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When Wyoming City Council adopts its levy for the coming year it also adopts a resolution setting "departmental expenditures" for the year as well. The council voted last week 4-1 on the 2011 levy, and it split (3-2) on how city departments will be allowed to spend the funds in 2011.

Council members Linda Nanko-Yeager and Russell Goudge were the no votes on the departmental vote.

Goudge alone opposed the total 2011 levy.

Staff was directed by council weeks ago to draft a final local property tax levy the same as last year's total-- $3,250,000-- and that's what council acted on last week. Goudge declared that after reviewing draft budget numbers, which were gone over in a workshop format, the city "could easily" cut three percent from this total and "not harm the city."

Nanko-Yeager in opposing the department designations questioned adding a police officer, which Goudge also had concerns about. Nanko-Yeager said money needs to be directed into improving streets, and Goudge had concerns about "expansion" of the city's personnel roster in general.

Wyoming P.D. will have nine on its law enforcement roster if the officer is added in 2011.

Chief of Police Hoppe made a good case for the need to add an officer, said Council member Joe Zerwas. In the work session Hoppe had presented statistics on caseload, miles required to patrol, population-to-officer ratio and crime types.

Zerwas, Mayor Sheldon Anderson and Roger Elmore had no problems with the budget's departmental resolution.

In the public hearing on the budget two citizens, Steve Sicheneder and Sandy Standridge, spoke about the addition of an officer and the condition of the roadways. Sicheneder asked where the presentation was to explain the city budget, but nothing was forthcoming. There were budget handouts for meeting attendees.

Marine business notice

During the public comment portion at the beginning of the council session; the parents of a marine repair business owner asked why their son had been sent a notice of violation. Chris Lindgren said she wanted a certified letter from the city acknowledging the building inspector letter was sent in error.

City Attorney Mark Vierling said it was "no mistake." A council motion of November 3 "was clear" that there would be six boats maximum allowed on the property until the issue of a lack of business permit is addressed in early January.

Council member Zerwas, though, said he was voting on the motion thinking it referred to boats under repair, stored for customers. The Lindgren's personal boats were not intended as part of the action, Zerwas commented.

Vierling responded "...the (written) minutes don't reflect that."

November 3 Lindgren was given 60 days to continue to run his marine business off 250th; but he was ordered to reduce the number of boats "on the west side of the shop" to "no more than six" the minutes state. November 19 the building official inspected the property and observed nine boats.

The permit was tabled to the first council meeting in January 2011. Action was a 3-1 vote in November with Mayor Anderson absent and Elmore opposed.

Council member Roger Elmore made a motion at that early November meeting to deny outright an interim use permit for the marine business and there was no second.

In other matters: council approved a proposal from WSB Engineering to do a stormwater study. The product will be a Surface Water Management Plan and the city would need this as a step towards any stormwater fee adjustments or extending the fee to former township properties.

The police got the okay to donate 12 abandoned bicycles to the non-profit Youth Express Bike Shop in St. Paul; which will pick-up the bikes, repair them and sell them for a fundraiser for youth enrichment programs.

Liquor licenses for on and off-sale were approved by council for eight sites. Of these half failed one compliance check in 2010-- police compliance records show Rick's Liquor, Liquor Works, Cornerstone Pub and Stars & Strikes each failed to check the I.D. of an underage decoy customer in 2010.

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