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Home My WebLink About4rd Q 10 City of Oak Park Heights Tree City USA Fourth Quarter 2010 Newsletter Inside this issue: City Hall Open House and Dedication—October 9 The City Council for the City of Oak Park Heights will be hosting an Open Pet Owner 2 House and dedication ceremony at the new City Hall facility. Mark your cal- Reminders Saturday, October 9 at 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. endar for This event will provide an opportunity for residents to view the administration, finance, pub- Garbage/Recycling 2 lic works, and storage areas of the new City Hall facility. Light refreshments Information will be provided. If you have any questions about the event or about City Hall, please contact City Administrator Eric Johnson at 651-439-4439, or by e-mail at eajohnson@cityofoakparkheights.com. Oak Park Heights 3 Energy Fair Recap 2011 Budget Parking Pad 3 The City is presently working on the 2011 City Budget and the related tax levy. The Reminders State of Minnesota continues to reduce the aid that the City has received and relied upon in the past. The 2011 Budget reflects a reduction of $103,000 of Utility Transi- Yellow Ribbon 4 tion Aid and an anticipated loss of $92,000 in Market Value Homestead Credit reim- City Award bursements. Due to loss in state revenue and the constant concern to keep property tax increases at a minimum, the City has proposed budgeted expenditures for 2011 with a one-quarter percent increase as compared to the 2010 budget. This will allow Yard Waste 4 the City to continue to provide services as expected by City residents. Collection Info The preliminary tax levy proposed reflects an increase in levy of 5.6 percent over the Utility Bill 4 2010 tax levy; which results in a net tax increase of less than one percent. This results Due Date in an approximate increase of $2.00 per year on a residential home with a market val- ue of $100,000 or a $5.00 per year increase on a residential home with a $250,000 Arborist 5 market value. These amounts are estimated based on the preliminary tax capacity val- News ues given to the City by Washington County. Final values may change these estimates. State law restricts the city from raising the tax levy amount higher than the preliminary Parks Commission 6 tax levy amount that is used in the Truth-In-Taxation notices. The City will continue Vacancy reviewing and working on the budget as more information is received from the State and Washington County. Notes from 7 Public Works The 2011 budget and tax levy will be discussed at the Truth-In-Taxation public meet- ing, held on December 14, 2010, 7:00 p.m. , at City Hall, 14168 Oak Park Heights Blvd N. The Proposed 2011 City Budget and Summary is available on line at Winter Parking 8 Reminder www.cityofoakparkheights.com or at the Oak Park Heights City Hall. If you have any questions about the budget or the process, please contact the City Administrator, Eric Johnson at 651-439-4439. Page 2 Fourth Quarter 2010 Newsletter Attention Pet Owners Leash Law Reminder The City of Oak Park Heights has a leash law in effect that prohibits pets from running at large. Any dog or cat that is off the premises of the owner and not under the physical control (by leash or by voice) of the owner or another designated person is in violation of this Ordinance. When you are out walking your pet, please remember to bring a plastic bag. Pet owners are re- quired by City Ordinance to clean up pet waste on public and private property. Removal and proper disposal of pet waste helps keep our City clean and healthy. Pet Licenses All dogs and cats in the City for more than 30 days are required to have a City Pet License. There is no charge for this service and it could save your pet from a trip to the animal shelter. Bring proof of your pet’s rabies vaccination to City Hall to receive a pet license and tag. For more infor- mation, please call City Hall at 651-439-4439. City Ordinances can be viewed on the City’s web- site: www.cityofoakparkheights.com. What’s included in trash pickup? In addition to the typical garbage and recycling pickup, the City also covers the disposal of yard waste, large household items, and ‘white- goods’ such as televisions, refrigerators, couches, chairs, desks, water- heaters, stoves, dishwashers, dryers, etc. for single family residences and complexes with four units or less in Oak Park Heights. In order to have these items picked up in a timely fashion, please contact Judy Tetzlaff at City Hall, 651-439-4439, at least two days prior to collection day so that the special truck may be dispatched to your home. If you receive a bill from Veolia for these additional services, please call the City Administrator at 651-439-4439 as most, if not all, of these items are covered under the City’s