Tree Lighting Ceremony
Saturday, Dec. 6, at 5 p.m.
City Center Park
(Corner of West 78th Street and Market Boulevard)

Don't miss this annual Chanhassen Celebration! Come and enjoy the lighting of the holiday tree, refreshments, and of course, a special visit from Santa Claus! This event is FREE and co-sponsored by the City of Chanhassen and the Chanhassen Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau.

Special thanks to The Mustard Seed Landscaping & Garden Center and Lipinski Accounting & Tax Service for their generous contributions.

Winter parking rules now in effect, per Chanhassen City Code, Section 12-16

Winter parking regulations: On-street parking is prohibited between November 1 and April 1 between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. On-street parking is also prohibited when there are two inches or more of snow on a street until the street has been plowed curb to curb. Representatives of the Carver County Sheriff's Department, Minnesota State Patrol, and Community Service Officers shall have the authority to impound vehicles in violation of this section.

City council outtakes
By Forrest Adams

The total tax levy increase to be approved on Dec. 8 is likely to be 2.4 percent. Contributing to the city budget are a number of revenue sources, among them property taxes.

The majority of homes in Chanhassen saw no increase in value, although some saw double-digit increases, said City Finance Director Greg Sticha. The following quotes are from Chanhassen residents complaining about their property taxes, encouraging the city council to re-evaluate the city's 2009 budget, one city councilor who empathized with them (although the others did, too), and Sticha.

Pat Pavelko: “In these economic times, I really feel that it should be reviewed. Economic times do not really dictate wage increases. (City staff wages are set to increase by 3.5 percent in 2009.) That’s not the real world. I really think the city council should send the plans back to the drawing board.”

Kathy Pavelko: “Why are the valuations arbitrarily raised year after year? Everybody is going to have to cut. These valuations are all smoke and mirrors as far as I’m concerned. There is no justification for this.”

Ben Gowen: “These circumstances behoove the city to reevaluate using current figures. Property valuation increased dramatically.”

“You’re penalized for keeping a nice home,” opined Councilor Bethany Tjornhom. “I understand the process is uncomfortable and bewildering.”

"We limit the rate of levy growth to the rate of real growth in the city," said Mayor Tom Furlong. "2.4 percent is the equivalent growth of our tax base."

Commercial and industrial development allowed the city to maintain its revenues in 2009, but the city is already putting together contingency plans for when the new construction and remodeling permit revenues decrease, said Sticha. With regards to the outlook for 2009, he added, “Revenues for next year are certainly in flux.”