June 2 City Council Re-cap
Mike Haugen, Water\Wastewater Superintendent, addressed the City Council regarding the annual Consumer Confidence Report for the municipal water system. A copy of this report was distributed to all customers in this last month's utility bill. The City's system passed the State testing; however, the level of copper was slightly elevated over the State's threshold. As such, re-testing will occur. Mike also informed the City Council and citizens that the City is not imposing a watering restriction at this time, but should it be necessary one may be implemented later this summer.

Al Baloun, Recreation Director, reported that City Recreation Programs will be starting on June 10th and he encouraged the public to be aware of children and bicycles.

The City Council also approved moving forward with the airport reconstruction project that is funded by federal entitlement funds and federal stimulus funds. The City Council selected a concrete surface based on considerations for lower future maintenance costs.

2009 Street Project Update
Curb and gutter have been completed north of the Perkins Creek bridge to Hwy 71. Paving of the street surface also started this week. During the pouring and curing of the surface the road will be closed for about one week. Overall, the project continues to move along well and on schedule.

Windom Pool Opening - June 10th
The Windom pool is scheduled to open on June 10th. Work this year included the installation of new drain covers that were mandated by the State and Federal government for all public pools. Daily admissions are payable at the Windom Pool and swim passes are available at City Hall.

Local Government Aid (LGA) and the State Budget Deficit
The news out of St. Paul continues to be bad for Minnesota cities. With a large $4.6 billion deficit the Governor will soon be making cuts to State spending. One of the areas that is likely to see a large cut is Local Government Aid. These funds are intended to provide aid to cities in the provision of services to its citizens and help insure adequate, comparable services in all cities. Windom should be receiving about $1.3 million in LGA, which is about 50% of our General Fund budget. Due to the anticipated cuts this aid could fall by $144,000 to $301,000 in 2009-2010. A cut of this size will significantly impact the City services and it will be important for the public to participate in the upcoming 2010 budget meetings to share their ideas.

Riverfest
Riverfest is next weekend. This is an opportunity to show off our community and celebrate together. I encourage everyone to participate in the festivities and enjoy the parade and other entertainment.

Have a great weekend.