Summer 2013 - City of Otsego, Minnesota

More documents

Recommendations

Info

MotorizedVehiclesBurning PermitsThe City together with the Minnesota Department of NaturalResources regulates open burning within the City in accordancewith Chapter 5, Section 4 of the City Code.A burning permit is required for all open burns except forrecreational fires within a 3 foot by 3 foot area and setback 20 feetfrom any structure. Recreational fires are limited to dry, clean woodthat is unpainted or untreated including cord wood, branches, limbs, twigsdimensional lumber cut into lengths not longer than three feet.A burning permit may be obtained at City Hall or from the DNR website. Once a burningpermit has been issued, it is the permit holder’s responsibility to confirm that no burningban is in effect prior to starting an open burn or recreational fire and the permit holder mustbe constantly in attendance of the fire. No fire may be allowed to smolder with no person inattendance and the open burn or recreational fire must be completely extinguished beforethe permit holder leaves the site.Only vehicles licensed by the Statefor operation on public roads, suchas automobiles, trucks, motorcycles,recreational vehicles, etc., and farmequipment displaying a slow movingvehicle triangle are allowed to operateupon City streets under Minnesotalaws. Golf carts, ATVs, trail bikes,riding lawn mowers or other nonlicensedmotorized equipmentcannot be operated on City streets,trails or sidewalks and are subjectto ticketing by the Wright CountySheriff’s Office. Only electric personalassistive mobility devices are allowedon the City trails and sidewalks.Building PermitsResidents planning improvement projects should checkwith the Department of Building Safety about building permitrequirements. The Department of Building Safety works withresidents and business owners to ensure structure safety inaccordance with Minnesota Building and Fire Codes, which requiresbuilding permits for roofing, siding, decks, and sheds.Permits are also required by the City for fences and swimming pools.For more information or to obtain a building permit, please call the Departmentof Building Safety at 763.441.2593.Property MaintenanceEveryone is excited to get outside and spruce up their property after the long winter.Here are some City Code regulations to follow to help keep Otsego an attractive and inviting place to live:» Lawns and boulevard areas must be mowedregularly so that grass is not longer than eight(8) inches except as allowed by the City Code.» Noxious weeds (and dandelions) must beeliminated before the plants go to seed.» Property owners are required to mow andmaintain the boulevard portion of the publicright-of-way (generally 16 feet behind thecurb or street or the area between thesidewalk and street). Planting within theboulevard or public right-of-way is limited todeciduous trees with minimum clearancerequirements for vehicles and pedestrians.Note that the City is not responsible for anydamage to plants or trees within the boulevardor public right-of-way but will replacegrass damaged by snow plow operations.» Exterior storage on residential properties islimited to licensed and operable passengervehicles less than 12,000 lbs. gross vehicleweight parked on a driveway, two recreationalvehicles and/or licensed trailers (that maybe parked on grass in a side/rear yard oron the driveway in the front yard), constructionor landscaping materials being used for acurrent project or other common items suchas outdoor furniture or neatly stacked firewood.» Selling of automobiles, recreational equipmentor similar property belonging to the occupantis limited to two items per calendar year andmust be parked on a driveway and not withinthe public right-of-way.For more information regarding specific property maintenance requirements, please contact City Hall or visitthe City’s website. There is a property self-test on the Code Enforcement page of the website to help evaluatethe condition of your property and your neighborhood.
Notes from the MayorGreetings Neighbors! River RiderA goal of the City Council strategic planning sessions is tostrengthen Otsego’s community identity.One of the ways to accomplish this goal is to promote development of community basedservice organizations. Because of Otsego’s history as an agricultural township adjacent torural cities such as Elk River or Albertville, many residents would look to these communitiesfor social organizations such as schools, churches or social clubs. The population growth inOtsego in recent decades has brought many new residents interested in volunteering andcreates the opportunity for the City to establish its own service organizations.The City worked with Rogers resident and Lions International member Jack Hines tocharter an Otsego Lions Club. Lion Jack and members of the St. Michael Lions Club metwith Otsego residents and business people in late 2012 to organize the Club, elect a Boardof Directors lead by President Chad Christian and begin recruiting members. The OtsegoLions Club was officially chartered on March 19, 2013 with 43 members at a dinner held atRockwoods Bar and Grille that was also attended by representatives of Lions Internationaland other area Lions Clubs.The motto of Lions International is “We Serve” and the Otsego Lions Club is busy identifyingways in which it can support our community. Some of the first ideas being considered includea food drive, volunteer and mentoring opportunities at schools attended by Otsego residents,a sweet corn stand at the Otsego Prairie Festival and raffles. I invite anyone interested incontributing and being part of our community to bring their ideas and energy and becomeinvolved with the Otsego Lions Club.Meetings of the Otsego Lions Club are held the first Tuesday of each month usually at RockwoodsBar and Grille starting at 6:30 p.m. with food and beverages available. Guest speakers, suchas Wright County Sheriff Joe Haggerty and Elk River Area School District SuperintendentMark Bezek, are often invited to attend. For more information regarding the Otsego LionsClub check out their website at http://www.otsegolions.org/ or call 612.466.0013.I look forward to seeing you at future Otsego Lions Club events!HeartlandExpressPublic transportation is availableto Otsego Residents via theRiver Rider Heartland Expressbus service operated througha Joint Powers Board betweenWright County and SherburneCounty. The River Riderprovides door-to-door transportationfor any need withfares based on the destinationpoint. All of the River Riderbuses are wheelchair accessible.River Rider was created in 1979by Sherburne County withWright County eventuallypartnering in the service.In addition to Otsego, RiverRider serves the Cities ofAnnandale, Buffalo, Cokato,Delano and Monticello inWright County and the Citiesof Becker, Big Lake, Elk Riverand St. Cloud in SherburneCounty. The service receivesfunding from MNDoT forto assist with the purchaseof buses.For more informationregarding River Rider servicesand costs call 763.263.0101or toll free 800.821.9719.Water QualityLawn care practices can have a large impact reducingphosphorous, decreasing algae growth and promotingoverall water quality for plants, animals and you. Byfollowing these techniques your lawn will look great and willnot be harming nearby wetlands, streams, lakes or rivers.– Leaving grass clippings on the lawn provides theequivalent of one application of fertilizer per year.– By sweeping lawn clippings from sidewalks, drivewaysand streets you will greatly reduce the amount ofphosphorus that reaches area water bodies.– Maintain a 20 foot buffer of native plantings fromany wetland or stormwater basins to filter out nutrientsthat cause algae and water plant growth – these plantswill also keep geese from your yard.– Water lawns between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. to reduceevaporation and minimize the potential for diseasesthat will harm your lawn.– Wash your car on the lawn using non-phosphorussoap to keep water out of the storm drain and irrigatethe grass at the same time.– Use pesticides and herbicides only to the extentnecessary and by following the label directions exactly.– Compost containers must comply with City Coderequirements and be setback from water or drainage waysto avoid leaching phosphorus directly into the water.– It is illegal to dispose of yard and tree waste withhousehold garbage – contact your waste hauler fora yard bin or visit the City’s website for informationon compost sites.
Page 1: OtsegoVIEWNewsletter • SUMMER 201

Summer 2013 - City of Otsego, Minnesota

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?