Posted: 12/20/05
Dollar General Store planned for Caledonia
By Jane Palen
Managing Editor
The Caledonia City Council cleared the way for a Dollar General Store to be built this spring in Caledonia.
Land has been purchased north of the Alco store on Highway 44/76 by Hutton Partners, LLC, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, for the purpose of constructing a 10,600 square ft. retail space. The company builds the stores and then leases them to Dollar General. The land is part of the Ma Cal Development.
The council approved a 6-ft. setback on the south property line and a 52-ft. setback on the east (front) property line in addition to two variances for signs and one fro parking stall dimensions. The parking stalls will be 9 ft. wide and 18 ft. long rather than the 10 x 25 specified in the ordinance.
In the public hearing portion of the meeting, John Esch of Ma Cal Developers told the council that most of the parking stalls in other lots in the city are only 9-ft. wide.
In regard to traffic flow, the representative for Hutton Partners, S. Taylor Heard, told the council that the Department of Transportation has approved a turn lane from the highway on the condition that the developer writes a letter stating that there are no plans to build a road to the west and that Alco writes a letter stating that it will not allow traffic to cross its parking lot.
Heard told the council that his firm has built 300 of the 1,700 Dollar General stores that exist. He said the stores generally employ five to six people. The merchandise is all priced in even dollar amounts, ranging from 4/$1 to $20. According to the Dollar General web site, about 33 percent of the merchandise is priced at $1 or less, and the store carries items such as health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, food, and household items.
Budget, levy approved
The council has approved its budget and levy for 2006.
The city approved a tax levy increase of seven percent on a 4-1 vote. The dissenting vote came from Mayor Michael Morey, who thought the increase should have been higher.
The increase puts the levy for 2006 at $395,077, or $133.79 per capita.
Caledonia consistently has the lowest per capita level of any city in Southeastern Minnesota. For 2004, the levy was $125.04 per capita. The next lowest was St. Charles at $150.13, and the highest Lanesboro at $415.16.
In Houston County in 2004, Brownsville was at $185.28 per capita; Eitzen, $355.65; Hokah, $311.44; Houston, $349.12; La Crescent $303.16; and Spring Grove, $192.94.
The average of all Minnesota cities for 2004 was $315.87, and the average of Southeastern Minnesota cities was $286.69.
The city budget for 2006 was set at $1,670,062, an increase of just under two and half percent over last yearís budget of $1,636,080. As of October 5, there was $288,144 from the budget that has not been spent.
Some of the significant reductions in the upcoming year include $15,000 which was trimmed from the parks budget. A shelter and rest room that was planned for Veteranís Park will not be built. Another $30,000 earmarked for a new squad car was also cut, as were 16 helmets for the fire department for $3,680. An accounting position for the city clerkís office will not be filled until mid-year, resulting in a savings of $11,000 for wages and $2,760 for benefits.
Revenue for 2006 is expected to be $1,720,447, leaving a positive difference of $50,385.
City fire rating improves
The council has received word that its fire classification has improved from a Class 5 to a Class 4. The determination was made by the Fire Protection Classification Department of the International Standards Organization. The classification is used by the insurance industry in calculating premiums, and may result in some cost savings to the city.
Some of the items reviewed are equipment, dispatch centers, training, water supply, record-keeping and personnel.
Economic development position discussed by council
The council also debated a reduction in hours for the community development director, Joyce Iverson, who is an employee of the Southeastern Minnesota Development Council. The contract is for 20 hours a week, with 16 of those hours spent on-site in Caledonia and the other four charged to cover meetings, expenses and administrative work in the Rushford office. The proposed contract is for $30 per hour, with an annual amount not to exceed $31,200. The rate in 2005 was $28 per hour, not to exceed $29,120.
Mayor Morey said that if the city contracted for the position at $38 per hour, it would eliminate the charge for the off-site hours when there is no one in Caledonia. That would save the city about $15,000 per year over the proposed arrangement, Morey said.
Councilman Robert Standish moved to reduce the hours from 20 to 16 per week. The motion failed with Standish the only ìayeî vote. A motion to leave the contract as 20 hours per week was made by Randi Vick and seconded by Paul Fisch. The motion passed 4-1 with Mayor Morey voting in the negative.
The contract can be terminated by either party with 30 daysí written notice.
In other business, the council noted that the first meeting for the comprehensive plan is January 17 at 7 p.m. Because a quorum of council members will be present, the meetings are considered special meetings.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com