May 2003

Buckle up! Woodbury police join statewide seat belt campaign
Seat belt statistics
Check clock, calendar before sprinkling
Council Perspective: Tax shift unfair to metro area homeowners
Prevent crime by taking some simple precautions
Foreign visitors learn in Woodbury
Keep streets free from obstructions
Start snapping photos for annual 'Focus on Woodbury' contest
Please clean up after your pet!

Buckle up! Woodbury police join statewide seat belt campaign

Woodbury police officers are buckling down on unbuckled vehicle occupants in the City of Woodbury from May 19 through June 1 as part of the largest statewide, synchronized enforcement of seat belt laws. The "May Mobilization" offensive is part of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Safe & Sober education and enforcement campaign.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called for every state to execute this mobilization to increase seat belt use. In 2002, 657 traffic fatalities occurred on Minnesota roads, the highest death toll in 20 years. Among those killed, 333 were not wearing seat belts.

Woodbury's seat belt initiative will start May 19 at Woodbury High School, where School Resource Officer Steve Hilyar and several other Woodbury police officers will be checking students for seat belt use as they leave parking lots at the end of the school day.

"The younger teen drivers and passengers are the focal point of our campaign," said Sgt. Curt Zacharias, who is coordinating the department's effort. "Traffic crashes are the leading killer of Minnesota teens."

Woodbury is joined in the statewide campaign by 350 other agencies and the State Patrol.

Mock accident
The Woodbury High School chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) is also making an effort to educate teen drivers and passengers on the importance of wearing seat belts and the dangers of drinking and driving.

SADD, in cooperation with the Woodbury Public Safety Department, will stage a mock accident at Woodbury High School Wednesday, May 21, from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. It is expected to be a powerful reminder of the consequences of drinking and driving - just days prior to this year's prom on May 24.

"Mock crash scenarios held in other communities traditionally have had a profound effect on the students," Zacharias said.

The SADD-sponsored mock accident will be the first to take place in Woodbury. A donation of $2,500 -- made at the annual law enforcement/high school benefit hockey game in March -- will fund the event.

The scenario will feature Woodbury High School students portraying the crash victims. Woodbury police squad cars and rescue equipment, and a Minnesota State Patrol helicopter will respond to the scene.

EMS Week
The Woodbury Emergency Medical Services (EMS) team, consisting of police paramedics and firefighter/EMTs, also will have a role in the mock accident.

Woodbury is one of only three cities in the state of Minnesota to use a combination system of police paramedics and firefighter/EMTs. Because of it, the average response time to emergency medical calls in Woodbury is just 3.5 minutes. This is less than half the National Fire Protection Association's response goal of eight minutes, and about a third of the American Heart Association's target that calls for two paramedics on the scene within 12 minutes.

Emergency Medical Services Week, observed nationally, is May 18-24.

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Seat belt statistics

• Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for persons age 4 to 33.
• Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for Minnesota teens -- more than the next six leading causes combined.
• One person in Minnesota was killed every 13.5 hours in a motor vehicle crash during 2002.
• Minnesota rural roadways account for nearly 73 percent of traffic fatalities.
• Last year, 2,207 persons sustained severe injuries in motor vehicle crashes on Minnesota roadways. Of those severely injured, only 46 percent were reported to have used their seat belts.
• Of those severely injured on Minnesota roads in 2002, seat belt use was lowest among persons age 15 to 24.
• The total economic impact to Minnesota for all traffic fatalities and injuries was approximately $1.3 billion.
• Belt use in Woodbury is approximately 74 percent, below the state's overall rate of 80 percent.

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Check clock, calendar before sprinkling

Lawn watering quiz: What are the two questions you should ask yourself before turning on your lawn sprinkler?

Answer: (1) What time is it? (2) Is this an even or an odd calendar day?

Knowing the answers to the questions will help you comply with city code and may prevent you from receiving a citation for watering on the wrong day or at the wrong time of day.

To encourage conservation, maintain adequate water pressure, and ensure fire-fighting reserves, the City of Woodbury has adopted these lawn watering restrictions:

1. Lawn watering is prohibited between noon and 5 p.m. every day of the week.
2. Watering is allowed before noon and after 5 p.m. on an odd/even schedule. This means that residents with addresses ending in an even number (2, 4, etc.) may water their lawn on even-numbered calendar days. Likewise, those with addresses ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, etc.) may only sprinkle lawns on odd-numbered calendar days.

This policy is in effect year-round. Residents and businesses who do not comply with the watering restrictions may be cited for violating city code and fined.

Remember that:

• Watering regulations are strictly enforced and no warnings are issued.
• Automatic sprinkling systems must be set to comply with both the odd/even schedule and the hours of the day when watering is allowed.

