City Council Meeting Heralds Future Plans For Fiscal Stability

Hopkins is heading into 2012 with several long-term plans and a few quick fixes that will help to maintain the integrity of the city's various vehicles, network and equipment. The city has also updated a number of their zoning plans to prepare for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. These issues were discussed and ratified at the City Council meeting on July 5th.

Approval of ERP & CIP Plans:

A city requires a vast amount of equipment to run at its highest standard. Police cruisers, fire trucks, a core network, front-end loaders, asphalt mix heating boxes and portable radios are just a few of the items that will be affected by the (ERP), which is designated to renovate and replace haggard equipment from 2012 to 2016. Although it is a short-term plan at the moment, a long-term plan is in the works. Mayor Maxwell stated that, "it is a blueprint for what we'd like to get accomplished in 2012." The plan was approved and is paid for, in part, by bonds and through a 5% charge fee to the department which utilizes the various equipment. There was also talk of sharing equipment among cities to decrease costs.

Also approved, the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), which is reviewed annually, will see funds put into several Hopkins institutions. The five year plan has upgrades coming to the activity center, carpet in the arts center, play equipment in Valley and Cottageville parks and street construction which will also entail storm sewer improvements. The CIP is a tentative short-term plan that can continue to be changed and altered. 

Executive Audit Summary Proves Hopkins on Track:

The executive audit summary highlighted Hopkins' responsible spending for the year. A surplus of $300,000 means that "overall we're in a good auditing position," said Mayor Maxwell. The city also been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association again this year for its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. A small problem was noted in regards to how expenditures were categorized. Council member, Cheryl Youakim said, "just to clarify, we didn't spend the money wrong. We just need a better way to track the money."

Assessment Roll Approved and Given Pre-pay Deadline:

After the closing of an empty public hearing, the council moved to approve the assessment roll which will see sidewalk and street renovations. The adoption of the assessment will see construction that could continue through October. A month from when the city council meeting took place, July 5th, the pre-pay will be due. 

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In preparation for the Southwest Light Rail Transit Corridor, the city has designated that the station sites and some of the surrounding area will be mixed-zone. This means a blend of residential and commercial sites. This will be . A level of concern was raised concerning what that will mean for downtown Hopkins as well as key areas such as Blake Road and Shady Oak Road. Council member, Rick Brausen, pointed out that, "there's a longer discussion regarding protecting downtown... We don't want to just build things that are in conflict with those who've been paying taxes here forever."

It should be noted that this does not change any of the current zoning. Zoning will be applied on a case-by-case basis and with much deliberation. City planner, Nancy Anderson, insisted, "this is a living document. If something is not working we'll change it." Mayor Maxwell underlined the point by saying, "This is just a guideline to start with, we have to be able to adapt... we want to give developers something to go on."