city department heads, including Community Development Director Jake Reilly and Police Chief Mark Elliott about some of the needs they have in their departments, as well as an overall review of the Capital Improvement and Equipment Plans from City Engineer Dave Bennett. In the past few weeks, the council has heard presentations on the Parks Capital Improvement Plan and the Infrastructure plans for the next year as well.
Through it all, the city, and in particular Mayor Rhonda Pownell and City Administrator Ben Martig, have taken measures to communicate the needs of the city to the residents of Northfield showing why the city’s tax levy will increase by 18.5% next year.
There are several reasons factoring into the increase. Inflation has hovered around 8.5% this year, which has led to across-the-board cost increases. Those increases are being felt perhaps most acutely in infrastructure costs on projects that cannot be delayed. Labor costs have become a larger concern within the city even before inflation hit. Martig said when he was hired in 2016, Northfield’s pay scale for public employees was far behind that of comparable cities, and he has worked very hard to bring Northfield to the middle-of the-pack in order to recruit and retain good quality employees.
“Wages and benefits have been impacting us for the past few years. We’re in the middle of our peer comparable group for recruiting and retaining people. But we weren’t there [a few years ago]. Probably 2017 was our first pay plan that we did, and it’s had dramatic impacts to our cost. But we’re fewer people leave and [less] turnover that’s happening all the time. We’re also able to recruit people again in the middle. And we’re also having studies done to stay on top of things, so that down the road we aren’t going to have these big jumps like we used to have.”
Martig said, the city has been understaffed for the better part of a decade. Adding seven knew employees at the beginning of 2022, he said, brought staff levels back up to where they were in the early 2000’s. The city is still dealing with labor demands, particularly in the police department which was fully staffed this summer for the first time in Chief Mark Elliott’s tenure for exactly two weeks. Since then, two officers have left the department, and there are five retirements scheduled for 2024 requiring immediate staffing in order to maintain a seamless level of service.
“That’s being felt all over the country; it’s the time period that we’re in. Without the quality staff, we cannot grow our industrial tax base. We can’t increase our commercial [base], the industrial [base], or the residential developments that will help even the playing field on property taxes. It is really vital and important.”
A public hearing on the budget will be held at what is planned to be the final council meeting of the year on Tuesday, December 6th. Anyone wishing to address the council to voice their opinion on the issue will be welcome to do so at that time. Martig said he, the mayor, the members of the council, and city staff are all available to talk about the issue as well, and can all be contacted through the city website at northfieldmn.gov
Local law enforcement sharing public driving concerns
With the holiday season here, Rice County law enforcement officers will be working state grant funded additional shifts, in order to put a
focus on impaired and distracted drivers and keep them from causing harm to themselves or someone else.
A statement issued by Rice County said in the last five years, 49 people were killed on Minnesota roads in drunken driving-related crashes between Thanksgiving Eve and New Year’s Eve, the end of the enforcement campaign. A total of 620 alcohol-related traffic deaths have been recorded in the last five years, while 377 people suffered life-changing injuries due to drunken driving crashes.
Of the 143 fatalities or severe injuries in Rice County from 2017-21, 48 were alcohol-related, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. That’s an average of 10 per year, the 12th highest total in the state. Rice County is the 14th most populous county in Minnesota.
In addition to drunken driving, officers will be looking for drivers impaired by other substances, including over the counter and prescription drugs, and THC-infused edibles and drinks which are now legal in Minnesota. According to the statement, drugged driving incidents are on the rise in Minnesota, accounting for 6,941 incidents from 2012-16 compared with 15,747 from 2017-21, a 227% increase over a five-year period.
Meanwhile, Northfield Chief of Police mark Elliott, who has repeatedly expressed concerns over impaired driving said he’s also concerned about the return of winter and icy road conditions which can cause problems for the most sober of drivers.
Between Monday, November 14th and Thursday, November 17th, when the road conditions were particularly and rather unexpectedly icy, Elliott said Northfield saw more than ten weather related car crashes. Every year, he said, when the first winter weather arrives, Minnesotans need to be reminded of some basic driving wisdom:
“It’s better to be going slow and wish you were going fast,” he said, “than going fast and wish you were going slow.” He also suggested as if a favorite relative is in the car.
“You have to drive like your grandma’s sitting next to you, and she’s got a cup of coffee with her. Not a Tumbler with the lid on it, but we’re talking an old-fashioned cup of coffee filled to the brim. You don’t want that to spill on grandma’s lap. So, it’s got to be easy and smooth on the brake and easy and smooth on the gas and with your turning motions.”
Elliott said it’s important to understand road conditions, pay attention to the weather report, try to anticipate, or at least be mindful of possible ice on the roads, and to take the extra time needed to get to your destination.
“We all understand when someone is a couple minutes late for their meeting or appointment because the roads are bad,” he said. “Just take a couple extra minutes.”
Both Elliott also echoed the statement issued by Rice County, reminding all drivers and passengers to wear a seatbelt, which is always the best defense against both impaired and reckless driving.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Police Chief Mark Elliott can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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