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The North Branch City Council session last week included a presentation on the Lakes Center 4 Youth & Families submitting a funding request in advance of the city budgeting process for 2024.  

Linda Madsen and Chisago County Sheriff Brandon Thyen spoke about the counseling, intervention and enrichment programming that Lakes Center is providing to Chisago County.  Council heard there were 40-plus people with a North Branch area address involved last year, who came through the center either on their own or were referred by county departments.  

North Branch Council members expressed support for the efforts.  Lakes Center assists youth and family participants ordered there through court mandates or those who are personally in need of counseling or maybe have acted out in a school setting and need decision-making direction and options.

North Branch did not send financial support to the organization for 2023. Staff was going to look back in the records and see what the level of support has been previously.  There was no vote on the issue last week.

Public Works Director Shawn Williams showed the street paving bids to council for this coming season and recommended North Valley Inc. at low bid of $966, 020.  Williams mentioned even with the energy franchise fee revenues of $350,000 and local levy support the streets are about one million dollars short as far as what is needing attention. North Branch cares for 110 miles of “street” and the state aid account allotted by the legislature for streets that meet the “state aid” stipulations covers 28 miles.

~ A city Teamsters union representative used public comment to express concerns he says staff have conveyed to him. Eric Skoog said he has tried to set up a meeting with council which he says suffers from “apathy”  and he “doesn’t get a response.” 

The discontent is related to a workplace investigation that is well underway;  but Skoog says staff members are questioning why ALL employees are not being connected with.

Mayor Schieber said he would reach out to Skoog and set up a meeting and have the city attorney advise the union of the investigation’s progress. 

~ A property taxation question came from the owner of a home next to the skating rink, who believes flooding of the rink is causing water infiltration issues and lowering the value of his home.  Lights at the rink were another complaint. He also asked when the Central Business District territory, with Grand Avenue being the east border, was established and said he and his neighbors did not get the required notice.

The mayor and staff will try to meet with him and respond.

Special property valuation Appeal & Equalization session

The city council also met as a whole April 20 for the appeal and equalization session, which is where citizens begin their appeal of valuation for taxes payable in the next year.  The valuation need to be questioned either by contacting the assessor’s office for an administrative review, or by bringing the case to the local body.   

The valuations discussed were set as of January 2023.

Assessor Daryl Moeller explained the valuations rely on real estate transactional data from October 2021 to September 2022.

North Branch saw 179 sales in 2022 in the city limits.  New home starts in 2022 totalled 59.  (In 2021 there were 101, in 2020 115 and in 2019 the city had 47 starts.)

Of North Branch’s estimated $36 million in overall valuation the residential portion accounts for $21 million, the council learned. (See pie chart for each township and city slice of valuations.)

Anybody still unsatisfied with action at their local Board— can bring their valuation to the County Board but only if they have stated their case to local officials. The County Board of Appeal & Equalization meeting is June 13.  

You must have a slot reserved for this by May 24.  Call the county assessor to get on the county meeting agenda. 

In North Branch, the Holiday Station Stores submitted multiple written adjustment requests;   four parcel owners sent letters; one inherited property is in the midst of assessor inspection already; Council member Schaps submitted a parcel for a valuation change, and an ag land owner asked for values on three farming parcels to be reduced.

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