contract, and you should not be billed. Some items are not included in your monthly fee are extra bags of garbage not placed in your container. The City’s waste hauler, Veolia, will bill you $1.50 per bag. Some other items that are picked up for a fee are sinks, toilets and construction debris. You will be billed by Veolia at a regulated rate as monitored by the City. REMINDER!! Waste and Recyclable pick-up is every THURSDAY. However, if one of the six holidays—New Years Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas—falls on a weekday, collection may occur on FRIDAY of that week. Tree City USA Page 3 Oak Park Heights Energy Fair The ﬁrst ever Oak Park Heights Energy Fair went Please feel free to come to City Hall and receive rd oﬀ with a bang on August 3, 2010. Several your free CFL bulb today, while supplies last. If households were able to join us at the event and you bring in an incandescent light you will re- were able to go home with their free Compact ceive and additional CFL bulb. It is made possible Fluorescent Light bulb (CFL). Although we gave by the American Recovery and Reinvestment away over 350 energy eﬃcient CFL bulbs we Act and the Minnesota Oﬃce of Energy Security. have many cases left to distribute to residents. This promotion is only open to Residents of Oak Park Heights. A word on parking pads No Parking on the grass or yard ~ By City Ordinance cars, trucks, trailers, boats, snowmobiles, water-skis, four-wheelers, motor homes and other similar items shall be parked in your garage or other accessory building, upon your driveway or an approved parking pad. An approved Parking Pad shall be hard surfaced constructed of asphalt, concrete, cobblestone, paving block or crushed rock that meets minimum Class 5 material speci- fications and has at least a 4 inch deep base. Designated parking pads shall extend directly from the driveway, away from the house and may be located within the front, side or rear yard setback. Parking pads must be set back at least 5 feet from rear yard property lines. Parking Pad Parking Has Limitations ~ Your parking pad may be used for the placement of: No more than a total of two (2) recreational vehicles (boats, snowmobiles, etc.) or  pieces of equipment (trailers, etc.), not including racing cars. Registered and operable passenger vehicles.  No more than one (1) truck and/or trailer not to exceed a gross vehicle weight of  12,000 pounds, except when loading, unloading or rendering a service. Construction and landscaping materials currently being used on the premises.  NOTE: Firewood Storage shall not be on a parking pad. Firewood shall be neatly stacked and stored in the side yard or rear yard or residential premises. I have too much stuff, what do I do? If you need a parking pad and/or shed, contact the City Building Department to review your options and learn about permit requirements. Fourth Quarter 2010 Newsletter Page 4 Oak Park Heights Recognized as a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon City The Minnesota National Guard has pio-Community for its effort in supporting mil- neered a program which employers commu-itary members and their families while de- nity leaders to synchronize efforts and fending the democratic values of the United build an enduring network of support for States of America. The City is proud to rec- service members and families throughout ognize, appreciate, and say thank you to the deployment cycle. The Yellow Ribbon our military members and their families for Community Campaign is a reminder that their service sacrifices and all they do. supporting service members cannot end when they return home from deployment If you are interested in helping with this and the yellow ribbons are untied. A Yellow initiative or want more information, please Ribbon City develops an action plan and or-contact Oak Park Heights Councilmember ganizes groups to support military families. Mary McComber by e-mail at marymccomb- The City of Oak Park Heights was recently er@aol.com or by phone at 651-351-7879. recognized as a Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Yard Waste Collection As of January 1, 2010, yard waste can only be collected in paper or compostable bags. Compostable bags include Kraft bags (large brown paper bags) or compostable plastic bags. Compostable plastic bags are usually clear or tinted a translucent shade of green, white or pink; however the color is not the sure way of determining the compostability of a plastic bag. Compostable plastic bags should clearly state that they meet ASTM D6400 standards for composting and that they are “compostable.” Bags marked “biodegradable” or “degradable” do not meet the state law. If yard waste is not bagged in accordance with the new law, your yard waste will not be collected. Third quarter utility bills City Meetings Utility