Wanted: City Seeks Ideas on How to Spend $10,793

Wanted: Ideas on how to spend $10,793

If you have ideas on how to spend $10,793 on police traffic initiatives and training, you’re invited to share them with the Burnsville Police Department through Aug. 1.

Burnsville could be eligible to receive a $10,793 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, administered through the federal Bureau of Justice, Office of Justice Programs.

Lynn Lembcke, Burnsville’s police service manager, said that although the city has received the grant in previous years, it was funneled through Dakota County. This is the first time the city has been singled out as a grant applicant, possibly because it has the highest number of reported Part 1 crimes (murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson) in the county. See page 43 of the State 2010 Uniform Crime Report.

Public comment is a requirement for grant eligibility. For more information, contact Lembcke at 952-895-4630. Comments can be submitted orally or in writing to the department through July 29, or to the Burnsville City Council at the Aug. 1 council meeting.

Red light-stop. Green light-go.

Here’s a trivia question for you: How many traffic lights are there in the City of Burnsville? The answer is 67, according to city staff. Of those, Dakota County is responsible for maintaining 30 and the State of Minnesota 15. Although the city has 22 in its control, it doesn’t have the equipment necessary to maintain them, and therefore has to contract the work out to the county.

At a cost of $1,400 per intersection and parts and labor, the Burnsville City Council recently approved a joint powers agreement with the county to provide the necessary routine maintenance and emergency repairs to the signals under the city’s responsibility. According to city staff, the agreement needed updating because the city added two signals. It will remain in effect until either the county or the city provides notification to cancel the agreement.

Pawn shops need to keep goods longer

A new state law taking effect Aug. 1 will lengthen the time period from 14 to at least 31 days from the date of the transaction that pawn shops can sell or transfer an item. Because of the change, the city needed to bring its ordinances into compliance. The Burnsville City Council approved the change and also the procedure for public safety officials when a confiscated item is identified as stolen or is evidence in a criminal case. The previous ordinance called for the item to “promptly be returned to the Licensee,” when a case is closed. The new language merely requires notifying the business that the item is available.

Several local government meetings on the docket

It’s a big week for local government meetings beginning Aug. 1. Because Night to Unite 2011 events in Burnsville are planned for Tuesday, the Burnsville City Council will be holding its meeting on Monday beginning at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall. The Economic Development Authority will meet at 7 p.m. in council chambers at which time it will consider action to amend its 2011 budget.

Budget numbers will also be up for discussion at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center Advisory Commission during its 6:30 p.m. meeting Wednesday, Aug. 3 at the Performing Arts Center.