Message from your Mayor
In an effort to stay connected with the community, Mayor Jerry Tveit will be periodically publishing a "Message from your Mayor" as a part of our monthly newsletter.  Past issues of the St. Francis newsletter are available on this website.

Message from 2011 Winter Newsletter

By now, no doubt, everybody has received their property tax statement for 2012.  I know when I opened mine, I saw that my city portion of the tax increased by $47.14.  Since I know that the city council passed a ZERO % tax levy increase, I started asking questions to find out why this has happened.  This is what I discovered. 

The Minnesota Legislature decided to change the way property taxes were calculated.  In the past, homeowners would receive a Homesteaded Credit.  The Legislature did away with the credit and replaced it with a Homestead Exclusion.  The exclusion excludes a portion of the property value from property taxes.  The amount of the exclusion is based upon the value of the property.  The more the property is worth, the LOWER the exclusion.  That means that the property is assessed a greater portion of the taxes.  There is a link to a short video on the City of St. Francis website under the Finance Dept. that explains how the formula works.  Nobody from the City knew exactly how the property taxes were going to be affected until the statements were mailed out in late October.  The levy did not change; the way the homeowners were assessed DID change.  Taxes were NOT raised to pay for the new Public Works/Public Safety building.

The Public Works/Public Safety building is coming along nicely.  The footings are poured and the walls should be going up soon.  The weather has been on our side and that has allowed us to get on the fast track to get things done.  I will keep you informed with more updates as they happen.  Check out the City’s web site for updates and to view the live webcam of the building project.

I also want to let everyone know that the 2012 Mayor’s Trail Ride is going to be January 21 and we will be to leaving from the Anoka Co. Fairgrounds. The Mayor’s of Andover, Anoka, Nowthen, Oak Grove and Ramsey will also be participating in the ride. The St. Francis portion of the proceeds will go to the St. Francis Ambassadors Program.   Please come out and show your support for this worthwhile organization.   Call 763-421-7130 for more information. 

There are still openings on our Parks, and Planning and Zoning Commissions.  Please stop by City Hall and fill out an application, only through your involvement can we make a positive difference in St. Francis.  Let yourself be heard.

Jerry Tveit

Mayor of St. Francis

*Due to warm weather the 2012 Mayor's Snowmobile Trail ride has been rescheduled for Feb. 11, 2012.