The Northfield City Council will meet tonight in the Council Chambers in City Hall. 
This will be the first meeting of 2023, and the first order of business will be administering the oath of office to new City Councilors Kathleen Holmes and Davin Sokup.
Holmes takes the seat representing the First Ward, which was previously represented by Councilor Sean Allen. Allen was appointed to the position after longtime councilor Suzie Nakasian retired in July.
Sokup assumes the At-Large seat previously held by Councilor Clarice Grabau who chose not to run for re-election to the Council and instead ran for the State Senate. Sokup will become the first openly trans man to hold public office in Greater Minnesota.
Among other items on the agenda will be a public hearing for a new liquor license for the Contented Cow, which will soon be under new ownership. After the hearing, the Council will consider granting the license to the new owner.
The Council will also consider approval of the new Park and Recreation Capital Investment Plan, accepting the feasibility of the Authorizing Plans and Specifications for the 2023 Reclamation and Overlay Project, and the first reading of a new fire prevention and protection ordinance.
As always, the city and the council are asking to hear opinions and comments from the public. Anyone who wishes to do so is invited to come to the meeting and address the council on any topic they see fit. Those wishing to voice their opinions without addressing the council should email their councilors directly or post a comment through the eComment button on the “Agendas” section of the City Council website.
Tonight’s meeting will begin at 6:00.
County budget is up due to funding, Public Safety Center
The new year is underway, which means, of course, that the area taxing authorities are now working under new budgets,
all of which include increased tax levies.
Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha said the county budget for 2023 is $94 million. Of that $33.8 million comes from the 2023 property tax levy, an increase of 8.92%.
Most of the increase will go to repay bonds used to finance construction of a new Public Safety Center and to cover higher personnel costs, which commissioners agree is necessary to recruit, train and retain talented employees.
The County Board of Commissioners had hoped to avoid repaying the bonds with a property tax increase, but when the Minnesota Legislature adjourned in May without passing a bill allowing the county to offer voters an alternative, commissioners were left with no other option. Commissioner Malecha said the county will once again ask the legislature for the ability to offer the county voters a sales tax referendum in 2023.
Despite the levy increase, Rice County’s tax rate dropped for the third straight year. And property taxes remain among the lowest in the state.
Also included in the 2023 budget is more than $810,000 in funding for local nonprofits, including the Rice Soil and Water Conservation District, Rice County Historical Society and the three county libraries in Faribault, Lonsdale and Northfield. Each of the libraries, which continue to see increases in patronage, will receive $6,000 more in 2023 than in 2022.
Malecha said the budget is on the high side of where it can be this year, and that is because of funds received from the state and federal governments.
“Sometimes you see that $94 million go up or go down into the $80 million [range], and the reason for that is the inflow and outflow of grant funding. Federal aid dollars for highways, or state aid dollars for highway projects. So, the budget can go up or it can go down depending upon the funding you get from the state and federal government.”
By function, Roads and Bridges expenditures – at 24% — make up nearly one quarter of the 2023 budget. Human Services follows closely at 23% of the total budget. Public Safety is at 17%; General Government is at 14%.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Rice County Commissioner Galen Malecha can be heard here
City Hall now operating under new hours
Effective today, Northfield City Hall offices will operate under new hours of service. All City Hall offices will 
open at 7:30 a.m., extend hours until 6 p.m. each Tuesday, and close to the public on Friday afternoons.
The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), located on the first floor of City Hall, will follow the same schedule.
City Hall hours effective January 3:
Monday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
“These changes in hours of operation were determined by feedback from members of the public who participated in the DMV survey and on DMV focus groups conducted earlier this year,” said Ben Martig, city administrator. “This schedule will allow more varied hours for access to all city hall offices.”
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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