Brick City Blog

Different kinds of plans

February 24, 2011 by seanolsen 0 Comments

There are plans, and then there are plans.

What was presented at the Downtown Master Plan Open House last week was a plan. A good plan, as far as it goes, anyway. There were a number of very good concepts and ideas there, on the 15 or so charts that filled the room. From plans for a revitalized Firemans Park corner to notions of expanded housing on the riverfront, to the out-of-the-box ideas for plowing under the decidedly not historic strip mall in the heart of downtown, there was a lot to chew on.

So, why, then did the Chaska Herald report so much skepticism from the attendees?

It’s because there wasn’t any plan to take what was on the charts and turn them into reality. For some attendees, the exercise appeared to be one of pure fantasy.

It’s a little overwhelming – a lot of long-view stuff that probably won’t happen — Tom Hayden, Chaska Farm & Garden

That’s an attitude that the City Council will need to work quickly to overcome. The way it does so it to clearly establish a real implementation plan – setting priorities, goals, and measures for the short-, medium-, and long-term planning horizons. It’s critical that the plan be specific, so that the Council and city staff can be held accountable for progress towards the objectives. If we don’t see a specific plan and objectives from the Council, that’s a signal we’re in for real trouble.

Chaska, City Administrator, City Council, Downtown Issues, Mayor

Chaska, Chaska Farm & Garden, City Council, Downtown Chaska, Matt Podhradsky, Tom Hayden

StarTribune: A revitalization plan for Downtown Chaska

February 23, 2011 by seanolsen 0 Comments

StarTribune: A revitalization plan for Downtown Chaska

Chaska, City Administrator, Downtown Issues

Chaska, Downtown Chaska, Matt Podhradsky

Ortman signalling how MN GOP will finesse the budget?

February 23, 2011 by seanolsen 2 Comments

From today’s Star Tribune:

The Republican chairwoman of the state Senate Taxes Committee says she views tax breaks as state spending and says they should be reviewed to see if they should stay on the books.

Sen. Julianne Ortman says Wednesday that she expects a proposal to eliminate some tax breaks will be part of the larger attempt by legislative Republicans to eliminate a $6 billion budget shortfall.

Other Legislative Republicans have made similar signals in recent weeks, but none have had Ortman’s influence as the Chair of the Senate Taxes Committee. So it looks like we won’t be seeing a purely “all cuts” budget from the MN GOP after all. One has to wonder if there will be elements of the Republican caucus who won’t go along with such ideas — although there would seem to be an opening with such a position to move towards a compromise with Gov. Mark Dayton’s budget proposal from last week.

Such a compromise could be based on making the tax increases in Dayton’s budget temporary (and reducing them and/or expanding them to more taxpayers) combined with elimination of tax breaks. Toss in a healthy amount of spending cuts and the framework of an agreement begins to come into shape — if the two sides are willing to work together and give up half a loaf to keep the state running.

Economy, State Legislature, Taxes

Budget, Julianne Ortman, Mark Dayton, Star Tribune, State Legislature

New restaurant in Chaska Commons

February 21, 2011 by seanolsen 1 Comment

Looks like we’re getting another eating spot in Chaska Commons. Signs for “Le Bistro” have gone up at the former Cold Stone Creamery location. That’s all the information I have at the moment. If you know more, please leave a comment.

In other Chaska news:

The Chaska Herald reports that Father Paul Jarvis is leaving Guardian Angels Catholic Church, seeking reassignment closer to his ailing mother.
U.S. Rep. John Kline will have his mobile office in Chaska on Thursday, April 7 from 7-10 a.m. at the Chaska Community Center. Kline’s staff will be on hand to answer questions and assist with constituent requests. The Congressman himself is not expected to attend the event.

Chaska, Religion, Restaurants, U.S. House

Cold Stone Creamery, Father Paul Jarvis, Guardian Angels Catholic Church, John Kline, Le Bistro, Restaurants

Legislative Watch, House Edition 2: Leidiger draws a line in the sand?

February 21, 2011 by seanolsen 0 Comments

Freshman Rep. Ernie Leidiger (34A) continues to put himself out on a limb with some of the positions he has taken so far in the legislative session. Let’s take a look at the most notable ones.

Not surprisingly, Leidiger is opposed to Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposals to close over half of the state’s projected $6.2 billion deficit with increased taxes on the wealthiest Minnesotans. More interesting, though, was this line from Rep. Leidiger’s e-mail update to constituents:

At the same time, the Governor’s budget features tax hikes on health care providers, cuts home and community-based services by 4 percent and cuts nursing homes by 2 percent.

Leidiger seems to be attacking Dayton’s proposed cuts here. Will Leidiger commit to voting against any bill that has cuts for nursing homes and home/community-based services? Is this one line in the sand that Leidiger won’t cross in terms of spending cuts?

Leidiger has also signed on as a co-author on H.F. 481. This bill would ”solve” the problem of budget cuts at the state level resulting in property tax increases at the city and county level. How would it do so? Simple — by prohibiting property tax levy increases by those local areas of government. Local officials would have no recourse, except to pass those cuts on to their constituents by slashing their services as well. Does this sound like a way to build Minnesota’s economy for the future? Not to me, it doesn’t. And I’m not the only one.
Although not a co-sponsor, Leidiger recently endorsed legislation in the House that would put a mandatory freeze on public school wages. This puts Rep. Leidiger squarely in opposition with Candidate Leidiger, who said this during the campaign:

Local school boards need more control — Ernie Leidiger campaign website

The same Republicans who bristle under Federal mandates see no problem in placing mandates from the State level to lower levels of government while claiming to defend the rights of “local control”. Shouldn’t we expect better?