Special watering permits can be obtained for newly-placed sod and seed. Call Public Works at (651) 714-3720 for information.

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Council Perspective: Tax shift unfair to metro area homeowners

If you've been following news reports about the state's huge budget deficit, you probably are aware that state aid to cities and counties has been a fairly prominent part of the budget debate. The governor has proposed deep cuts that would affect all cities in Minnesota.

Under his proposal, Woodbury would lose all of its state aid, resulting in a reduction of $1,097,978 in 2003 revenues. This represents about five percent of our General Fund budget. Other suburban cities, such as Eagan, Eden Prairie, Lakeville, and Maplewood, are in the same boat. As a group, these cities will lose 100 percent of their aid.

Despite these cuts, some legislators and local officials say suburban communities are not contributing enough to solving the state's budget dilemma through aid reductions. And it is true that suburban cities will lose fewer state aid dollars than cities in greater Minnesota.

But this argument assumes that residents of greater Minnesota are already bearing their fair share of the tax burden relative to services received. This is not the case.

Data compiled by the League of Minnesota Cities show that Twin Cities metro homeowners in 2002 paid 2.78 percent of their income in property taxes. In comparison, homeowners in greater Minnesota paid 2.09 percent. That means the tax burden is 33 percent larger for metro area residents than greater Minnesota residents.

State aid programs are intended to equalize the ability of cities to provide basic public services. But cities don't pay property taxes; homeowners and businesses do. If the state's property tax redistribution system were fair, it would treat all taxpayers equitably, no matter where they live. The current system doesn't. It excessively buys down the cost of services for out-state homeowners.

From bad to worse
The current situation is bad enough, but a bill introduced in both legislative houses would actually make things worse. Authored by Rep. Dan Dorman and Sen. Keith Langseth, and backed by the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities, this proposal would reverse last year's property tax reform by shifting more than $125 million in annual property taxes back to property taxpayers in the seven-county metro area.

That represents slightly more than $3 million in additional taxes for Woodbury taxpayers, resulting in an increase of $168 on the average value home (estimated to be $264,757 for 2004). The increase has nothing to do with city services and would not be paid to the City of Woodbury.

The mechanism for this shift is the state transit levy. The levy was taken over by the state in 2001 as part of the property tax reform. Now the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities wants the Legislature to put this levy back on the property tax bill. The money saved by shifting this transit tax to metro area property taxpayers would then be used to reduce the proposed cuts in state aid to cities. Those benefiting would primarily be greater Minnesota cities.

The legislative session is scheduled to end May 19. As this newsletter goes to print, the tax transfer proposal is still alive and may well be part of the omnibus tax bill that usually is debated by the Legislature during the final hours of the session. If you do not wish your relative tax burden to go from bad to worse, you should call or e-mail your state legislators and urge them to oppose this multi-million dollar shift.

Legislators representing Woodbury are: Sen. Brian LeClair, (651) 296-4166 (sen.brian.leclair@senate.mn), Rep. Karen Klinzing, (651) 296-1147 (rep.karen.klinzing@house.leg.state.mn.us), and Rep. Eric Lipman, (651) 296-4244 (rep.eric.lipman@house.leg.state.mn.us).

Suburban cities, including Woodbury, certainly expect to be part of the state's budget solution. However, we believe that cuts and changes in state aid should move the system toward greater taxpayer equity, not less.

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Prevent crime by taking some simple precautions

Springtime brings warmer weather, longer daylight hours, and -- unfortunately -- the need to be more vigilant about crime prevention. Inevitably, as the weather gets warmer it is more likely that certain crimes will occur.

"Garage burglaries increase in the summer," said Sgt. Mike Pepin, "because people leave their garages open while working or playing in the yard and then forget to close them at night. A burglar is very tempted when he sees golf clubs and tools in an open garage at a time when the owner is probably sleeping."

Another tempting target is your car parked on the street or in the driveway, especially if it contains high end stereo equipment, exposed CDs or CD cases, purses, wallets, laptops or other items of value left in plain view for criminals to see.

"As the temperature rises vandalism tends to increase as well," said Pepin. "People are outside and they stay out later. Sometimes they commit minor pranks, but often these pranks escalate to more serious damage."