bills for the second Quarter of 2010 (July— (subject to change) September) will be mailed to residents soon and are due November 9, 2010. City Council: 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 7:00 Auto pay is available. With auto pay, there is no need to p.m. waste time writing and mailing a check. Paying your utili- ty bill electronically allows you to save time and money on Planning Commission: stamps and late fees. The amount you owe on your utility Typically the 2nd Thursday at bill is automatically withdrawn from the ac-count you 7:00 p.m. designate on the billing due date each month. You will continue to receive your bill so that you know the date and Parks Commission: amount to be withheld from your account. 3rd Monday at 6:30 p.m. If you are interested in participating, please call or stop by Agendas and Minutes are post- City Hall to obtain an enrollment form. The form is also ed on the City’s website: available on the City’s website, under City Information, www.cityofoakpark Forms & Handouts. Call Judy Tetzlaff at City Hall, 651- heights.com 439-4439, if you have questions. Tree City USA Page 5 Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Tree Problems? At the time of this writing, emerald see <¼ long “D-shaped” exit holes ash borer(EAB) has not yet been in the bark if adult EAB exited the If you are an found in Washington County. We tree in 2009. Oak Park do not know if the insect is already Heights in this area, so everyone with ash If you have any ash trees which are resident, and trees should be examining them for dying from the top down, or you see have a problem signs of EAB activity. If larvae are any other signs of EAB activity, under the bark, one might see a lot please contact the arborist to come with a tree or of woodpecker activity and feeding out and take a look. Do not move shrub, such as holes on the tree along the trunk ash wood from one area to another, an insect or a and larger branches, particularly in as this is one way that emerald ash disease, have the top half of the tree. Looking borer is easily spread. planting closely, you might also be able to questions, or just want to have a plant Oak Wilt identified, call Dr. Kathy Oaks, particularly red and pin oaks, which have lost their leaves within Widin, the OPH a few weeks are most likely infected with the oak wilt fungus. These Arborist, at 439- wilting oaks are potential spore producing trees next spring, when 4439 Ext. 1106. oaks are very susceptible to insect transmission of the oak wilt fungus to fresh wounds on healthy oaks. Diseased trees should be isolated She can either from nearby healthy oaks, of the same or similar species, via root cut- answer your ting or root graft disruption, to prevent the fungus from spreading un- question over derground also. If you need to cut root connections, diseased trees the phone or should not be cut down until root graft disruption has been done. make an Please contact the arborist if you have any questions regarding oak appointment for wilt. a site visit. This service is paid for by the City of Buckthorn Oak Park “RoundUp” and other similar weed Fall is a good time to remove Euro- Heights. pean buckthorn from native wood-killers, to prevent re-sprouting. Washington Conservation District in lands. This non-native woody plant Valley Ridge Shopping Center, crowds out native understory vegeta- Stillwater, loans out “Weed Wrench- tion and damages our native plants. es” to residents for pulling buck- Buckthorn stays green longer than thorn up to 1.5-2.0 in. in diameter. native trees and shrubs and can easi- Contact the arborist if you’d like ly be identified in the fall. Pull or cut more information on controlling buckthorn to remove it. Treat cut buckthorn and other non-native in- stumps with 18-25% glyphosate, the vasive plants. active ingredient in the herbicide Page 6 Fourth Quarter 2010 Newsletter City Parks Commission Vacancy Applications are now being accepted for consideration to fill a vacancy on the Oak Park Heights Park Commission. This vacant term is anticipated to expire in December 2012, however is subject to final City Council appointment length. The Parks Commission is a board of five members, appointed by the City Council, who meet regularly on the third Monday of each month, and other occasions, when needed. The objectives of the Parks Commission are to make recommendations to the City Council, which will guide the development of city parks, trails and related services and facilities. Interested citizens can pick up an application at Oak Park Heights City Hall, 14168 Oak Park Blvd. N. or on the City’s website at www.cityofoakparkheights.com. For additional information contact City Administrator Eric Johnson at 651-439-4439 or via e-mail at ea- johnson@cityofoakparkheights.com Completed applications are due