County Board Notes-April 26, 2011

A part of the OACCT's Public Policy efforts for 2011 is for volunteers from the Public Policy committee attend both City and County meetings and report back on items that are of interest/concern to business.

four different items during their meeting at 3:00 PM.


1. The Human Services Issue - the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that the county had to pay for services for a person who lived out of Steele County but wanted to reside in an assisted living facility in Steele County. The County Board of commissioners has decided to have the County Attorney appeal the decision, as it takes away their ability to decide what is best for our county. There is a big article in the Peoples Press this morning regarding this if you want more detail.

2. On the 800MHz Tower - they discussed a concern that someone might construct an object that would interfere with the transmission and signal from the tower to the Courthouse. The MNDOT tower is located 6.29 miles from the Courthouse and they are considering putting an ordinance to prohibit this from happening.

3. Lawn Mowing Contract - they received three bids from local contractors for this and they all seemed to meet the county's requirements. It was suggested that they take the low bid since they all met the counties requirements.

4. Youth First Initiative - Steve Schroht was approached by them and requested a$5,000.00 annual fee to promote sportsmanship among participants, parents, coaches and officials throughout the county. They are working with many of the youth sports clubs in Owatonna and want to expand that to the other communities in the county as well as other extra curricular activities in the schools. In return, the Youth First staff would assist with scheduling fundraising events, apply for grants and help coordinate additional events at the Four Seasons facility to bring in additional revenue for the county. It sounded like they were all in favor of this.

5. County Road #6 & Hwy 14 - they also discussed this issue that was not on their agenda. It seems that the City of Owatonna has put some blame on the county for the concerns about safety and access at this intersection. The county's take on this is that they had no say in how this was configured because the DOT mandates what happens with theses intersections, but the city has some special power to override this if they feel the need. And the city used that power at the time the intersection was constructed, but is now blaming the county for the issues that have risen since its construction.

City Board Notes-April 19, 2011

A part of the OACCT's Public Policy efforts for 2011 is for volunteers from the Public Policy committee attend both City and County meetings and report back on items that are of interest/concern to business.

Agenda item 3.4.1 Ordinance 3-11: This item was a final approval of the Annexation Ordinance annexing 49.06 acres of land located on Lemond Road into the city. The EDA budget will pay approximately $3,000 in costs for processing the annexation and township reimbursements. Approved.

Agenda item 3.4.2: First reading to approve a request to change the zoning for Huber Supply Company at 385 St. John Drive from B-2 (Community Business District) to I-1 (Light Industrial District). No budget impact.

Agenda item 3.4.3: In conjunction with 3.4.2, a first reading to amend the B-2 Highway Business Sign Overlay District map to remove Huber Supply Company at 385 St. John Drive. No budget impact.

Agenda item 3.5.1 Resolution 15-11: Approved a resolution for the 2011 Curb, Gutter, and Bituminous Surfacing Improvements. A public hearing is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. May 17, 2011 in City Council Chambers.

Agenda item 3.5.2 Resolution 16-11: Approved a resolution for plans, specifications, and ordering advertisement for bids for Mineral Springs Road at Cherry Street and 24th Avenue NW from West Bridge Street to U.S. Hwy 14. Mineral Springs Road is a concrete pavement reconstruction project and 24th Avenue NW is a bituminous reclamation and reconstruction project. Bids will be received by 10:00 a.m. May 25, 2011.

Agenda item 3.5.3 Resolution 17-11: Approved a resolution that the Minnesota Department of Transportation amend the preferred alternative in the Final Environmental Impact Statement to allow right-in/right-out access at the intersections of Steele County State Aid Highway No. 6/Austin Road and U.S. Highway 14.

Agenda item 3.5.4 Resolution 18-11: Approved a resolution calling for a public hearing relating to the proposed Steele County Communities for a Lifetime (SCCL) project and the issuance of conduit revenue bonds of up to $5,000,000. Only councilor Truelson opposed.

Agenda item 3.5.5 Resolution 19-11: Approved a plat of the Mayo Clinic Addition. Although the City Council approved the final plat of the Mayo Clinic addition at its December 21, 2010 meeting, the plat was never recorded. By recording the resolution, the plat will also be recorded.

Kris Busse announced that the Board of Equalization hearing has been scheduled for Monday, April 25, at 7:00 p.m.

Details on the above agenda items are available at this link: http://ci.owatonna.mn.us/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Agenda-Packet-2011-04-19.pdf

April 2011 Talk of the Town

Chamber President Brad Meier discusses the latest!

