In the Pipeline - 01 January 2021A monthly news brief from the city of New Hope, Minnesota • newhopemn.gov
January
2021
Over
January/February
City Council Regular Meetings: Jan. 11 and 25, Feb. 8 and 22 at 7 p.m.
City Council Work Sessions: Jan. 19, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m.
Citizen Advisory Commission Meetings: Jan. 12, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.
Human Rights Commission Meetings: Jan. 6, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m.
Planning Commission meetings: Feb. 4 at 7 p.m.
Holidays (City Offices Closed): Jan. 1, New Year’s Day; Jan. 18, Martin Luther
King Jr. Day; Feb. 15, Presidents’ Day
All activities are at City Hall, 4401 Xylon Ave. N. unless otherwise indicated.
Agendas and minutes for meetings are available on the city’s website.
Schedule is subject to change. Call 763.531.5100 for more information.
Council Approves 2021 City Budget
The New Hope City Council approved the 2021 city of New Hope budget and tax
levy at its Dec. 14 meeting. The 2021 budget focuses on continuing to provide exist-
ing services and programs with current resources and on public safety. The 2021
general fund budget is $15,936,977, which is an increase of $526,427, or 3.4%, over
the 2020 budget. The tax levy for the entire 2021 budget is $17,417,601, which rep-
resents a 3.4% or $572,885 increase over the 2020 levy of $16,844,716, which was
a 10.08% increase. Although the tax levy is increasing, the city’s overall tax capacity
has also increased and the estimated tax rate is expected to decrease from 64.7% in
2020 to 62.5% in 2021. Major changes in the budget for 2021 include:
• Approximately $244,000 for wage and benefit increases; a 3% cost of living
adjustment is budgeted for employees along with an increase in the city’s share
of health insurance coverage; and a 3% increase in City Council salaries
• Approximately $156,000 for phase one of police department body and squad
camera purchases and deployment with phase two scheduled for 2022. This
cost will be funded by the IT reserve fund in order to minimize impact to the
general fund tax levy.
• Approximately $85,000 for West Metro Fire-Rescue District due to an increase
in New Hope’s share of the joint powers agreement and approximately $33,000
for replacement of the shared emergency generator between the fire district
and the new police station/city hall facility.
New Hope is scheduled to receive more than $865,000 in Local Government Aid
from the state of Minnesota in 2021, an increase of nearly $50,000 from 2020. The
revenue will be used to help cover general fund central garage equipment and
building replacement costs, not general operations.
Links to the complete 2021 budget and a presentation about the budget and tax
levy are available at newhopemn.gov/finance.
Snow Removal Tips
T New Hope declares a snow emer-
gency when there is an accumulating
snowfall of two inches or more OR
other warranting conditions. Vehicles
must remain off the street until the
pavement has been plowed to full
width.
T The city plows New Hope streets and
treats intersections, hills and curves. To
notify the city of concerns relating to
snow removal on a side street in New
Hope, call New Hope Public Works at
763.592.6777.
T Hennepin County maintains sev-
eral of the major streets in New Hope
including 42nd Avenue, Bass Lake
Road, Medicine Lake Road and Win-
netka Avenue from Bass Lake Road to
Medicine Lake Road. To report a winter
maintenance concern on these streets,
contact Hennepin County Public Works
at 612.596.0300.
T City ordinance prohibits shoveling or
plowing of snow into the street, across
the street or onto an adjacent neigh-
bor’s property.
T Property owners are responsible for
clearing sidewalks adjacent to their
property and clearing their mailbox. The
city does plow sidewalks as time and
resources allow, but not on weekends
and not on an overtime basis. The city
does not salt or sand sidewalks.
T West Metro Fire-Rescue encourages
residents to shovel out the fire hydrant
near their home. Keeping fire hydrants
free of snow reduces the time it takes
firefighters to access a hydrant if a fire
occurs.
Thank you for your generosity!
A special thank you to those who donated to the coat, food and toy drives.
Your donations made the holidays much brighter for local families in need!
Open Skating at New Hope Ice Arena
The New Hope Ice Arena is available beginning Jan. 8 for open skating most
Fridays, 6:30-8 p.m. and Sundays, 4-6 p.m. Preregistration is required. Call
763.531.5151 or register online through parks and recreation. Cost is $5/person.
Skate rental is also available in sizes youth 8 through adult 13 for $3/pair. For a
complete schedule visit newhopemn.gov/rec or call 763.531.5181.
