Red Wing City Council video discussion of sale of MNGL
Watch the Council meeting discussion of the sale of MNGL at about 1 hour 30 minutes. Closed session for about an hour after that, then back on for final discussion and vote. Watch. The Council voted 7-0 against the sale.
Deep In Debt, Pa.’s Capital Faces State Takeover | Minnesota Public Radio News
Lawmakers in Pennsylvania could vote in the coming days to take control of the capital city, Harrisburg. The city faces a crushing debt of more than $300 million related to its trash incinerator. It’s also struggling with internal political battles between the mayor and City Council.
via Deep In Debt, Pa.’s Capital Faces State Takeover | Minnesota Public Radio News.
Filed under Accountability
Google pushes small Minn. businesses to get online | Minnesota Public Radio News
Filed under Economic Development, Internet & Technology, Minnesota
Red Wing City Council Rejects Sale of Mississippi National Golf Links
On a 7-0 vote, the Red Wing City Council rejected an offer to sell MNGL to the current Lessee. This was a sound rebuke of the dump the golf course crowd.
A $1.2 million bond comes due on November 1st, which is the sole responsibility of the Lessee.
How state lawmakers pump up pensions in ways you can’t – USATODAY.com
Filed under Accountability, Elections, Minnesota
Red Wing Municipal Golf Corporation
The Red Wing Municipal Golf Corporation’s blog is now up and running here. Take a peek to learn more about RWMGC’s proposal to keep Mississippi National Golf Links a public course.
The GOP War on Voting | Rolling Stone Politics
“Voting rights are under attack in America,” Rep. John Lewis, who was brutally beaten in Alabama while marching during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, observed during an impassioned speech on the House floor in July. “There’s a deliberate and systematic attempt to prevent millions of elderly voters, young voters, students, minority and low-income voters from exercising their constitutional right to engage in the democratic process.”
Filed under Accountability, Elections, Government's Footprint, Minnesota
CITY 101| How Property Taxes are Calculated
If you want a better understanding of how property taxes are calculated take a look at these great videos prepared by the Richfield City Manager.
Filed under Accountability, Government's Footprint, Minnesota
An Innovative Proposal for Red Wing – a New Public/Private Partnership
Today, the Red Wing Municipal Golf Corporation (a non-profit corp.) released its proposal to the city of Red Wing for the management and operation of Mississippi National Golf Links (MNGL). The city of Red Wing is considering selling MNGL in order to address budgetary pressures.
This substantive proposal is an example of the possibilities available to communities searching for new ways to thrive in these challenging economic times. Beyond the obvious financial issues, the potential intangible benefit to communities of such private/public efforts is enormous. An engaged public is what very well may make the difference between those cities that stagnate, too focused on the bottom line, and those cities that embrace change and prosper.
View the proposal here.
As always, your comments are appreciated.
The Case of the Disappearing Large-Employer Manufacturing Plants: Not Much of a Mystery After All – The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
“Debate about the disappearance of manufacturing jobs in the United States sometimes implies that mysterious forces are at work. But a closer look at recent trends, especially at large-employer plants, reveals no such puzzles. “
Filed under Economic Development
Youth Vote Faces Challenges With Voter ID Legislation | The Nation
Filed under Accountability, Government's Footprint
Red Wing Rental Code | Interview with Dana Berliner – Attorney for Institute for Justice
U.S. Constitution
On July 28, 2011, I interviewed Dana Berliner. She is the attorney for the Institute for Justice representing the plaintiffs before the Minnesota Supreme Court. The plaintiffs are challenging the constitutionality of Red Wing’s rental code ordinance which allows for the issuance of search warrants to inspect homes, even without showing any reasonable suspicion that there may be code violations.
The issue currently before the Minnesota Supreme Court is whether the plaintiffs have “standing” (the right to sue) to challenge the ordinance before search warrants are actually issued.
One thing seems certain, this case, (which has been in the courts for five years and has cost local taxpayers about $200,000), will be coming back to the district court for further litigation. Then up on appeal again to the Minnesota Supreme Court for a decision on the merits of the constitutional issues.