Appx. 15 min.
MP3 File

Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act Information

IR-2010-43, April 7, 2010

WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service today released a new form that will help employers claim the special payroll tax exemption that applies to many newly-hired workers during 2010, created by the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act signed by President Obama on March 18.

New Form W-11, Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act Employee Affidavit, is now posted on IRS.gov, along with answers to frequently asked questions about the payroll tax exemption and the related new hire retention credit. The new law requires that employers get a statement from each eligible new hire, certifying under penalties of perjury, that he or she was unemployed during the 60 days before beginning work or, alternatively, worked fewer than a total of 40 hours for anyone during the 60-day period. Employers can use Form W-11 to meet this requirement.

Most eligible employers then use Form 941, Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return, to claim the payroll tax exemption for eligible new hires. This form, revised for use beginning with the second calendar quarter of 2010, is currently posted as a draft form on IRS.gov and will be released next month as a final along with the form's instructions.

Though employers need this certification to claim both the payroll tax exemption and the new hire retention credit, they do not file these statements with the IRS. Instead, they must retain them along with other payroll and income tax records.

The HIRE Act created two new tax benefits designed to encourage employers to hire and retain new workers. As a result, employers who hire unemployed workers this year (after Feb. 3, 2010, and before Jan. 1, 2011) may qualify for a 6.2-percent payroll tax incentive, in effect exempting them from the employer's share of social security tax on wages paid to these workers after March 18. This reduction will have no effect on the employee's future Social Security benefits, and employers would still need to withhold the employee's 6.2-percent share of Social Security taxes, as well as income taxes. In addition, for each unemployed worker retained for at least a year, businesses may claim a new hire retention credit of up to $1,000 per worker when they file their 2011 income tax returns.

These two tax benefits are especially helpful to employers who are adding positions to their payrolls. New hires filling existing positions also qualify but only if the workers they are replacing left voluntarily or for cause. Family members and other relatives do not qualify for either of these tax incentives. Businesses, agricultural employers, tax-exempt organizations, tribal governments and public colleges and universities all qualify to claim the payroll tax exemption for eligible newly-hired employees. Household employers and federal, state and local government employers, other than public colleges and universities, are not eligible. Visit IRS.gov for details.

More information on the HIRE Act

City Council Notes-April 5, 2011

A part of the OACCT's Public Policy efforts for 2011 is for volunteers from the Public Policy committee attend both City and County meetings and report back on items that are of interest/concern to business. The bids for 2011 Road materials was approved and again presented that the lowest bid in each category get the bid. The DNR grant funds were discussed to have the city purchase 338 Mineral Springs Rd property. The demo of the building would run about $5 - $7 thousand dollars and the purchase price is $80,000 with $40,000 coming out of the storm water fund. The recommendation was based on the fact that because of the Kwik Trip expansion there they would be adding asphalt and would have to upgrade the storm water system there unless they bought the property and used it as a storm water pond. It was approved by the city. They also reviewed the preliminary plat of Ag Power Addition. The lift station and sanitary sewer lines will need to be oversized to service additional property to the south and east. Costs associated with any oversizing of services would typically be paid for by the city from the city’s wastewater treatment fund. The city may want additional hook up fees from businesses using these utilities to recoup the costs of oversizing. Just for information the experience mod for the city’s workers compensation went down with a result of a decrease in workers comp by about $100,000. They were also able to recover some funds for road maintenance and repair so they will be trying to do some of those projects this spring. They did not specify how much or how the funds were recovered. They have also begun the water flow testing to determine the extent of necessary repairs to the water flow system. It will continue all summer. In the notes of the Owatonna Planning Commission and Park and Recreation Board Minutes they discuss a sidewalk and trail plan. Klecker explained the 10 point rating system that was used for the sidewalks. They have developed a prioritized map of existing and proposed sidewalks and trails. They have been focusing on commercial areas and connections to those commercial areas. They are going to present it to City council. In the minutes of the Planning Commission they discuss the desire of a resident to install a solar energy system on his property. This system would have to be elevated on a 40 foot tall pole. It would be 24 feet square and high enough so that it’s over the houses. It would be the size of a billboard and move with the sun. It should upstand 90 mile an hour winds and the pole would be about 16 feet from the property line. There is no current ordinance for a structure like this or for a wind turbine. Lastly, they are holding another coffee with the council this Saturday, April 9th, at 8am at Old Time Bagels.