06-09-1997 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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r I- To the City Council and Citizens of the City of Orono April 29, 1997 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 l^n involved in a process with Mn/DOT since the late 1980’s to determine a corridor for the upgrade of Highway 12 to addr^ safety and transportation needs. A proposed corridor location has now been approved by all of the affected cities and by Mn/DOT. subject to the completion of an environmental assessment which is to be completed by the end of 1997. The proposed corridor addresses the major concerns of the affected cities. Land U se Planning In 1995, the City placed a moratorium on development on both sides of Highway 12 in central Orono. During the moratorium period, a committee conducted a land use study of the area. The purpose of the study was to develop guidelines for the types and character of development envisioned for the area. The need for the moratorium and land use study was caused by an upsurge in development proposals for the area. The study, focused on the area planned for commercial development on the north side of highway 12, has now been completed and the moratorium has been lifted. Based on the study, the City clariHed its commercial development plans for the area as including office type development and smaller scale neighborhood type retail development versus larger “regional" type retail. The City purchased the key parcel located on the northeast comer of Highway 12 and Old Crystal Bay Road, adjacent to the city hall. This will provide the City with a substantial amount of control over the type of development that occurs along Highway 12. Management Information Systems During 1995, the fmance staff completed a study of the City ’s information systems, which had been provided by LOGIS (1^ Government Information System) since 1979. As a result, the City decided to phase-out its association with LOGIS in favor of an on-site system. The payroll, utility billing, and financial systems were converted during 1995. The police records system was converted in 1996. The City is currently seeing alternatives to the permit tracking system and anticipates conversion by January 1, 1998. The cost projection comparison between the two systems for the period 1995-2000 indicates that the City should experience an average savings of $14,000 per year. I ♦ 't: FINANCIAL Information General Fund The General Fund is the general operating fund of the City and is used to account for all financial r?.v.ufces except those required to be accounted for in another fund. General Fund revenues, including tr.?' 'tt 'S for 1996, totaled $3,504,840, an increase of $82,433 or 2.4% over the prior year. Expenditures, u cludinti transfers, totaled $3,610,455, an increase of $414,191 or 13.0% over 1995 levels. The undesignated fund balance of the General Fund decreased from $1,515,788 at December 31, 1995, to $1,399,566 at December 31, 1996, for a 7.7% reduction. The 1996 ending undesignated fund balance provides 40.6% coverage of the 1997 adopted budget of $3,447,605. -7-