Listen to the interview with Ms. Berliner here. She does a great job explaining what this case is about and why it should matter to you. Individuals would have hardly any ability to challenge government actions were it not for groups like the Institute for Justice.
Visit the Institute for Justice’s analysis and background of the case here. You can look at the categories on the right to view previous posts on this issue.
Schools and “the shift” | Minnesota Public Radio News
Schools and “the shift” | Minnesota Public Radio News.
Part of the solution to the $5-billion state budget deficit delayed money for Minnesota’s K-12 schools. At the time, school officials who said the state was balancing the budget by “borrowing” off the schools.
Midday will talk with school administrators to learn more about how this payment delay will play out in the state’s schools.
Guests
- Charlie Kyte: Executive Director, Minnesota Association of School Administrators
- Jim Hess: Superintendent, Bemidji Public Schools
- Chris Richardson: Superintendent, Northfield Public Schools
Filed under Accountability, Education, Elections, Minnesota
City of Red Wing Spending Comparisons
Attached is a report from the Minnesota State Auditor’s Office showing city revenue and expenditures. I reduced it to include cities from previous comparisons. They are: Albert Lea, Austin, Farmington, Faribault, Hastings, Northfield, Owantonna, Red Wing, Rochester, and Winona. Interesting to see the range of spending among cities in the different categories.
I think we need to have a Truth in Spending Report that requires cities to explain their spending as compared to other cities. Property tax comparisons only present one measure, often distorted. As City Councils begin to grapple with LGA cuts, falling tax capacity. etc., they should want to know how they stack up compared to other cities and why the difference.
View the report here.
Colbert On Voter ID Laws: Why Not Let Only GOP Lawmakers Vote? (VIDEO)
Colbert nails it! Governor Dayton vetoed their bill, but they’ll try again next year, maybe in the form of a constitutional amendment.
“We need something a little more selective than a photo ID,” he said. “These ID laws prove Republican legislators are great judges of who should vote, so let’s just cut out the middle man and let only Republican legislators be voters. That way, we will finally be certain that only the right people get elected.”
Colbert On Voter ID Laws: Why Not Let Only GOP Lawmakers Vote? (VIDEO) | TPMMuckraker.
Filed under Accountability, Government's Footprint, Minnesota
Amazon’s Scorched-Earth War Against the Rest of Us | Mother Jones
“What is Amazon.com’s biggest advantage over its competition? One-click ordering? The ability to go shopping in your pajamas? Its enormous selection? Those all play a role, but Christopher Caldwell thinks the real answer is the fact that Amazon’s customers mostly don’t have to pay state sales tax:“
Amazon’s Scorched-Earth War Against the Rest of Us | Mother Jones.
Filed under Government's Footprint, Internet & Technology, Minnesota
Wolfram Launches a New Computable Document Format: Real-Time Computation & Interactivity
Wolfram, the company behind the Mathematica computational software and the Wolfram Alpha ”computational knowledge” search engine, has released a new document format today - the Computable Document Format (CDF). As the name suggests, the CDF aims to bring real-time interactivity and computational power to documents, by enabling them to include a variety of graphs and formulas.
This makes a “computable” document quite different than a “print” document. The information isn’t fixed but can be manipulated by the reader. Unlike static formats, CDFs are “as interactive as apps, yet as everyday as documents,” say Wolfram. “Central to the concept are knowledge apps, interactive diagrams, or info apps – the live successors of traditional diagrams and infographics.”
Wolfram Launches a New Computable Document Format: Real-Time Computation & Interactivity.
Filed under Internet & Technology
Minnesota Budget Shutdown – Comparing Budget Plans | Minnesota Public Radio News
“Gov. Mark Dayton has signed 12 budget and spending bills, which govern the state of Minnesota’s activities over the next two years. These graphs represent the difference in each spending proposal by Gov. Dayton and Republican legislative leaders in each of the major government spending categories, and the amount approved in each signed bill.”
Minnesota Budget Shutdown – Comparing Budget Plans | Minnesota Public Radio News.
Filed under Accountability, Government's Footprint, Minnesota
Red Wing: Local Government Lobbying
I’ve put together a short document showing local government lobbying expenses. At nearly $150,000, it is considerable. You can view the full State Auditor Report here. Note: the amounts for 2010 and 2011 were allocated, may not actually be spent. Thanks to Peggy Rehder for the clarification.