not later than 2:00 pm on October 14, 2010. City parks could use your help! As the City’s Park budget is limited, the City is ate such assistance and would endeavor to always seeking volunteers to aid in the up- facilitate such efforts. Please give Public keep and maintenance of its Parks and Trail Works Director Andy Kegley a call at 651-439- systems. If you, your family, or organization 4439 to discuss any such projects you may be would like to offer a hand or even complete a interested in performing or assisting with. service project, the City would greatly appreci- Oak Park Heights designated as a Playful City Ǥ- ϐǡ ǡǡǤ ͳͳͺʹͲͳͲ ǤǦ Ǥ Ǧ Ǥ Tree City USA Page 7 Recreational Fires Recreation fires are permitted in Oak Park Heights but there are a few things you should know. First of all, your fire pit must be thirty six inches or less in diameter and flames should be no higher than two feet. The fire should be monitored by a competent adult with a garden hose or fire extinguisher readily available in the event of an emergency. Make sure your fire is completely extinguished when you are done and never, ever leave a burning fire unattended! Only clean, dry wood should be used for a recreational fire. It is especially hazardous to burn material such as treated wood in your backyard fire pit because recreational fires burn at a low temperature which produces a large volume of smoke. The smoke carries toxic fumes which can be harmful to people gathered around the fire. Painted wood, plastic and rubber will also give off toxic fumes if burned. Materials such as leaves and other yard waste will cause excessive smoke which is prohibited by City ordinance. In addition, it is illegal in the State of Minnesota to burn household waste. Lastly, be a good neighbor—locate your fire where it wont send smoke into your neigh- bors yard or house and also be aware of wind conditions and burning bans. Protect your house from frozen meters and pipes You can take easy and inexpensive steps to prevent the damage, expense and inconvenience associated with freezing pipes and meters. Temperatures are colder along the floor and cement block wall of the basement than near the ceiling. Circulating the warmer air can help prevent frozen meters. In some homes, meters are in separate unheated rooms or boxes; open the doors to rooms or open a me- ter box to allow warmer air to circulate. Simply keeping your home and basement warm enough will help prevent freezing. In addition:  Check along the foundation for areas where cold wind can enter the basement or a crawl space and plug them with insulation.  Close off crawl space vents and doors.  Replace broken or cracked basement windows or doors.  Install a storm window or cover basement windows with weather insulation kits  Make sure basement doors and windows close tightly.  Seal or caulk cracks in the walls.  Insulate pipes.  Don’t forget to turn off the water supply and drain all outdoor faucets! Fall Street Sweeping Please help keep hydrants visible Ǧ Ǥ ϐǡ – Ǥ Ǥ City of Oak Park Heights Fourth Quarter 2010 Newsletter City of Oak Park Heights 14168 Oak Park Blvd. N. WINTER PARKING REMINDER PO Box 2007 Oak Park Heights, MN 55082 Phone: 651-439-4439 It is that time of year again when we start to think about the coming winter. Fax: 651-439-0574 With winter comes snow and snow removal. Police non-emergency: 651-439-4723 Police Emergency: 911 The winter parking regulations begin November 1 through st Office Hours: March 31. No parking is allowed on City streets during st Monday through Friday the hours of 1:00am and 6:00am. 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. excluding legal holidays Winter parking restrictions are put in place in an effort to enable snow re- moval equipment the opportunity to do a top quality and efficient job in re- MAYOR moving snow from city streets. Please be aware that these parking re- David Beaudet: 439-2582 strictions are in place AND ENFORCED regardless of whether or not there COUNCILMEMBERS has been recent snowfall. Vehicles left parking on the streets may be re- Les Abrahamson: 351-0807 moved without notice by the Oak Park Heights Police Department. Move Mary McComber: 351-7879 Mike Runk: 439-5458 off the streets for overnight parking for the winter to avoid citations and Mark Swenson: 439-1479 towing. Please help us by obeying the winter parking restrictions. CITY ADMINISTRATOR Eric Johnson WINTER WARMING HOUSE HOURS Visit our Website! www.cityofoakparkheights.com ʹͲͳͲ-ʹͲͳͳ Ǥǣ The Oak Park Heights Weekdays: 3:30pm-9:00pm newsletter is published by the City Weekends: 9:00am-9:00pm of Oak Park Heights. Holidays: 9:00am-ͻǣͲͲ Comments are welcome. 651-439-4439 Permit No. 558 Stillwater, MN PAID 2007-Oak Park Heights, MN 55082 U.S. Postage 14168 Oak Park Blvd N, Box 2007 Standard Presorted City of Oak Park Heights