Safety reminders
Preventing most of these crimes can be simple. Most people know what precautions to take, but how many consistently practice those precautions? Following are a few reminders for a safer spring and summer:

• Close and lock the overhead garage door and garage service door when you are not in or near the garage.
• Close and lock windows at night and when you are not at home. Keep doors closed and locked when you go to bed.
• Lock your front doors when working in the back yard (and vice versa).
• Don't leave bicycles and other valuable items unattended, even in the front yard or open garage.
• Always roll up car windows and lock car doors. Avoid leaving packages or other items of value in an open car even if you are "just running in for a minute or two." Never leave the ignition key for the car inside it. Park inside at night, if possible.
• If you suffer minor, seemingly insignificant, vandalism to your home or property, don't hesitate to call police. Vandalism is often a problem of escalation. Individuals getting away with minor pranks often cause more substantial damage later.
• Light up the outside of your house from dusk until dawn.
• Report suspicious persons or situations to the police immediately. If possible, jot down the license number from vehicles and the direction of travel.

Contact the Woodbury Police Department at (651) 739-4141 if you have questions about crime prevention. With the community and police department working together as a team, we have the best chance of preventing crime.

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Foreign visitors learn in Woodbury

Woodbury's Building Inspection Division hosted visitors from Russia and the Republic of Kazakhstan on May 1. Dr. Yurij Matrosov, director of CENEf, the leading energy efficiency organization in Russia, and Kazbek Baiymeshev, staff director of the construction committee of the Ministry of Economy and Trade in Kazakhstan, toured homes under construction in the Eagle Valley development. The two men were interested in learning about general building techniques used in the United States and practices that produce more energy efficient homes.

In the top photo, Woodbury building inspector Paul Schoenecker, left, explains how a gas fireplace venting system can move exhaust and intake through the same piece of equipment. Looking on are Baiymeshev, center, Matrosov, right, and Don Sivigny, energy specialist with the state of Minnesota Building Code and Standards Division, background.

Below, Schoenecker describes a technique used to anchor walls to a structure's foundation using a combination of bolting and strapping. Matrosov, right, studies the area.

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Keep streets free from obstructions

If you're working on your landscaping, make sure that rocks, topsoil, and any other materials you are using are kept out of the street. The City Council amended ordinances 15-1 and 15-2 in 2001 to prohibit residents and contractors from depositing landscaping materials, dumpsters, and other obstructions on city streets.

The changes are designed to preserve streets from undesirable equipment wear, prevent material from washing into the storm sewer system, and to ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists, who may not notice unmarked obstructions. City personnel will issue citations to individuals who violate the ordinance by placing materials in the streets. The city also may remove the material and charge the removal costs to the responsible party.

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Start snapping photos for annual 'Focus on Woodbury' contest

What makes Woodbury a special place? For the fifth year, the city invites you to answer that question with your personal photographs that showcase Woodbury scenes and Woodbury residents.

Select your best three images and enter them in the annual "Focus on Woodbury" photo contest. While this year's contest will be similar to previous competitions, the timetable for entering and displaying the winners has changed - giving local shutterbugs more time to shoot and prepare entries.

"For 2003, we will hold the contest in conjunction with Cities Week in October," said Communications Coordinator Julie Lehr. "Showcasing Woodbury through the unique images captured by our residents is a fitting way to celebrate life in our city."

The deadline for submitting entries will be 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5. This gives participants more than a month of additional time, compared to the late July deadline of previous contests, to shoot and prepare their entries. Winners will be announced and displayed at Central Park during Cities Week in early October.

The contest is open to Woodbury residents and employees of Woodbury businesses.

As in past contests, there are three categories for standard photography: nature; people and personalities; and event/feature. In addition, there is a separate category for digital or digitally-enhanced images.

Complete rules and entry blanks will be published in the July edition of the City Update. Meantime, start taking those award-winning photos. For more information, contact the Administration Department at (651) 714-3523.

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Please clean up after your pet!

The city receives complaints about animals year-round, but they increase in the spring when warmer weather brings more people outdoors to use the parks and trails. This time of year, many residents call City Hall or the Police Department to say they've had it up to their shoelaces with folks who don't pick up after their pets in public places.

"The city's parks maintenance crews are cleaning up problem areas along the trails so people who want to use trails don't have to contend with all the unsightly mess," said Parks and Recreation Director Bob Klatt. "But we need the help and cooperation of pet owners to keep our parks and trails clean."

City ordinances require pet owners to pick up after their pet and to carry supplies for excrement removal when walking a pet off their property. All messes on public property or on the private property of others must be cleaned up. The city code also prohibits dogs, cats or other domestic animals from running at large beyond the land limits of the pet owner.

"This means pets must be leashed and under your control when off your property," Klatt said. "The city receives complaints not only about dogs being at large, but also about cats that soil children's sandboxes."

Persons who do not comply with the city's ordinances requiring them to clean up after their pets may be cited for violating city code and fined. Copies of the city's animal control ordinance are available at the Woodbury Police Department, 2100 Radio Drive. If you have questions, call (651) 739-4141.

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