Wednesday, April 10, 2013
A Minneapolis food truck operator wants to sell food in front of the Hopkins Tavern. Council members worry that could benefit one business at the expense of others.
A Minneapolis food truck operator wants to serve in Hopkins, but recommended limits on where the truck could park could halt the plan before it ever starts. The unidentified food truck operator asked permission to sell food in front of the Hopkins Tavern on Main between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Fridays, Assistant City Manager Jim Genellie told the City Council on Tuesday. The plan would be a mutually beneficial arrangement for the bar and food truck operator. The Tavern has an extensive beer and drink list, but its food is limited to appetizers and pizza. The food truck would be able to offer them something more substantial so they wouldn’t have to go elsewhere. Councilman Jason Gadd said he was largely in favor of the proposal. He noted that …
Thursday, March 7, 2013
The council unanimously approved a policy change that allows the devices.
Hopkins nonprofits are now able to use electronic bingo devices in local establishments. The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a policy change that allows the devices to be used alongside paper pulltabs. The policy change took effect immediately. Hopkins’ previous legislative policies only allowed organizations to host bingo games in locations they own and operate. That prevented organizations, including those that already conduct pulltab games in local bars, from using electronic gaming devices that also include bingo. But legislators last year allowed charities to use electronic gaming devices under the theory that they’d lead to an increase in charitable gambling—resulting in more money for both the charities and the state, …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Decisions on assessments for late utility bills, citations and invoices aren’t always easy. How would you handle these special requests for leniency from Tuesday's City Council meeting?
Every year, City Council members convene a public hearing on so-called “miscellaneous special assessments”—when late utility bills, citations and invoices are assessed against a property. Every year, a handful of property owners show up at the hearing to ask for leniency on payments the city is legally allowed to collect. These payments are no small deal for property owners. Some of them are a few thousand dollars. But they’re also a big deal for the city. This year, assessments totaled $117,756. About 87 percent of that is from delinquent utility payments. If a property owner doesn’t pay his or her share of utilities, everyone else must pick up the tab. Below are two appeals property owners made at Tuesday’s public hearing. Read through …
44.92241
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City of Hopkins - City Hall
1010 1st St S, Hopkins, MN
/articles/you-be-the-judge-what-do-these-property-owners-deserve
978498
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Wednesday, September 5, 2012
The increase is the smallest since at least 2007.
Just weeks after city leaders announced a modest increase, the preliminary budget and levy has already become smaller. The 2013 levy that Hopkins City Council members preliminarily signed off on Tuesday is .99 percent, or $101,729, bigger than the 2012 levy—or the portion of the budget paid by local property taxes. The overall budget is just .71 percent bigger than last year’s. (Hopkins does not yet have the figures necessary to calculate the impact on a typical tax bill.) That’s the smallest increase since at least 2007. It’s also a bit smaller than the proposal discussed Aug. 14—which envisioned a 1.62 percent levy increase and a 1.26 percent budget increase. Finance Director Christine Harkess attributed the growth largely to …
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City of Hopkins - City Hall
1010 1st St S, Hopkins, MN
/articles/hopkins-budget-drops-a-bit
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Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Brian Furan and Colin Serle are stepping down.
The Hopkins City Council is looking to fill two vacancies on the city’s Park Board. Park Board Vice Chairman Brian Furan is stepping down when his term expires June 30. Colin Serle will also be stepping down. The Park Board, which meets at 6:30 p.m. on the third Monday of every month, advises the City Council on park issues. It’ll play a key part in upcoming issues, such as redesigning Cottageville Park and Oakes Park. Those who are interested in joining the Park Board should fill out the application to the right of this article and submit it to the city. The application can also be downloaded at the “Boards and Commissions” section of the city’s website. The new term begins July 1. Stay up to date on all your local news. Sign up for the…
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City of Hopkins - City Hall
1010 1st St S, Hopkins, MN
/articles/two-spots-opening-on-hopkins-park-board
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Hopkins officials say Excelsior, Minnetonka and Wayzata worry about the staff time involved.
