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Editorial
In many ways, Mike Shurson has been a refreshing change as mayor of New Richland. He seems to care about the community, he runs the city council meetings efficiently, he asks questions, he seems like a genuinely nice guy, and his father served as mayor.
On Monday night, though, Shurson and the rest of the city council did something that was extremely disppointing and highly questionable.
The council voted that there is to be no further discussion about the police department when considering the city’s budget for 2020. The amount asked for by city clerk Wayne Billing — $306,883 — is the amount that will be approved. No questions. No discussion.
This is not the way a democracy is supposed to work. This is the mark of an authoritarian government, one which spends the people’s money, while allowing them no say whatsoever in how it’s spent. In America, and especially in small towns, we’re supposed to have a say.
Maybe the $306,883 budgeted for 2020 is totally justified. Maybe every penny of it is needed. Or maybe, just maybe, there’s a little fat that can be trimmed. The mayor and city council owe it to the taxpayers to at least find out.
JDL
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Council votes to take any further discussion off the table
By JIM LUTGENS
Publisher
Mayor Mike Shurson doesn’t want us to look anywhere for law enforcement other than the New Richland Police Dept.
“I feel our police department does a fantastic job,” said Shurson. “I think if there’s any savings, it doesn’t offset the benefits. I would like to see this taken out of the budget discussion.”
Shurson’s comments came during the Monday, Aug. 26 city council meeting.
Councilperson Sarah Sundve agreed.
“That’s my opinion,” said Sundve. “Keep the police force here.”
Councilman Chad Neitzel followed with a motion to not include the police department in any further discussions about the 2020 budget. It passed 5-0.
Presumably, the comments were in response to a question brought by councilman Jason Casey at a special budget meeting the previous week.
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The State Bank of New Richland is doubling donations up to $12,000 to the Area Food Shelf of New Richland through the end of September.
For every $1 donated to the NRAFS, the bank will donate $2.
To donate, send to NRAFS, P.O. Box 12, New Richland, MN 56072, or drop off at State Bank of New Richland.
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NATIVE MINNESOTA - Dustin Demmer works hard to bring back native plants that were once common across MInnesota prairie. (Star Eagle photo by Melanie Piltingsrud)
By MELANIE PILTINGSRUD
Staff Writer
Dustin Demmer is the entrepreneur behind Blazing Star Gardens, a business just a few miles west of Clarks Grove, that seeks to re-propagate some of Minnesota’s native prairie flowers and grasses by growing the seeds – and knowledge – that people need to be successful when they decide to implement prairie restoration projects.
Demmer grows plants from native Minnesota prairie grasses and flowers that you would have seen here long ago. He sells some of the plants at Souba Greenhouse & Garden Center in Owatonna in the spring, but, from most of the plants, he harvests the seeds, cleans them, and then sells those top quality seeds to wholesalers, who then mix them with other native plant seeds for use in prairie restoration projects.
Such projects are becoming increasingly popular. But why are they so important? Demmer explains: “A lot of people are starting to become concerned about monarchs, bees, pollinators, and they’re wondering why they don’t see any in their gardens, and it’s because most people have planted daylilies and hostas and stuff that we brought over from Asia, Africa and Europe, and those plants don’t have the same insect associations as the plants that the insects in America [..] evolved with. Most people know that monarchs need milkweed to lay the eggs, because it’s the only thing the caterpillars eat, but a lot of insects have the same kind of specific relationships with really specific species of plants. Another example is: painted lady butterflies need either pussytoes or sweet everlasting or pearly everlasting, which are all native perennials – perennials that, if you were to come here a thousand years ago, that’s what would have been growing.”
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City councilman questions ever-growing budget
By JIM LUTGENS
Publisher
Does New Richland need a police force?
The question has come up before and it was decided that, yes, the town benefits from police protection.
But, considering the ever-rising cost, New Richland City Council member Jason Casey brought up the question of contracting with Waseca County for law enforcement. It came during a special council meeting Monday, Aug. 19 to discuss the proposed budget for 2020.
City clerk Wayne Billing said rising costs for the police department are mainly because of salaries, schooling, records access and being involved with the Drug Task Force. The NRPD currently includes two full-time and at least five part-time officers. New Richland has had two full-time officers since the early 1970s, according to Billing.
Casey wondered how staffing levels are determined in the police department.
“It’s all based on council decisions,” said Billing. “The staffing level is based on what the public wants.”
Casey asked how much the city could save by contracting with the county for law enforcement.