Her contact person is not the mayor, a councilmember or the city attorney. It is James E. Norman. Whatever marching orders Ms. Balach gets or got from Ramsey, appear from her official filings to be per contact with this one individual, Ramsey's City Administrator, whose job is to report to and take direction from the city council.
Prior to mid-April, this year, I recieved an item of information stating:
St. Paul- Two bills important to the City of Ramsey's Town Center project have been included in the Senate Omnibus Tax bill this week on their way toward passage in the overall Senate. This follows movement of the project through the Senate Commerce Committee earlier this session. Sen. Jungbauer joined the Commerce Commitee earlier this year.[italics emphasis added] Did any reader know that any of this was going on?
The bills, authored by State Senator Mike Jungbauer (R-East Bethel) will authorize a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district in Ramsey, as well as create a higher debt ceiling for the City of Ramsey along the route of the Northstar Commuter Rail corridor. Rep. Jim Abeler is the Author of the Companion bills in the House.
The TIF district will allow Ramsey more freedom to raise funds for the development project, while the higher debt ceiling will allow the city to increase the amount the city is able to borrow. Together, they allow the city to finish the project through increased financial options without raising taxes.
Send a comment if you did (with details please). Or send your opinion.
Justice Brandeis, among other things, is known for his famous quote, "Sunshine is the best disinfectant." This was in his 1914 work, "Other People's Money," and he was talking about the need for open information, and open accountability, to avoid deception. Not keeping people in the dark.
Information on this Jungbauer - Abeler sponsorship of legislation affecting Ramsey came to light in an election year. The gutless thing to do in any election year is to hide from any tax hikes. The sneaky thing to do to dodge raising taxes in an election year is to fob current expenditure into the future via deficit financing [where a current deficit is incurred, and more is spent than taken in by taxes - via bonding, i.e., imposing a mortgage-like obligation on every Ramsey taxpayer's future]. The sneakiest thing to do is to hide the entire mischief from voters.
The Email Trail
What was going on and who was behind it? I hoped to find an answer.
Realizing Jim Abeler is a pretty fair legislator who answers questions forthrightly, in mid-April I emailed his office with the information I had, and inquired:
If you do not have time to respond personally, could you at least have a staff person confirm the accuracy of the item below the dotted line, which was sent to me by another Ramsey resident, in your district.
If you do have time to respond personally, could you explain the rationale behind this bill sponsorship?
What is the need and how did it arise?
The people of Ramsey have never had a referendum chance on the Town Center, and you can confirm with Diane Lund, CIty of Ramsey's chief financial officer, that the City of Ramsey has several millions of dollars squirreled away in various reserve accounts. They are sitting on that pile of cash and issuing bond debt that will take years to retire.
Please ask Ms. Lund for the bottom line number of how many millions of dollars they hold on account, in reserve, in total, if you do not believe me. It goes well beyond a prudent rainy day reserve situation.
Is this Town Center project the apparent failure it seems to be, and is good money simply being thrown after bad?
The Ramsey city council members up for reelection are afraid to impose a tax, because they are up for reelection. But this is far, far worse because it appears to be a sneaky way to try to fool voters, and little else.
Because the Legislature, is hectic during session, I sent an end-of-April follow-up:
The original item forwarded to me, said, "Both Representative Abeler and Senator Jungbauer encourage and appreciate citizen input." Then contact info for each office was provided.
I emailed the Abeler office Mon. Apr. 17, and a week and a half have passed. I am attempting via the public data law of Minnesota to get information from the City of Ramsey, but the process is taking time.
If each legislative office, via staff or directly from the legislator(s), would take the minute or two of time needed to confirm the measure IS being advanced in both houses; AND to identify the person(s) on behalf of Ramsey that made the request for this activity, and the lobbying done of each office on behalf of Ramsey; I would be deeply appreciative.
In an immediate email answer to me, a busy Rep. Jim Abeler graciously took time to indicate:
To your question, it is moving slowly if at all in the house. I introduced it as a courtesy to the city, which brought it to me. Bonnie Balach (sp?) has been the contact for me. Currently it is in the Tax Committee, and no hearing is scheduled at this time that I know of. How it is doing in the Senate, I have no idea.
This was an honorable reply, and Rep. Abeler even offered help in bill tracking via the legislature's website.
The Jungbauer office declined to respond as directly to a parallel inquiry sent there.
A Total Mystery - Perhaps A Stonewall
So, who gave Bonnie Balach her marching orders to slam the public debt "hole" voters face deeper, to soak up more Town Center spending?
This might be the biggest mystery since "Who shot J.R.," a few years ago. Or at least as big a mystery as where "The Port of Ramsey" is alleged to exist.
I am aware of no council-passed resolution or ordinance to have Balach lobby this way. That is the only way the council lawfully operates. Don't take my word on that, read the City Charter, Ch. 3, requiring a resolution or ordinance, upon due motion at a public meeting, duly passed. I did not write the Charter. I only believe it should be honored by elected and appointed City officials. Any comments for or against this idea are welcome. Any information any reader has about how Balach came to do such lobbying should, again, be added as a comment. Anyone believing I am wrong about how lawful business must be done, can double-check with our City Attorney, Bill Goodrich:
bgood@rdglaw.com
Anything less than a duly presented and passed ordinance or resolution authorizing Balach to go to St. Paul and lobby the legislature to load more debt possibilites upon the tax-payers and voters of Ramsey raises open meeting law problems of great magnitude.
My only guess is it was the one contact person, James E. Norman, giving Balach instructions to act as Rep. Abeler characterized. If it was James E. Norman, acting on his own or at the behest and under instructions from a rump group of the council after some kind of off-the-record rump group meeting; were voters being treated at all fairly?
Again, I am unaware of any on-the-record vote for raising Ramsey's taxpayers' top boundary public debt burdens. If I am wrong, correct me via a comment or email.
ezaetsch@gmail.com
For all I know, the Balach activity might have been instigated by persons connected to the Met Council, and/or Town Center promotional effort.
I have no way of knowing.
A stonewall is a silent thing. Somebody, give me an explanation.
I do not think the city's Finance Committee deliberated hiking taxpayer bond-debt limits in any fashion, on or off the record. I could find no Finance Committee minutes on this. (Again, a correcting comment or email would be appreciated - from anyone with knowledge of events.)
The Right Way vs. The Ramsey Way
Recall how school boards always hold "bond issue" elections. They do that whenever they want to impose greater bond liability on their voters. It goes to a vote.
Ramsey sure looks to be acting differently. Voter pre-approvals are scorned - by those now working the levers of city power. It is an election year, I am a candiadate, and my feelings on referendum usage, and charter amendment votes, are generally known. I favor them greatly.
Voters should vote. It is the best way to operate.
BOTTOM LINE: Who, how, where, when and under what authority was this mischief instigated and fostered? My view is if nobody comes forward and 'fesses up, then there are three Ramsey city council seats up for reelection; so, voters --- vote the SILENT rascals out.
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Repeated caveat: If any reader can clarify this situation for me, totally or in part, please post a comment, for my help and for the help of everyone reading this blog.