City Sees Deluge of Applicants for Commissions

What to do with all those wanting to serve the city?

Burnsville has a problem most communities wish for— lots of people wanting to serve on the city’s commissions.

According to City Clerk Macheal Brooks, the city had about 40 applications this year for Commission and Committee openings, but just 14 openings for adults and two for youth. That's a decline over 2010, when the city received 63 applications.

Currently there are no vacancies.  

Council members are hoping that this past year’s deluge of applicants for the few open commission spots is a sign of the times. Current term limits say a member can serve for three consecutive three-year terms. The City Council is proposing to lower this to two three-year terms.

“We’ve had to turn down a lot of good people that want to do things,” said Council Member Dan Gustafson at a recent City Council work session. He was encouraged by the number of younger people applying for the positions. He acknowledged the value that long-term members bring to the commissions, but said it “is more important to me, to get that fresh crop of leaders in here.”

Council Member Mary Sherry brought the topic up for consideration because the nine-year term limit could discourage people from applying as they view the seat as “locked up.”

Keep your trash behind the scenes

If your garbage cans are sitting outdoors in full view, it’s not likely that you’ll be seeing city council members driving up to your house with a friendly reminder that the ordinance says the cans have to be out of sight. Although Burnsville City Councilmember Dan Kealey suggested this in jest during a recent city council work session, he’s serious about reminding residents that cans are to be screened if kept outside.

The issue seems to be a city council regular, in fact, it is among the city’s top 10 code violations. With only one full-time code enforcer and a few volunteers, short of having police officers issue citations for the infraction, there’s little that can be done to force residents into compliance.

Mayor Elizabeth Kautz suggests a little peer pressure from neighbors might help. She said that keeping your trash behind closed doors or screened is a simple way to “make sure our neighborhoods are appealing.”

Upcoming meetings

School’s starting soon, vacations are winding down, and because the fifth week of August ends in September, there are no city meetings set for next week. However, mark your calendar for Sept. 6. The Burnsville City Council is expected to set its maximum tax levy that night. If you are concerned about city finances and your property taxes, this is the meeting to attend. They meet at 6:30 p.m. in city hall.