Adult Softball Registration
Registration begins Feb. 8 for new teams to sign up for New Hope’s slow-pitch
softball leagues. New Hope offers Men’s Upper D leagues on Tuesdays or
Thursdays, Men’s Lower D and Men’s E leagues on Mondays or Wednesdays
and Co-Rec D leagues on Sundays or Tuesdays (double-header). League play
begins in late April or early May. Call for details.
Community Gyms Available for Rental
The New Hope Community Gyms, located on the north side of Cooper High
School, 8230 47th Ave., are available for community use during non-school hours.
The facility includes two gyms, each of which can be converted into a full-sized
basketball or volleyball court. The gyms are available for community use on week-
days after 6 p.m. during the school year and 24 hours a day on weekends, holidays,
and during the summer months. Call 763.531.5155 for details or to reserve gym
time.
Youth Martial Arts Classes
Youth will have various opportunities to learn more about martial arts in the
different class options available. Little Tigers is for ages 3-5 to learn basic self-
defense on Tuesdays, Jan. 19-Feb. 23 from 10-10:30 a.m. at the New Hope Ice
Arena. Virtual Tae Kwon Do is for ages 5 and up to learn about kicks, punches
and strikes on Tuesdays, Jan. 12-Feb. 16 from 6-6:45 p.m. virtually via Zoom.
Lightsaber Star Wars Sword Play is for ages 5-14 to learn about strikes, blocks
and stances using swords on Wednesdays, Feb. 3-17 from 6:30-7:15 p.m. at the
Crystal Community Center.
Snowman & Snow Sculpture Contest
The Citizen Advisory Commission is sponsoring a snowman and snow sculp-
ture contest this winter. Residents are encouraged to create a snowman or
snow sculpture and email a photo of their masterpiece along with their name,
address and a title to rec@newhopemn.gov through March 31. Prizes will be
awarded after the contest ends.
For more information about these programs or to register, call the
New Hope Parks and Recreation office at 763.531.5151.
Family Activity Packs
Are you looking for something fun
to do? Families can check out sports
equipment, games and activities to
enjoy at home or in any of our New
Hope parks! There are also Valentine’s
Day Craft Packs available for purchase.
Packs may include snowshoes, winter
sleds, basketballs, soccer balls, Spikeball
game, American Ninja Warrior Course,
puzzles, string art and more. Equip-
ment can be checked out for up to two
weeks and will be cleaned and sanitized
between uses. For more information
contact New Hope Parks & Recreation
at 763.531.5151.
City Council Approves
2021 Utility Rates
At the Dec. 14 New Hope City Council
Meeting, Council approved increases
to multiple incremental utility rates for
2021. The total impact of the utility fee
increases on an average residential util-
ity customer (who uses 5,000 gallons
of water per month) is estimated to be
$4.34 per month.
Sanitary sewer rates will increase by 5%
in 2021. The minimum fee increased
44¢ to $9.34 (which includes the
first 1,000 gallons). The volume rate
increased 29¢ for each additional 1,000
gallons.
Water rates will also increase by 5%
in 2021. The base fee increased 45¢
to $9.32. New Hope has a graduated
water rate scale to encourage conser-
vation. The volume rate per 1,000 gal-
lons for up to 10,000 gallons increased
33¢ to $6.87. Higher volume rates will
also increase 5% over 2020 rates.
The storm drainage fee increased by
5%, or 42¢ per residential unit each
month, to $8.78. The street light fee
also increased by 5%. There is no
change in the recycling fee for 2021.
Operation, maintenance and capital
improvements to the city’s sanitary
sewer, water and storm sewer utility
systems are each funded by separate
enterprise funds in New Hope’s budget.
The revenue for each of those funds
comes from the fees charged to the
city’s utility customers.
For additional information visit
newhopemn.gov/utilitybill.
Water Main Breaks
Did you know that 85% of the city’s
water main breaks happen in the winter
months? This is due to cold tempera-
tures causing frost deep in the ground
which can cause breaks in aging util-
ity pipes. If you suspect a water break,
which typically looks like water com-
ing up from the pavement and flowing
down the street, contact public works
at 763.592.6777 during business hours
(8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday). If it is after hours, contact the
police department non-emergency line
at 763.531.5170. If there is no answer,
call 911.
Recreation Corner
Carbon Monoxide
Safety
Winter is prime time for carbon mon-
oxide poisoning as heating systems
are turned on and cars are mistakingly
warmed in garages. Carbon monox-
ide is an odorless, colorless gas that
often goes undetected, striking victims
caught off guard.
Make sure you install a battery-oper-
ated carbon monoxide detector in your
home near the bedrooms, and check or
replace the battery at least once a year.
If the alarm sounds, immediately move
outside to fresh air and call 911.