07-26-1999 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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To the City Council and Citizens of the City of Orono May 14,1999 Labor R elatioiN s Labor relations are continuing on a positive path. The police officers have agreed to a two-year contract for 1999 and 2000 with wage increases of 3% in both years. Park Planning The City continued efforts toward developing a parks and open space master plan. The City Council has adopted a resolution indicating the City will be more proactive in acquiring land for parks and open space to enable land to be acquired in advance of development, and to be acquired as cost-effectively as possible. Highway 12 C orridor The major east/west transportation route in Orono is State Highway 12. Orono and the other cities along the Highway 12 corridor have been involved in a process with Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) since the late 1980’s to determine a corridor for the upgrade of Highway 12 to address safety and transportation needs. A proposed corridor location has now been approved by all of the affected cities and by Mn/DOT, and the preliminary design process is nearing completion. Land Use Planning The City is in the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan. The City Council has indicated the overall vision and philosophy regarding the development of the City will not change. The City will continue to develop in a way that protects Lake Minnetonka and preserves the City ’s natural open rural character. The City has completed a land use study of the Highway 12 area, which includes the City ’s prime undeveloped commercial property. The purpose of the study was to clarify the City ’s vision for the types and character of development in the area. The vision calls for retail development to be focused in a compact downtown area rather than expanded to the west along Highway 12. The vision also includes an office park along the north side of Highway 12 between Willow Drive and Old Crystal Bay Road. The benefits of this vision are the preservation of the small town character of the cities of Orono and Long Lake, and the limitation of the cost of providing municipal services to the area. I Financial Information General Fund The General Fund is the general operating fund of the City and is used to account for all financial resources except those required to be accounted for in another fund. General Fund revenues, including other financing sources, for 1998, totaled $3,880,760, an increase of $157,795 or 4.2% over the prior year. Expenditures, including other financing uses, totaled $3,708,619, an increase of $227,071 or 6.5% over 1997 levels. The undesignated fund balance of the General Fund increased from $1,631,894 at December 31, 1997, to $1,791,300 at December 31,1998, for a 9.8% addition. The 1998 ending undesignated fund balance provides 46.5% coverage of the 1999 adopted budget of $3,850,340. -6-