Fridley Citizens Support a New Civic Campus

Fridley City Council meetings do not typically attract large crowds. City operations of budgets, building permits and water issues just aren’t that captivating. It’s why we elected our council members to take care of these decisions in the first place. Always open to the public, most of the time our elected officials are perched in a semi-circle addressing an empty chamber at each meeting.

Most of the time.

Every once in a while, Fridley residents will shake off their sleepy indifference, put on their coats and hats, and drive to City Hall to hear for themselves about a major development in our community. Such was the case on November 14th when dozens of men and women squeezed shoulder to shoulder to listen and give voice to the issue of the new Civic Campus at the Columbia Arena site.

Our City Council voted unanimously in favor of making this new investment. Our current City Hall was designed and built to serve the Fridley of 1966. We have simply outgrown it. Independent studies have been done since 2013 to advise the best solution. Stay and repair, or move and build anew. Staying would cost us about $35M in required repairs and updates, but would leave us in a building that is inadequate to serve our community. Moving to Columbia Arena means building a new facility to appropriately house Police, Fire, Public Works, and City Government for an additional cost of $15M (total around $50M).

Building a new Civic Campus at Columbia Arena is the conclusion reached after years of analysis and public participation that helped to shape the final plan. This project will be funded by a $50M bond over the next 25 years, averaging less than $10 a month in taxes for the average valued home. This bond is a Capital Improvement Plan Bond, specifically designated for essential public buildings (MN statute 475.521) which does not require it be put to a public vote. However, it must be approved by the City Council, which it has.

This project has green lights across the board in funding, city approval and public engagement. Easy. Or it should be.

Like a storm on the horizon, there is opposition brewing and they are working hard to file a petition to stop this project and bring the Civic Campus to a referendum. On the surface, this sounds like a reasonable idea – shouldn’t the voters be allowed a direct say in an investment like this? But should they gather enough signatures to force a referendum, it will cost $20K to run a special election and delay completion of the project by a year—assuming the special election results in a vote for the new Civic Campus. More importantly, the one year delay in the bonding process will add another $3M-$5M to the cost. Should the referendum not pass, we will be paying $35M anyway just to stay in our current location. Unfortunately, funding repairs on the current building will come out of our operating budget, meaning some city services will need to be reduced or eliminated.

Without a special bond for funding, no reserves or levy’s available, some Police staff and services will have to be eliminated. Period.

At the city council meeting, 19 citizens spoke in support of the new Civic Center, and 4 spoke against it (of which two were simply unsure about the investment). One that spoke in opposition to a new Civic Campus was Pam Reynolds, a meticulous longtime Fridley resident who has a history of opposing City progress at nearly every turn. She argued that even though this decision was fully within the legal purview of the Council, it felt like Taxation Without Representation to her. She announced her intention to gather signatures to try to force the issue to a general election (with the accompanying delays and increased costs).

The opposition’s position is built on the kind of rhetoric that promotes anger for perceived wrongs, clings to a past that no longer exists, and feeds on the fears of the uninformed.

It is not a question of being taxed for the costs of city buildings, it’s a question of paying a lot to maintain old outdated buildings or investing in our future. The threat of having this project delayed with added expense, or possibly not happen at all, has inspired a private group called Fridley Citizens to campaign in support of the new City Campus. We are focusing on informing the public based on facts, and how our decisions will affect the community.

Our number one priority is to STOP A SUCCESSFUL PETITION from being filed on December 14th. If you are in support of the new Civic Campus:

• REJECT THE PETITION.
• If you’ve signed the petition before realizing the consequences, you can RESCIND it (you must rescind by December 14th) by contacting Fridley City Hall at 763-571-3450 or mail to 6431 University Ave, Fridley 55432.
• Talk to your neighbors and community networks to make sure they know their options.
• Get updates and share your thoughts on the Fridley Political Exchange Facebook page
• If you’d like to join our efforts, you can contact Mandy Meisner at MandyMeisner00@gmail.com

A FEW FACTS: Public invitations have been extended to all Fridley residents since the Spring of 2015 involving: 800 hours of citizen input, 3 open houses, 3 city wide direct mailings, 9 city newsletters, 4 citizen workshops, 10 televised public meetings, and 13 Council workshops.

Many citizens have participated, many voices have been heard. Don’t let a few outspoken critics now derail a thoughtful, fully vetted, and important decision.

_____________________________________________________________________

View the full November 14th City Council meeting, HERE public commentary starts at 1:04. You can get more information about the Civic Campus at City of Fridley. To learn more about the Fridley Citizen group, you can go to FridleyCitizens.com

JOIN YOUR FRIDLEY CITIZEN NEIGHBORS AND REJECT THE PETITION

Scott Lund

Avonna Stark

Jason & Rachael Ossmann

Jay King

Ross & Mandy Meisner

Greg & Sandy Ackerman

Deb Strand

Bob Barnette

Dave & Cindy Ruschy

Pat Gabel

Ryan Evanson

Terry & Kent Pierce

Malcolm & Annette Mitchell

Karen McCulloh

Carolyn Manthei-Lund

Stephen & Mary Eggert

Dave Sallman

Gordon Backlund

Jeff & Jane Shaw

Virgil & Susan Okeson

Bill Linton

Laurence & Julie Doth

Bruce Nelson

Rod & Cindy Hogetvedt

Blaine & Lee Jones

Rich Johnston

Jeremy Powers

Jerry & Donna Bahls

Ann Bolkcom

Delores Varichak

Jim Saefke

This blog is a personal opinion piece and does not represent the views of any of the businesses I work with.