Victoria MN Newspaper

TINY CAMERA DOES THE JOB IN HD

WORKING FOR VICTORIA, NOT THE LMCC

Isaac Leif, a 16 year old Mound Westonka High School student, has been hired by the City of Victoria to video city council meetings. Although he also worked for the Lake Minnetonka Communications Commission, Isaac's first gig under city authority was Monday, January 13th, 2014.

Last year the City of Victoria opted out of the LMCC to save thousands of dollars, with the expectation that students could be hired to video council meetings.

Said City Manager Don Uram, "This is a new video system. The video of council meetings will be posted on the city's website within two or three days of the meeting. We'll be doing it this way until the new City Hall is built. This system will be employed until we have the new video system."

Mr. Uram said that council meetings can only be viewed on the city's website at this time. By next November, or whenever construction of the new City Hall is completed, the video will also be available for viewing a cable channel.

According to Jennie Kretsch, Victoria City Clerk, the City of Victoria now owns the microphones and video equipment, purchased from the LMCC. "The LMCC charged $500 for necessary audio visual components that they left behind," reported Jennie. "The city owned some of the pieces already. The LMCC's camera was very old but still worked for producing videos. However, they are not in High Definition. The city's new camera was only $300 and is HD." It's the city's new camera shown in the photo above.

Isaac Leif is now being paid by the city, $325 per city council meeting. "This covers video prep, taping, mixing, production, and prep onto the city's website," said Jennie.

SHORTER SCOOP FROM JANUARY

HOPING TO PAVE LRT TRAIL IN 2017

*Council approved application for a grant to pave a portion of the LRT trail from the Stieger Lake Boat Launch east to Rolling Acres Road, a length of approximately one mile. If selected, the project would occur in 2017. The grant would cover 80% of construction cost.

*Lakebridge Park improvements continue to be made. As of January 13th, 93% of the total contract amount of $360,197 had been made to contractor K.A. Witt Construction. Dollars are coming from the Park Improvement Fund which received dollars for the Park from development fees.

*Aster Trail and Aster Circle improvements continue to be made. As of January 13th, total original contract amount of $961,484 has been reduced to $959,435. Payments have been made to Midwest Civil Constructors representing 96% of that latter amount.

*The city budgeted for 55 new homes in Victoria in 2013, but issued permits for 119. This resulted in an additional $274,546 in additional building permit revenue than anticipated. The extra dollars were placed in the city's Revenue Stabilization Fund to cover possible "future revenue shortfalls or unexpected significant expenditures." That fund now totals $593,495.

*Council approved the Pay Equity Implementation Report. The City of Victoria is in compliance with the Pay Equity Act.

*Council supports Carver County in its RFP's for the Resilience Communities Program offered through the University of MN. If Carver County is selected, projects in Victoria are also eligible for support.

*One hundred percent of sealcoating improvements in Victoria for 2013 have been paid totaling $81,783 to contractor Allied Blacktop.

*Council authorized the disposal of unusable or unneeded pieces of equipment from the Victoria Fire Department to be sold at auction. Total value of equipment, which includes items such as a 1976 Chevy Van ($1,500) and a 6 hp outboard motor ($500)at $3,165.

*Council accepted donations from the following: Mount Olivet Rolling Acres ($1,500) to the City of Victoria; Ruth and John Kroening ($125), Michael and Delayne Ballard ($150), and Natasha Arntsen (100) to the Victoria Fire Department; Madelyn Creek Townhomes ($500) for Madelyn Creek Park Equipment; Victoria Business Owners Association ($250) to Park and Recreation; Victoria on Ice Event/Mary Meuwissen/Nan Emmer for gym equipment for open gym time ($250) and printing/promotion ($250) for Victoria for a Lifetime Commission.

*Council voted 5-0 in December to extend the preliminary plat for Chevalle 17th Addition in Victoria to June 1st, 2014. It was approved in June 2013 and the city requires a final plat to be submitted within six months of approval of the preliminary plat.

*Councilmember Jim Crowley reported on January 13th that he had been mistaken at a city council meeting on December 9th. "I received an email from Brenny Veit. I have met her before. There was a brief conversation last summer. I apologize, and I stand by the rest of my comments."

*Finance Manager Kelly Grinnell and the City of Victoria will receive an award from the Government Finance Officers Association for outstanding achievement in popular annual financial reporting. Said Kelly, "It means somebody independent of the city looked at the numbers. I'm glad we got it. It contributes to transparency." Council congratulated Kelly and said, "Job well done."