Robbinsdale Mayor’s Minutes: Water and Construction Projects
In this Robbinsdale Mayor’s Minutes, Mayor Bill Blonigan discussed with Dave Kiser some of the topics that are a continued focus for the city.
Election Results
Mayor Blonigan recapped the election results from the municipal races on November 8th.
Starting in January, Robbinsdale City Council will have new council members representing Wards 3 and 4. Mia Z. Parisian won the Ward 3 seat, and Aaron Wagner won the Ward 4 seat.
With Parisian joining the council and Council Member Sheila Webb still representing Ward 2, it marks a historic time for the city council.
“[January] will be the first time that we’ve had two women on the city council at the same time, so that’s a great thing,” Blonigan explained.
The council will have only four members at first, with Blonigan, Parisian, Wagner and Webb serving. Ward 1 had a primary election on November 8th, and the special election is Tuesday, February 14th. The candidates for the Ward 1 city council seat are Raymond Blackledge and former Mayor Regan Murphy.
New Water Treatment Plant and Water Tower
Robbinsdale’s new water treatment plant is now fully operational, and Blonigan said it’s “providing safe, potable water to city residents.”
Since the city’s water is now being softened at the treatment plant, Blonigan thought customers should be able to bypass the water softener they have in their home or business.
“Most people, I think, will find that they don’t need to use their water softener anymore,” Blonigan explained.
Robbinsdale’s new water tower is nearing completion also.
“You can see it rising in the sky at the intersection of Highway 81 and Highway 100,” said Blonigan.
With new bowl top installed, the plan is for crews to finish the remainder of the work starting in March.
Inside Robbinsdale’s New Water Treatment Plant
2023 Budget
City staff is working to finalize the budget for 2023, and Blonigan said residents can expect a tax increase of as much as 12 percent. He indicated one reason for an increase is rising wages.
“We’re trying to be competitive for employees, especially in the public safety area where we’re having trouble competing with some of the other suburbs,” explained Blonigan.
Blonigan also said the city is looking at other options for next year to avoid another such increase.
“Next year, hopefully the legislature will be providing cities with some budget relief, and we can use that to keep these tax increases from happening like this,” Blonigan said.
Sanborn Park
Robbinsdale is still working on plans to update Sanborn Park, and Blonigan said it’s coming together.
Blonigan said the big project for this year is working on the plans for the playground equipment. He’s hoping for continued progress with new council members and commission members joining soon.
“We want to reimagine the entire park, so people should look for opportunities, even if you don’t live by the park, to give us input, because we want to know what you think,” Blonigan said.
Robbinsdale Community Gym and Fitness Center
The Community Gym and Fitness Center are once again open back open for use. The city is offering discounted prices heading into the holidays.
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