Albert Lea’s walkable future

A week from last Friday I attended a day long gathering at the Ramada Inn here in Albert Lea. Dan Burden, founder of Walkable Communities, spoke for a couple hours about why making towns and cities more walkable makes property values go up, fosters better health for citizens, and helps businesses succeed. Burden has helped over 2500 communities improve their quality of life simply by helping city planners understand which roadway and walkway features prove most beneficial in the long-run development of their community.

(Photo: Dan Burden, Walkabilty Expert)

Dan Burden is considered the foremost expert in this area of city planning. The day before our Friday meeting, he and a group of city officials and townsfolk took part in a walking audit of Albert Lea, with wintry temperatures well below zero. Burden explained this was the coldest walking audit he’d ever done. The group walked all over town while Burden explained the advantages and disadvantages current city planning practices already in place in Albert Lea.

Among my favorite of his considerations is that our much discussed Bridge Ave. expansion should actually be more of a remodel than an expansion. He argues that turning Bridge Ave. into a four lane speedway will make our town less walkable. He also said that property values along four lane roads tend to decrease. And businesses along four lane routes actually see fewer customers than if those routes became two lane roads with speeds between 25 and 35 mph, not 45 mph. At 45 mph fewer cars can actually move through town because each speedy car requires more of a margin for slowing down. And a car traveling 35 mph is more likely to stop than one traveling at 45 mph.

Visiting communities like ours is Mr. Burden’s life’s work and I’m so excited that he came to Albert Lea to share his wisdom with us. It’s part of our Blue Zone City Makeover, which I’ll write more about in my next entry.

Here’s a link to Dan Burden’s site:
www.walkable.org

“for the BIBLE tells me so”

This Tuesday, March 11 Stage Left will be showing “for the BIBLE tells me so” at the Riverland College Community Theater (1600 8th Ave. NW, Austin, MN). Stage Left will start showing the film at 7pm and there is no charge for admission.

Not long ago my dad, who is a pastor in Mankato, told me about this film. He said it was one of the best documentaries he’d ever seen. When he and my mom came to help us clean carpets in our new house last week, he brought the DVD with him and wanted me to watch it. So after a fresh round of rug washing we sat down around my computer monitor so that I could see it myself.

He was right. It is a truly remarkable film. What makes it unique is that rather than just continuing with the same worn out arguments for and against the church’s acceptance of gay folks, it discusses and deals intimately with what it is like for the families of those who have children, brothers and sisters who come out of the closet. Along the way it discusses Biblical understandings of homosexuality and reasons why it is worth it for us in the church community to take another look at the struggle of GLBT folks.

Regardless of your position on homosexuality, if you have the chance to see this film, please do. I don’t wish for more conservative folks to suddenly support monogamous, consenting, adult, gay relationships…though I wouldn’t mind it if they did. Rather, I wish for them to listen to the families in this film, to listen to their love and their struggling to understand and love their children—even when they’ve been told by the church that their acceptance of their gay children should only go so far.

Do you know what the “Yes, Yes” vote is for?

The school levy referendum is for 7 years and has 2 questions. As a voter, you have a choice. Instead of ‘all or nothing’, you can vote yes or yes, yes! The first yes, stops the deep cutting. For the average valued home in Albert Lea ($100,000), your tax increase would be $96/year. The second yes restores many of the programs cut this year and only adds $29/year to taxes.

For the average home owner, that’s only $8/month for one yes or $10.42/month for two yeses. So for $10.42/month you could get 2 Big Mac Value Meals, 1-1/2 movie tickets, less than 4 gallons of gas, one large pizza (with a coupon) OR a school system that we could be proud of. Please vote YES, YES on November 6th.

Information provided on behalf of T.E.A.M. (Together Education Achieves More)

District #241 Referendum: More Facts

Source: Power Point presentation on the district’s website.(PDF)
Operating Levy Referendum. November 6th, 2007 (Vote “Yes, Yes!”)

Ballot Question #1
To increase the school district???s general education revenue by replacing the current operating levy, that will end in June 2008, with a $869 per pupil levy for the next seven years. The
average valued home ($100,000) would have a $96 per year increase if question #1 is approved.

Ballot Question #2
Increase the per pupil amount in Question 1 by $89, for a total of $958 per pupil unit. The average valued home ($100,000) would have a $125 per year increase if question 2 is approved. Ballot question #2 will pass ONLY if ballot question #1 passes with a majority of YES votes, AND ballot question #2 passes with a majority of YES votes. You must vote on question one before you can vote on question two.

For the average valued property ($100,000), residential, commercial/industrial or apartments, the tax increase would be $125 per year or $10.42 per month. Taxable Market Value: $50,000 property, $64/year – $5.34/month; $175,000 property, $220/year – $18.33/month; $250,000 property, $316/year – $26.33/month.
Farm land is not taxed, only homestead.

