I hope 2023 is off to a promising start for all SFL residents.
One item of good news to kick off 2023 is that at the December, 2022 Council meeting, the Council voted to lower property taxes from the original proposed amount. Almost all property owners should see a reduction in property taxes this year.
Please note that as of January 3, 2023, all City Council and Planning Commission meetings will now be held in-person at First Calvary Baptist Church, 5495 S. Robert Trl., Sunfish Lake, MN 55077. It is located just south of westbound I494 on the west side of S. Robert St. at 55th St. E. Meetings will be held in the main church area and all residents are welcome to attend.
A new year offers new beginnings and one of our treasured team members has decided a new beginning is in order for her this year. It was with regret that we accepted the resignation of Cathy Iago, our City Clerk at our January 2023 Council Meeting. I’d like to express our sincerest appreciation and heartfelt thanks to Cathy who has been an amazing partner, leader, and community asset to SFL for the past 15 years. I know the Council and all residents who have had the pleasure of interacting with Cathy over the past 15 years join me in expressing our gratitude for her dedication, her willingness to take on any project, her outstanding performance and unfailing congeniality. In my lengthy career as a litigator, I have had occasion to work with many in public service and I can say unequivocally that Cathy demonstrates the very best of her profession and is a role model for her peers. We appreciate Cathy’s interest in having more time to spend with her children and grandchildren, enjoy her favorite activities, and indulge a little adventure. We wish her the best of health and happiness in retirement.
The Council is also pleased to welcome Christy M. Wilcox, our new City Clerk. Please see her contact information on the website. Christy has over 38 years of experience working in municipal government and we are confident she will be a collaborative partner.
We also welcome Shannon Nelson, our newly elected Council member. Shannon has served on the Planning Commission and we are pleased to have her voice on the Council.
We are also delighted to report that Ginny Beckett will rejoin the Planning Commission after serving out the remainder of Joanne Wahlstrom’s City Council term. We thank Ginny for her continued service to SFL. The Commission also welcomes new member, Kevin Wu. Kevin is currently a Senior Consultant and Project Manager with Nordic Consulting. He and his family enjoy living in SFL and have been frequent community volunteers.
The recent snowfalls have our tree-lined community looking like a lovely snow globe!
Our snowplowing contractor has been out and about and keeping up with mother nature. Please see the website article on the homepage for our snowplow contractor contact information and please remember to copy our City Engineer, Jeff Sandberg, whose contact information is also on the homepage on any compliments or complaints.
Finally, we ask all residents to be especially mindful of their security alarm systems. Our number of false alarms have been rising which takes up an inordinate amount of law enforcement time and is a concern of our Police Department. Please help them help us!
Warmest regards,
Mayor Dan