Wednesday, March 21, 2012
A second reading of the ordinance is scheduled for April 3.
The Northfield City Council on Tuesday made another step toward setting new political boundaries for the city. With a 5-1 vote, the council approved the first reading of its redistricting plan. Councilor Suzie Nakasian dissented; Councilor Erica Zweifel was absent. The council had narrowed the maps down to two options. Before the approval from council, which showed preference for sample plan 3 instead of sample plan 8 (see attached photos for comparison), Nakasian made a motion to approve sample plan 8. “I think from the end game of voter confusion … we have a responsibility to come up with a map that would be recognizable to voters and ease the process of voting,” she said, citing its similarity to the current ward map. “It gives …
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801 Washington St, Northfield, MN
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Saturday, February 25, 2012
We take a look back at entries in our Local Voices section.
This week Megan Tsui writes about an opportunity for Northfield business owners to collaborate with St. Olaf College students to work on marketing plans, Beth Kallestad of the Cannon River Watershed Partnership shares a video of last year's Cannon River cleanup, and Bill Murphy, VFW post commander, shares his experience about retiring American flags on Presidents Day. Read those and other posts by clicking the links below. • Business Plan in a Day Workshop and FREE Marketing Plans! • The Best of Intentions ... • One Small Step for Cleaner Water • Welcome to Senate District 20 DFL • 6-Ingredient “Impossible” Coconut-Custard Pie • Man vs. Beast! • VIDEO: An Interesting Take on Redistricting • Veterans of VFW Post 4393 Retire Flags on …
Monday, January 23, 2012
The council will consider adding the issue to the 2012 work plan on Jan 24.
Northfield may soon join the many Minnesota cities that have passed domestic partner registry ordinances in recent years. The Northfield City Council will discuss the possibility of taking up the issue as part of its 2012 work plan at its work session on Tuesday. It has at least one advocate on the council. “I would like to see the city council move forward with it,” Councilor Betsey Buckheit told Patch. At present, 18 Minnesota cities have passed domestic partner registry ordinances, according to the Research and Inquiry Department of the League of Minnesota Cities and LGBT advocacy organization OutFront Minnesota. The vast majority of these communities are located within the Twin Cities metro area. The League of Minnesota Cities defines…
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801 Washington St, Northfield, MN
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Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Northfield City Council in September voted to apply for the grant toward the projected $1.56 million project to build an underpass on Highway 3
The U.S. Department of Transportation on Thursday announced Northfield will be awarded a $1,060,000 TIGER grant towards building an underpass on Highway 3 near Greenvale Avenue. The Northfield City Council in September voted to apply for the grant toward the estimated $1.56 million project. Although the federal government does not require local governments to provide matching funding, Councilor Erica Zweifel said at a September council meeting that previous grants were awarded to projects with local financial support. The council pledged to put a $500,000 matching fund toward the project, though where that money comes from has yet to be decided. One potential source of local dollars would be proceeds from the city’s downtown tax-increment …
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Mn-3 & Greenvale Ave W, Northfield, MN
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011
How does Northfield stack up on the Internet?
There’s no question that social media has changed the way the world communicates. Why converse when you can tweet, "like" something or comment? Facebook has more than 500 million active users who spend more than 700 billion minutes a month on the site, according to Social2B. More than 200 million active users access Facebook through mobile devices. As for Twitter, there are 200 million Twitter users and 95 million tweets are written each day. President Barack Obama, Gov. Mark Dayton and many other politicians use social networking sites to keep their constituents in the loop. Many departments from the State of Minnesota use social media to inform residents of road closures, accidents and other pertinent information. But have Twitter, …
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The council will discuss Complete Streets more definitively in early 2012.
Northfield's streets may be on the road to become more complete. The Northfield City Council in January could move forward with the implementation of a Complete Streets initiative, a coalition that exists at both the state and national level to mandate socially conscious street design. Streets in accordance with Complete Streets policy are designed to consider the needs of bicyclists, pedestrians and drivers, while taking environmental factors into account as well. There are more than 290 Complete Streets policies nationally, with more than 20 already approved in Minnesota cities and counties. “It’s a multifaceted program that really helps build a livable community in a lot of ways,” said Northfield City Councilor Betsey Buckheit, a …
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
City Administrator Tim Madigan and Finance Director Kathleen McBride present list of potential budget shifts and cuts for 2012 to City Council.
Northfield budgeting personnel will continue seeking ways to reduce the preliminary 2012 property tax levy before the levy is finalized in December. During Tuesday night’s City Council work session, City Administrator Tim Madigan and Finance Director Kathleen McBride presented a list of potential budget shifts and cuts intended to reduce a proposed property tax increase. Adopting one or more of those ideas could cut the levy increase from 6.63 percent—where it stands now—to less than 5 percent, they said. Councilors—who, at the meeting, received a binder of documents that will be used in their deliberations on the 2012 city budget—said they wanted to reduce the tax levy hike. Any funding cuts, though, must make sense in terms of city …
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801 Washington St, Northfield, MN
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Thursday, October 6, 2011
Northfield native Joseph Stapf brings three decades of experience in public works and utility engineering to the job. His appointment was approved on a 6-0 vote.
Northfield has its new public works director/city engineer. The City Council approved the hiring of Northfield native Joseph Stapf—City Administrator Tim Madigan’s choice to take charge of the city departments—at its regular meeting Tuesday. Stapf, who earned his undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota, returns to the state after serving as director of environmental services for Hernando County, FL since last October. “He comes to us with 30 years of experience in the public works field and utility engineering,” said Madigan. “He does bring a lot of background and experience.” Councilors approved Stapf’s hiring on a 6-0 vote, with Councilor Erica Zweifel abstaining. Zweifel said she decided not to vote …
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Northfield City Hall
801 Washington St, Northfield, MN
/articles/northfield-city-council-approves-public-works-directorcity-engineer-hire
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/locations/5532111
Barb Palmquist
7:36 am on Monday, January 23, 2012
It's about time we do the right thing and surport domestic partnership. more ›