---

Two fun things were on the Wyoming City Council agenda last week for action. Council had an easy time of supporting the mayor for a day essay contest and the dog park naming competition.

The temporary mayor honor is for youth in grades 4, 5 and 6.  The League of Minnesota Cities has a statewide mayor for a day competition populated by local winners’ entries which Wyoming is also investigating joining in on, and forwarding the three local winners as contestants.  This was still being decided. There will be local prizes.

The Wyoming finalists will be named in December sometime. All the mayor for a day details are on the city website.

The dog park contest has a more compressed timeframe. Names for the park need to be submitted to the city by September 20, next Friday.  

The city staff will have a booth at Stagecoach Days this weekend and you can learn more there, or see the website for how to enter.

The council heard judges  will review all names submitted and they will pick approximately 10 finalists and the best name will be chosen through a “community poll.”

The dog park is at the old township ballfield next to the police/public works facility, on Wyoming Trail.  The parcel has space to park vehicles, is level and free of vegetation, and has been fenced for your canine friends to run, play and socialize.  

The major decision for council was adopting on a 4-1 vote a maximum levy and 2025 budget.  (Council member Linda Nanko Yeager voted no.) This is now the basis for the property tax estimated statements mailed out this fall. 

The amount can be adjusted or decreased, and  becomes final in December. Wyoming citizens can comment at the public hearing December 3 at city hall.

Highlights include a new line item of $100,000 establishing an account to begin paying down 2024 road project debt.  This is somewhat off-set by the city’s older debt service obligation dropping from $317,000 annually to $233,000 in 2025.  In general terms the budget is up $469,000 or 8.6 percent.  

Council heard this mostly is attributed to wages, insurance and benefits, costs of tires, vehicles and numerous unavoidable expenses.  

Wyoming last did a survey on salary and compensation packages five years ago and City Administrator Robb Linwood said it’s time again to do a study of 11 non-union city positions.  Council voted 5-0 to contract with David Drown and Assoc. for $3,310 to do the analysis. 

In presenting the materials for next year’s tax levy council was reminded just how complicated the property tax formula is.  State aid is up in some categories and down in others. The city tax capacity based on its overall valuation of all tax generating parcels is down but additional developed properties will be contributing.

Staff reported the impact from this maximum levy adopted,  affecting a residential parcel with no change in its market valuation, is expected to be minimal. A $200,000 home will pay $24 more in city tax, and a $300,000 home can expect $61 more.  A half-million dollar COMMERCIAL property will see a $318 annual jump.

The council accepted the resignation of building inspector Garrett Heins and is advertising for his successor.  

The city’s zoning official Fred Weck was also given the green light to contract with the City of Ramsey for temporarily providing septic system inspections as his schedule allows.

---