Tobacco bonding would borrow from our future « Minnesota Budget Bites
Filed under Accountability, Minnesota
Red Wing City Council Refuses to Accept Voter Initiative
Go here to listen to the Council proceedings on the Voter Initiative. I’ll explain more later.
Filed under Accountability, Minnesota, Red Wing, Red Wing City Council
Try something new for 30 days.
Is there something you’ve always meant to do, wanted to do, but just … haven’t? Matt Cutts suggests: Try it for 30 days. This short, lighthearted talk offers a neat way to think about setting and achieving goals.
Filed under Accountability
Minnesota’s bond rating drops amid budget instability « Minnesota Budget Bites
“Why does it matter? The drop in credit rating makes it more expensive for the state to borrow money for capital projects. But the effects don’t stop there, other units of government are also hurt: “Rating agencies take into consideration the state’s creditworthiness in assessing the reliability of bonds issued by school districts, municipalities and counties across Minnesota,” reported Politics in Minnesota.”
The Minnesota Budget Project is an initiative of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.
Minnesota’s bond rating drops amid budget instability « Minnesota Budget Bites.
Filed under Accountability, Elections, Minnesota
America’s Top States for Business 2011 – Minnesota – CNBC
Filed under Accountability, Economic Development, Minnesota
The Child Cases – Video | FRONTLINE | PBS
Sudden child deaths are often assumed to be murder and caregivers are frequently the accused. FRONTLINE, ProPublica and NPR investigate, uncovering evidence of questionable convictions…
Read more: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-child-cases/#ixzz1QePIJZrH
Filed under Accountability
Minnesota | Top 2% Tax Bracket by County
An interesting table showing the number of taxpayers in each MN county and the number that would be subject to the Governor’s proposed tax on the top 2% bracket.
New Top Bracket by County – May 16.
Filed under Accountability, Elections, Government's Footprint, Minnesota
Are tax increases, or budget cuts, more harmful to Minnesota’s economy? | Minnesota Public Radio News
Filed under Accountability, Elections, Government's Footprint, Minnesota
DFL courting crossover votes to settle budget
“With the state edging toward a historic and wide-reaching government shutdown, the road to resolution could lead straight to a handful of GOP freshmen who barely won election and veteran legislators intent on preserving a Republican majority.”
“Sen. John Howe R – Red Wing, stressed that he didn’t think Dayton’s income tax proposal would ever be acceptable, but suggested lowering and broadening the sales tax, which could go a long way to bridge the divide. He also talked about eliminating some tax loopholes, which could appease Dayton’s insistence on a fairer tax system.”
Filed under Accountability, Elections, Government's Footprint, Minnesota, Red Wing
The Minnesota Freshman Republican Senate Choir
The Minnesota Freshman Republican Senate Choir
From their basement tapes recording. What harmony!
Listen here.
Filed under Elections, Internet & Technology
Red Wing Council Meeting 6-13-11 | Voter Initiative
The Red Wing City Attorney has opined that the current Voter Initiative is legally deficient. I’ll address the legal issues later, but for now I’ll say this much; the right of the initiative – often referred to as direct democracy – is one of the most fundamental rights of self-governance.
Listen to the proceedings below:
Daily Kos: Shrinking The Vote: Using Election Reform To Decrease Turnout
“As the U.S population grows and the number of eligible voters continues to climb with each election cycle, a disturbing trend of limiting voter access to the polls is taking place. With 2012 on the horizon, states are already gearing up to ensure that barriers are installed across the voting process, from restrictions on voter registration to strict requirements at the polls. It’s been called “the largest legislative effort to scale back voting rights in a century.”
Daily Kos: Shrinking The Vote: Using Election Reform To Decrease Turnout.
Filed under Accountability, Elections, Government's Footprint, Minnesota
Restoring the American Dream | Getting Back to #1 – Global Public Square – CNN
“If America now ranks as the 5th best country in which to run a business, 23rd in infrastructure, 49th in life expectancy and so on, can we still call it #1? And if the American Dream is slipping out of people’s grasps (as we discussed in our first special “Restoring the American Dream“), what can we do to put America back on top in every category?”