Recent History of Reductions to Projected Expenses
“Cutting to live within our means”
1990-91 Reduction $610,474
1991-92 Reduction $1,003,700
1992-93 Reduction $331,582
1993-94 Reduction $31,362
1994-95 Reduction $806,838
1997-98 Reduction $521,727
1998-99 Reduction $950,000
1999-00 Reduction $265,659
2000-01 Reduction $763,288
2002-03 Reduction $1,100,000
2004-05 Reduction $420,000
2007-08 Reduction $1,000,805
Total $7,796,435
Information Source: ISD 241 School Board Resolutions

General Fund Expenditures for the past ten years with % +/-
1996-97 $25,383,833
1997-98 $25,165,533 -0.86%
1998-99 $25,033,848 -0.52%
1999-00 $25,217,540 0.73%
2000-01 $26,617,042 5.55%
2001-02 $27,465,567 3.19%
2002-03 $27,234,270 -0.84%
2003-04 $30,206,413 10.91%*
2004-05 $30,720,669 1.70%
2005-06 $31,612,295 2.90%
average 2.53%
average w/out 2003-04 1.48%
* approved referendum implemented:
- added all-day-K and reduced class sizes
- health insurance costs increased by 14%

Other resources:

• 2007 Referendum Mailer (PDF)
• 2006 Budget Reduction Plan (PDF)

District #241 Referendum: Reflection

I pasted a pile of percentages in the previous post (nice consonance, aye?) so that folks can see, contrary to what some have said, that district #241 is not a top heavy district and they do not eat up a disproportionate amount of local funding. That said, statistics are just that, statistics. And as we get closer to voting day I’m sure we’ll see a lot more telling us to vote either for or against district #241′s referendum.

In the last few weeks, I’ve attempted to keep track of the arguments for and against the referendum. A good place to study arguments against the referendum is the forum at www.albertlea.com. Folks have criticized members of that forum for being overly negative. And while I must admit some discussions are saturated with overtones of anger and frustration, there are a few posts that consist of carefully reasoned arguments and I enjoy reading them.

Among the many arguments I’ve heard, two are fairly common: 1) Property taxes are too high, and 2) The district is using scare tactics to try and get people to vote for the referendum.

I’ll address point #1 first. It is true, at least from what I’ve gathered here and there, that property taxes have increased noticeably over the last few years. In my assessment as a newcomer to Albert Lea, this is a necessary part of what has had to happen as Albert Lea transitions from years of growth in industry to a change in demographic and a reduction in younger populations. This is a change that is happening all over outstate Minnesota.

Some suggest that higher property taxes are the direct result of mismanagement among the leaders and decision makers of this town. I really, really, don’t believe that Albert Lea suffers from gross mismanagement.

I think what has stifled this town more than anything is a tendency to blame the other guy if things aren’t going as planned. Establishment folks blame the anti-establishment folks and anti-establishment folks blame the establishment folks. And, of course, most folks fit in neither category…we’re just residents of Albert Lea who want what is best for our town, so we’re spinning our heads trying to figure out who has the best argument for who we ought to blame.

Sure, there is always a way to manage taxes and revenue in a more efficient and effective way, but by and large leaders in Albert Lea are doing what they can to meet the needs of this community in a way that helps as many people as possible. I don’t think we’re suffering from a property tax crisis, though I do agree that taxing property is an archaic, regressive way to tax people. Unfortunately, the state has left the school district in a position where they’re having to raise property taxes just to cover basic operating costs.

That is not to say, however, that we shouldn’t hold decision makers accountable, or that we should simply say “yes” whenever a new tax initiative comes along. If you have questions, present them to the board. Not asking the board these questions and then saying that you’re going to vote “no” because no one answered your questions is not an effective way to make your voice heard.

If you don’t like decisions the school board is making then vote for different school board members. But that’s what they are there for, to make these kinds of decisions. Personally, I think they???ve done a fantastic job, and they all deserve our trust. They’ve looked at the budget and decided that the best way to move forward is to raise property taxes to bring more money into the district. I’m certain no one on the board is excited about raising property taxes, but they’ve weighed all options and made the choice that made the most sense given the district’s financial status and the availability of money from the state.

Some feel that the board has overlooked options; that the board has simply offered this referendum because it was an easy way out. In fact, the board opened the a forum of discussion, allowed people to offer suggestions, and considered these suggestions carefully. In the end, they arrived at a carefully crafted budget; a budget that is neither extravagant nor requiring the district to make more cuts.

Moving on to point #2. Some suggest referendum campaign organizers are using scare tactics to get people to vote for the referendum. I appreciate that concern. And in some respects it does appear that not being entirely clear about what is getting cut…is a tactic. As I’ve recently learned, last year the district was perfectly clear…and then folks complained that this was a threat. This year the district is speaking in more broad terms and now some people are saying they are casting a wide net to scare as many people as possible.

