Two weeks ago, reflecting what has become a national problem, the catalytic converter was stolen from the car of a KYMN employee while they
were working in our office. The converter was one of three that were reported stolen that morning in the general area.
Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott said his department has seen an increase in thefts from cars just since the first of the year. So far this year, there have been eleven reported thefts, six of them catalytic converters. In 2022, Northfield saw, on average, 2.8 thefts from a vehicle each month. Early in 2023, the city is on pace to average 8 per month.
Chief Elliott said law enforcement has a good idea why the stealing of catalytic converters has become so popular. There are valuable materials inside of the devices, and people needing money to buy drugs can quickly cut them from a car to take what is inside and sell it.
Between July 1st, 2021, and June 30th, 2022, there were an estimated 43,000 catalytic converters stolen from vehicles across the country. And despite the recent announcement by the Justice Department that a major converter thief ring has been taken down, the problem still persists.
Chief Elliott said there are bills in the Minnesota house and Senate right now that would make the possession of a catalytic converter a crime, and he said that would make the apprehension of the local thieves much easier.
“We’ve stopped someone, and they have 3-4 catalytic converters in their car, but a lot of times we’re not able to determine where they came from. So, if we make the possession itself of them a crime, then that can help law enforcement officers and trying to stop some of that and having a reason to arrest and investigate further as to why that person has those catalytic converters.”
He said Rice County is also working on the problem from the other side. A $1 million grant from the Justice Department was recently awarded to the county to put a Police-Assisted Recovery and Deflection Program in place that will allow certain people the opportunity to get help for an addiction rather than go to jail. Elliott said the program should be up and running in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, he recommended people do some research on the types of cars that are most affected by converter theft, and to be thoughtful about where they are parking their cars.
Rich Larson’s full conversation with Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott can be heard here
City is optimistic about state bonding bill
During the current legislative session, the City of Northfield will once again ask the State of Minnesota to help build the section of the 
Mill Towns Trail that would run through Northfield. City Administrator Ben Martig said, in fact, getting funding for the project into a bonding bill is the city’s top legislative priority.
Martig said the city will ask for help from the next state bonding bill, whenever that happens. The project was in consideration for a potential bonding bill in 2022, however, the legislature adjourned before the bill was passed. This year the city is making a request that is very similar to the one that was submitted last year, adjusted for inflation.
The proposal is for an $11.7 million project that would build the six-and-a-half-mile section of the bicycle trail running from the Waterford Iron Bridge through Northfield, down Jefferson Parkway and connect with Dundas. The city would pay approximately $3.5 million, while the remaining $8.2 million would come from the state.
Martig said that there are plans for a pair of major road construction projects along Jefferson Parkway in the coming years, so it is important that the funding come through relatively soon.
The legislature, meanwhile, will be focused on passing a new budget for the next biennium during this session. However, with a projected $17.6 billion state budget surplus, and no bonding bill passed since 2020, Martig said it is possible something could be done during this session.
“We think that the state’s going do a new bonding bill. I know the governor came out with his proposal not long ago, and it was very similar to last session. We weren’t on the governor’s list, but we’re hoping to get in on the House and Senate bills. Whether or not a bonding bill happens this year is still unknown, but they’ve delayed it for a number of years, so I think the state is due to issue debt to take care of their facilities and some other things, and we’re hoping to get a small piece of that.”
Martig said while the Mill Towns Trail funding is their top agenda item in the legislature, there are other priorities as well. Proposed changes to the Local Government Aid formula could bring an extra $1 million to the city and provide some property tax relief, and the city is also supporting a bill that would address mental health assistance for police officers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with City Administrator Ben Martig can be heard here
City, Dakota County, Community River Partners will help with rain gardens
The City of Northfield and Clean River Partners are collaborating again this year on a seminar that will teach people about the benefits of
rain gardens and how to install them in their yards.
Participants will learn what rain gardens can do for the aesthetics of their homes and how they are good for the environment in general.
“Rain gardens, with their deep-rooted native plants beautify your lawn while also capturing and cleaning stormwater before it enters our rivers and lakes,” said Clean River Partners Community Engagement Coordinator Kevin Strauss.
Those who attend the seminar will learn where the best place is in their yard to plant a rain garden, and how to choose the right plants. In fact, attendees are encouraged to digital or print photos of their property. Leaders of the class will help the attendees to determine where the best place to plant a rain garden would be.
Moreover, said Strauss, both the City of Northfield and the Dakota County SWCD have programs that will reimburse homeowners for part of the cost of installing a rain garden.
“Plant a garden,” he said, “the city and the county will pay for them.”
The class will be March 16th, from 6-9pm at the Northfield Area Education Center. It is free to attend and is sponsored by the City of Northfield.
For all registration information, visit the Northfield Public Schools website
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
[recent_post_carousel slides_to_show=”1″ limit=”5″ slides_to_scroll=”1″ category=”10″ media_size=”medium” dots=”false” show_read_more=”false”]