Filed under Economic Development, Internet & Technology
City, citizens at odds over initiative process in Red Wing – Post Bulletin
City, citizens at odds over initiative process in Red Wing – Post Bulletin.
” How quickly a sale of the Mississippi National Golf Links could take place is what’s at stake with the determination of valid petition signatures in a long simmering dispute of 400-plus acre property.”
MN Legislator’s Per Diem Pay for 2011 Blame Fest
$2,000,000 in per diem for the 5 month long Blame Fest.
(On top of $31,000 salary.)
Senate per diem here.
House per diem here.
MPR story here.
Filed under Accountability, Elections, Government's Footprint, Minnesota
River Revival | Working together to save the Minnesota River
Sunday, June 12, @ 6PM, on KARE 11 TV. Also various viewing parties, including Red Wing. See link above.
Filed under Accountability, Minnesota, Sustainability
Steve Jobs Presents to the City Council (6/7/11)
.
Cupertino, CA that is.
Stevens Point, WI – Official Website
Stevens Point, WI – Official Website.
The city of Stevens Point recently won the Gold Star Award of Excellence from the Academy of Visual Arts’ 17th Annual Communicator Awards. A great intuitive website. A pleasure to navigate. Powered by CivicPlus, who states, “We create community engagement tools. Our online solutions have the power to transform the way your community does business.” I like their attitude.
Well done, Stevens Point.
MNGL | Request for Proposal posted
Here is link to the city of Red Wing page on the Request for Proposal for MNGL.
Red Wing’s response to IPAD Advisory Opinion Request
Here is the City’s response to my request for an advisory opinion on the City’s redaction of data in Associated Bank’s appraisal of MNGL. “
Academically Adrift
“In spite of soaring tuition costs, more and more students go to college every year. A bachelor’s degree is now required for entry into a growing number of professions. And some parents begin planning for the expense of sending their kids to college when they’re born. Almost everyone strives to go, but almost no one asks the fundamental question posed by Academically Adrift: are undergraduates really learning anything once they get there?”
Filed under Accountability, Education
Editorial: Partisan math clouds budget debate – Post Bulletin
This editorial lays out the numbers, well done.
Editorial: Partisan math clouds budget debate – Post Bulletin.
Filed under Accountability
Twin Cities Case Schiller Housing Index | Mar. 2011
The March 2011 MPLS home price index stands at 105.57. It is now down to July 2000 valuations. The index peaked in Sept. 2006 at 171.12. Currently down 38% from the 2006 peak. After some recovery in prices, the index has been falling for the past 8 months. Prices have dropped 10% in the past twelve months.
The full housing index is found here.
Filed under Economic Development, Minnesota
The Fight Over Fracking | Rolling Stone Politics
The Fight Over Fracking | Rolling Stone Politics.
“In essence, fracking involves shooting large volumes of water and sand laced with dozens of exotic toxins at extremely high pressure into the shale thousands of feet beneath the surface. This releases the raw gas for retrieval and refining. But the toxic waste remains a problem both above and below ground. Much of it is recovered and stored in what are often unguarded, open-air chemical sludge pools near the drilling site. The rest of the wastewater, sometimes up to half, remains underground, where it can contaminate nearby water tables and seep into the environment in ways that are still not completely understood. “We know there are significant risks associated with … the pollutants involved in fracking,” says Anthony Ingraffea, a rock-fracture mechanics expert at Cornell University. “These drilling techniques result in amounts of toxic matter so large – in solid, gas, and liquid states – that, in effect, everybody is ‘downstream.’ You can’t get far enough away.”
Filed under Accountability, Sustainability
GOP’s Kelly on why he opposes gay marriage constitutional amendment | Minnesota Independent
Filed under Accountability, Elections, Government's Footprint, Minnesota
Rachel Maddow: Gay soldiers parents fight for real family values
Segment on the MN marriage amendment.
Rachel Maddow: Gay soldiers parents fight for real family values.
Filed under Accountability, Elections, Government's Footprint, Minnesota