I honestly don’t think the intention of TEAM folks and those who are organizing the referendum is to intentionally frighten anyone; if they come of as scaring people, this is a mistake. And maybe informing people of consequences is scary, but that doesn’t make it a scare tactic. TEAM is simply forming, to the best of their knowledge and ability, arguments for why citizens of Albert Lea ought to vote “yes” for the referendum.

The district is not made up of professional referendum campaigners. Their job isn’t to come up with a spotless PR campaign every time a referendum comes around. Their primarily responsibility is to oversee an essential task, to educate and enrich Albert Lea’s kids so they can capitalize on life’s opportunities and make the best of its challenges.

Some have told me that TEAM should invest in the services of a PR consulting firm. For one, each year at the start of this process, TEAM doesn’t know how much money they’re going to have at their disposal. It is all donated. So landing a quality firm in this short amount of time is next to impossible, especially since TEAM is only made up of hard-working volunteers who are not paid for their work. Furthermore, taking bids from consulting firms and going through the process of finding firms in the first place is a time consuming process. TEAM has all it can do to organize all the right TV, radio and newspaper ads that don’t scare people, or accidentally offend someone who planned on voting “no” for the referendum.

Perhaps the most important message throughout this ongoing debate is this: we are all human. If you’ve been offended or scared by the actions of TEAM, or if you think the administration is trying to pull a fast one on you by bringing this referendum to the community for a vote, remember that all of us, (those who plan to vote “yes”, those who plan to vote “no” and those who don’t have a clue how to vote), want what is best for Albert Lea. Most of Albert Lea is made up of good, ordinary people who are making decisions to the best of their ability. If you’ve done your research and asked your questions and come to the conclusion that you will vote “no”, great. On the other hand, if you’ve gone through the same steps, asked the same questions and decided you will vote “yes,” wonderful.

It is my opinion that a “yes, yes” vote for the district #241 referendum is the right vote on election day. Voting “yes” for this referendum is necessary step toward helping district #241 better educate and enrich Albert Lea’s kids.

District #241, Referendum 2007: Vote YES!

Source: MN Department of Education Website
District #241 Consolidated Financial Statement (pdf)

Don’t Hug Me

Sound Meditation Concert

Earth Day Festivities!

Sunday April 22nd – Earth Day Rally!
Fountain Lake Park, 2-4pm
Come celebrate Earth Day with a Mayoral Proclamation, mural painting, poetry & art contest, live music, booths from local groups, and more!

Monday April 23rd – ???An Inconvenient Truth???
Riverland Community College Room 124, 7-9pm
Come see & discuss the Academy-Award winning film that brought global warming into the national spotlight.

Wednesday April 25th – ???Who Killed the Electric Car????
Riverland Community College Room 124, 7-9pm
Check out this stunning film chronicling the life and mysterious death of GM???s EV1, the electric car. Can YOU guess the culprit?

Friday April 27th – Arbor Day Tree Planting
Frank Hall Park, 2-4pm
Join fellow citizens and students of all ages in this annual celebration of trees and the Earth!

Saturday April 28th – Albert Lea Community Clean-up
Meet in parking lot of Blazing Star Trail, 10:00 am
Join Mayor Erdman in cleaning up our our parks and lakeshore. Take pride helping create a clean, beautiful Albert Lea!

Global Warming Solutions

“Global Warming Solutions” Energy Forum coming to Southeastern Minnesota
By Annie Sanders, Organizer, Minnesota Environmental Partnership

On Thursday March 8th, global warming is coming to Southeastern Minnesota. But don’t expect any heat waves– the Citizens’ Energy Forum, hosted from 7-9 p.m. at the Riverland-Austin Theatre by the Minnesota Environmental Partnership, will be focusing on Global Warming Solutions and what we can do to help create Minnesota’s Clean Energy Future.

Steve Morse, President of the Minnesota Environmental Partnership, will speak about the clean energy initiatives and possibilities at the state-wide level, and what we need to make Minnesota a leader on clean energy and global warming. Melissa Pawlisch, founder of the Clean Energy Resource Teams, will speak to what people can do to start transitioning to renewable energy in their businesses, homes, and communities. Bruce Anderson, founder of Sustainable Community Solutions in Northfield, will speak about his experience bringing wind turbines and biodiesel to his community, and how similar projects can succeed here in Southeastern Minnesota.

Local energy and environmental organizations from Albert Lea and Austin will have information booths open for browsing from 6:15-7:00 p.m. People are encouraged to come early and talk with groups such as the Clean Energy Resource Teams, the Sustainable Farming Association, Horizon Wind Energy, the Audubon Society, Izaak Walton League, Advocates for a Cleaner Environment, and others.

The message is clear: global warming could change our great state and nation forever, but we can do something about it. Southeastern Minnesota will be essential in creating a clean energy future for Minnesota, and we all need to get involved. Come to learn more, ask questions, and learn how you can make a difference.

Download forum flier (pdf).