Heroin Charges, Police Chief Resigns, Starting School in Mid-August?: Top Stories in December

Here's a look back at what everyone was talking about in December.

We're a handful of days into January, so what better time is there to look back at the busy month of December? There were a lot of big stories in December, so let's jump right into it show you the most viewed posts on Patch last month. POLICE SCHOOLS THE REST Follow Northfield Patch on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter

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Week in Review: Taylor Resigns, Bagel Shop Update, Barn Fire

Northfield Patch recaps the happenings of the past week.

POLICE/FIRE SCHOOLS BUSINESS SPORTS COMMUNITY GOVERNMENT

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Mark Taylor Resigns as Director of Public Safety

As director of public safety, Mark Taylor was responsible for all police department, fire service and emergency management operations.

After more than four and a half years as Northfield’s top cop, Mark Taylor has submitted his resignation to the City of Northfield. Taylor, whose position evolved from police chief to director of public safety in September 2010 and was responsible for all police department, fire service and emergency management operations, will head to Milwaukee to be with his wife, Suzette, who moved there two months ago for a job. For Taylor, who has 27 years of experience in law enforcement—with the last 14 years on the administrative side—it's time for something new. "I am going to take a little bit of a break," he said. "I'm ready for a little change of pace." Taylor has an interest in getting involved with corporate security, but that's only one of "…

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Northfield Fire Chief, Attorney Say City Breached Contract

In a letter to the Council, attorney David Hvistendahl writes that the city cannot abolish Franek's position and create a new one with the same or similar duties without breaching its contract with Franek.

Attorney David Hvistendahl says the City of Northfield has breached its contract with Fire Chief Gerry Franek. In a letter to the Council, City Administrator Tim Madigan and Director of Public Safety Mark Taylor, Hvistendahl, whose firm Hvistendahl, Moersch, Dorsey & Hahn is representing Franek in the matter, writes that the city cannot abolish Franek's position and create a new one with the same or similar duties without breaching its contract with Franek. (The letter is attached as a PDF.) The city this summer wanted to move to a salaried, full-time fire commander position to fix organizational and safety problems first identified by a state inspector in February. Last month, however, Madigan dropped the proposal to curb city …

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UPDATED: Northfield Police Respond to Possible Shooting Outside of Target, Cub Foods

Police continue to search for two or more persons of interest.

UPDATE: 3 p.m. Friday Police are still searching for two or more persons of interest who may have information about Thursday night's apparent shootings in both Faribault and Northfield. No one is believed to have been injured from the shootings, said Northfield Director of Public Safety Mark Taylor. Read the full story below. _______________ Law enforcement officials were searching the wooded area behind Target, Cub Foods and Applebee's late Thanksgiving and early Friday for suspects in a possible shooting. Northfield Police Director of Public Safety Mark Taylor said officers don't believe anyone was injured in the shooting. Taylor said the incident is believed to have started in Faribault with a possible shooting between two individuals …

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Northfield Council Sidelines Drug Paraphernalia Proposal, For Now

Questions about the enforceability of the proposal ordinance were raised by the council, city prosecutor, local attorney.

An effort to put a drug paraphernalia ordinance on the books in Northfield has been sidelined, at least for the time being. At Tuesday’s City Council work session, most councilors indicated that it’s the wrong time to pursue the ordinance because of lingering questions regarding its enforceability. Councilor Rhonda Pownell spoke in the minority, saying that the council would send a strong anti-drug message to residents by moving ahead with the ordinance. “The council can say it doesn’t want it to make it easy to do drugs in our community,” Pownell said. “I want to make it difficult.” The proposed ordinance would prohibit the possession, use and sale of drug-related items—for instance, glass smoking pipes, scales, sifters, spoons and bowls—…

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Northfield Council to Look at How Much of a Public Safety Center the City Can Afford

Public Safety Director Mark Taylor, other city staff will create list of what amenities can be cut out of the proposed safety center

Instead of figuring out how to pay for a new Public Safety Center, the Northfield City Council decided Tuesday to begin determining how much safety center the city can afford. Councilors voted 6-1 to direct city staff—in particular, Public Safety Director Mark Taylor—to list ways of reducing the square-footage of a new safety center and how those reductions would impact the center’s bottom line. Councilor Rhonda Pownell voted against the measure. Specifically, Taylor is being asked to judge what amenities are essential at the proposed facility, and what are not for the time being. The council did not set a minimum dollar amount on the savings Taylor must achieve in reducing the size of the proposed safety center, which now stands at about …

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Northfield City Council Split Over Fire Administrator Position

A decision on the position will come before the council finalizes a 2012 budget.

State Law: Guns Allowed in Northfield City Buildings

Residents with a permit can walk into city buildings while carrying a gun.

Editor's Note: Through 17 localized stories that all went online today, Minnesota Patch explores an aspect of the state's Personal Protection Act that prohibits cities from banning firearms in their government centers and other city buildings. Click the "Change Towns" in the upper right corner of the Patch home page to read the stories posted on other Minnesota Patch sites. It makes sense to believe Northfield officials can ban people from bringing firearms onto city property—except they can’t. While state offices, churches, public schools, private businesses and all courthouses can ban people from bringing guns past the front door, city government buildings and meeting places not attached to courthouses are open to anyone armed and …

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Northfield City Council Sets Deadline For Safety Center Financial Plan

Councilors want to have its finances in order by Feb. 1, 2011, to fund the new Northfield Safety Center.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved Feb. 1, 2011, as the deadline to have a financial plan in place for a new Northfield Safety Center. The Council also previewed potential financing options for the project. Options include capital improvement plan bonds, lease revenue bonds and referendum bonds. Lease revenue bonds allow the quickest start of the project—city staff projects bidding could start in May, with construction beginning in July and finishing a year later—but would have a higher interest rate with a lower bond rating, according to Northfield Finance Director Kathleen McBride. Due to the public approval requirements of CIP and referendum bonds, each of those projects would start two to four months later than a lease …

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