Local leaders originally envisioned the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon program as a partnership of six west metro communities helping members of the Minnesota National Guard and their families. But Hopkins officials worry some of the communities have been scared off by unwarranted fears about the demands it would place on city staff. The west metro group was supposed to be made up of Edina, Excelsior, Hopkins, Minnetonka, St. Louis Park and Wayzata. Edina has already passed a resolution supporting the initiative, and Hopkins expects to pass its resolution next week. But Hopkins City Manager Mike Mornson told council members Tuesday that Excelsior and Wayzata aren’t sure they want to participate. Meanwhile, Hopkins council members viewed …
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Hopkins ordinances prohibit vehicles from being parked on the street for longer than 24 hours.
Abbie Seba moved to Hopkins with her husband Jeffrey Seba so they could take the bus to work. Her husband also travels a lot for business. With so little driving, it’s not unusual for the Sebas’ family cars to go unused on the weekdays. Unfortunately for them, Hopkins ordinances prohibit vehicles from being parked on the street for longer than 24 hours. A month ago, the Sebas arrived to find a parking ticket on their car. “I feel like we are being penalized for taking public transportation,” Abbie Seba told the Hopkins council Tuesday. Police Chief Mike Reynolds wound up waiving the parking fine, but Seba thinks the city should reconsider parking limits. With the incoming Southwest Light Rail line, more and more people will choose public …
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City of Hopkins - City Hall
1010 1st St S, Hopkins, MN
/articles/poll-should-hopkins-extend-parking-times
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Thursday, February 23, 2012
The winners discussed the stories behind their photos at Tuesday's council meeting.
There’s a story behind every photo. On Tuesday, three of the winners from the city’s 2011 photo contest described how they took their award-winning shots. Watch the video above to hear the following winners tell the stories behind their photos: Click here to view all the winning photos.
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City of Hopkins - City Hall
1010 1st St S, Hopkins, MN
/articles/video-how-did-photo-contest-winners-get-their-shots
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Monday, February 6, 2012
Follow the discussions, share your thoughts and ask questions.
Hopkins City Council members are convening Monday night instead of their usual Tuesday night because of tomorrow’s caucuses. Hopkins Patch will have live coverage of the discussions starting at about 7:25 p.m., when the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority convenes. The City Council meeting will begin immediately afterward. Follow the updates on this live blog, share your thoughts and ask questions. The council meeting can also be seen on cable channel 16. ***
44.92241
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City of Hopkins - City Hall
1010 1st St S, Hopkins, MN
/articles/follow-along-live-with-tonight-s-city-council-meeting
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Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The League of Minnesota Cities' Leadership Conference for Newly Elected Officials helps council members transition into their new roles.
Carl Neu didn’t soften his message for the dozens of newly elected officials who gathered Friday in Brooklyn Center’s Earle Brown Heritage Center. They face declining revenues, plummeting property values and residents more frustrated than ever by government. The challenges are as tough as ever. “You do have the chance to resign after you go back from the session,” Neu joked in the opening presentation of the League of Minnesota Cities' Leadership Conference for Newly Elected Officials. Neu, a Colorado-based local governance consultant, may have been joking. But newly elected officials—like freshman Hopkins council members Molly Cummings and Jason Gadd—have a lot to learn after they take office. Their new positions come with new laws that …
45.067113
-93.302225
6155 Earle Brown Dr, Brooklyn Center, MN
/articles/professional-education
/locations/6282942
Steve Campos
3:40 am on Friday, May 11, 2012
Contacting other Yellow Ribbon Networks and asking them how they got started, how they are doing and what the involvement is all about can address these questions. www.btyr.org is a good start to finding out about this program. Looking at a few websites can give a person a "feel" about involvement etc. (www.beyondtheyellowribbonisanti.org) is a good way to see what city involvement is. It is not … more ›