12/20/12
One reader asked the Insider to comment on the Minnetonka schools. While this might be a good blog thread, it's not for this blogger to do.
Of course the Insider has some observations.
School districts promote open enrollment to get more students and thus, more State aid. Other reasons are to boost performance by attracting higher end performers or to enhance sports teams (they wouldn't do that, would they?).
Of course, districts aren't anxious to attract students from outside with special needs as these students can cost lots of dollars to support (another nasty little game played when one district has superior programs for such students).
Anyway, encourage someone else to blog on the schools.
Happy Reading!
The Insider
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
City Administrator Compensation
12/19/12
Some readers have asked the Insider to research compensation for city administrators. The Insider always likes a good research project to work on during these gloomy days.
Thinking back, the Insider recalled a Council discussion in 2010 about setting compensation for non-union employees. A quick search of the website and the agenda packets and minutes for work sessions ended at the documents for the 8/23/10 work session. There, former Administrator Heck reported on his analysis of salary data from the League of Minnesota Cities. He'd looked at a large number of cities and reported the following:
Average low of the Administrator pay range was about $93,000
Average maximum of the Administrator range was about $123,000
Apparently, there was a very wide range due to variations in city sizes and a mix of city administrator and city manager classifications.
Of course, this is over two year old data and should be revisited. But it gives an idea of how administrators are being paid since many cities have given very low, or zero, increases over the past two years.
Happy Reading!
The Insider
Some readers have asked the Insider to research compensation for city administrators. The Insider always likes a good research project to work on during these gloomy days.
Thinking back, the Insider recalled a Council discussion in 2010 about setting compensation for non-union employees. A quick search of the website and the agenda packets and minutes for work sessions ended at the documents for the 8/23/10 work session. There, former Administrator Heck reported on his analysis of salary data from the League of Minnesota Cities. He'd looked at a large number of cities and reported the following:
Average low of the Administrator pay range was about $93,000
Average maximum of the Administrator range was about $123,000
Apparently, there was a very wide range due to variations in city sizes and a mix of city administrator and city manager classifications.
Of course, this is over two year old data and should be revisited. But it gives an idea of how administrators are being paid since many cities have given very low, or zero, increases over the past two years.
Happy Reading!
The Insider
Monday, December 17, 2012
Slow News
12/17/12
News is slowing down for the year-end. The Insider will be around, but doesn't expect much to report since there are no council meetings until January 7th.
Up coming is the swearing in of the new council on January 7th (really only one new member, Kristine Sundberg). Also at this meeting council assignments are expected although nothing earthshaking should happen. The first regular council meeting is on January14th.
One item pending is the City Administrator search. From comments in council meetings and other sources, there have been lots of applicants for the position. However, at the last council meeting there was talk of offering the job permanently to the Interim Administrator, Bill Joynes. From the Insider's perspective Mr. Joynes has done a credible job holding things together since the summer. Keeping him on would not be a mistake.
Happy Reading!
The Inssider
News is slowing down for the year-end. The Insider will be around, but doesn't expect much to report since there are no council meetings until January 7th.
Up coming is the swearing in of the new council on January 7th (really only one new member, Kristine Sundberg). Also at this meeting council assignments are expected although nothing earthshaking should happen. The first regular council meeting is on January14th.
One item pending is the City Administrator search. From comments in council meetings and other sources, there have been lots of applicants for the position. However, at the last council meeting there was talk of offering the job permanently to the Interim Administrator, Bill Joynes. From the Insider's perspective Mr. Joynes has done a credible job holding things together since the summer. Keeping him on would not be a mistake.
Happy Reading!
The Inssider
Friday, December 14, 2012
The Baton Passed?
12/14/12
So who is the Insider? Recent comments said it was Laura Turgeon.
Maybe it was. Maybe not.
But, just for a second consider that if Laura was the Insider she might have passed the baton to someone else. Something to ponder.
Happy Reding!
The Insider
So who is the Insider? Recent comments said it was Laura Turgeon.
Maybe it was. Maybe not.
But, just for a second consider that if Laura was the Insider she might have passed the baton to someone else. Something to ponder.
Happy Reding!
The Insider
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Services for Laura Turgeon on Saturday
12/11/12
Services for former Shorewood Council Member Laura Turgeon will be held on Saturday at Huber's in Eden Prairie (16394 Glory Lane)
Visitation from 1000 AM to Noon
Servi ce at Noon
Happy Reading!
The Insider
Services for former Shorewood Council Member Laura Turgeon will be held on Saturday at Huber's in Eden Prairie (16394 Glory Lane)
Visitation from 1000 AM to Noon
Servi ce at Noon
Happy Reading!
The Insider
Monday, December 10, 2012
Former Council Member Passes
12/10/12
Former Shorewood Council Member, Laura Turgeon, passed away on Saturday after a short illness. She was also a former Planning commissioner and was once active as rental agent the South Shore Center.
Details of a service are pending. Watch this blog for them.
Happy Reading!
The Insider
Former Shorewood Council Member, Laura Turgeon, passed away on Saturday after a short illness. She was also a former Planning commissioner and was once active as rental agent the South Shore Center.
Details of a service are pending. Watch this blog for them.
Happy Reading!
The Insider
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
More on Cable TV and the LMCC
12/5/12
Two comments on yesterday's blog about the LMCC deserve some follow-up.
First, it's interesting to note that the fact that Zerby failed to attend a meeting where he was supposed to represent Shorewood interests was ignored in favor of more factless attacks on the LMCC and now on Council Member Woodruff.
The comments failed to mention that Zerby's efforts to kill the LMCC's own cable project stopped the LMCC from spending $20,000 (not tax dollars), not $81 million, to develop a business plan that would have shown what the actual build cost would really be. Without that business plan, there was no way to get any private or other investors interested in the project. Would the business plan have shown a viable business was possible? We'll never know thanks in large measure to Zerby.
Also, the comments continue the rant that the LMCC should get rid of Mediacom and bring in another provider. It's virtually impossible to unseat an incumbent cable provider under FCC rules. Just beacuse some people don't like aspects of Mediacom's service isn't sufficient grounds for revoking or not renewing the franchise of Mediacom.
How does Mediacom feel about the LMCC? They would like it to go away. It's really a thorn in their side when they have one, focused, organization working to support the interests of customers in 17 cities. They're campaigning with individual city councils in the LMCC area to get them to drop out of the LMCC.
Why? They say the cities could collect the franchise fee revenue instead of the LMCC. This is attractive to cities that need money. Of course without the LMCC, who manages the relationship with Mediacom and provides all the programming and other services? Conveniently for Mediacom, it would be the individual cities who largely have no expertise and 1/17th the bargaining leverage the LMCC has now.
Happy Reading!
The Insider
Two comments on yesterday's blog about the LMCC deserve some follow-up.
First, it's interesting to note that the fact that Zerby failed to attend a meeting where he was supposed to represent Shorewood interests was ignored in favor of more factless attacks on the LMCC and now on Council Member Woodruff.
The comments failed to mention that Zerby's efforts to kill the LMCC's own cable project stopped the LMCC from spending $20,000 (not tax dollars), not $81 million, to develop a business plan that would have shown what the actual build cost would really be. Without that business plan, there was no way to get any private or other investors interested in the project. Would the business plan have shown a viable business was possible? We'll never know thanks in large measure to Zerby.
Also, the comments continue the rant that the LMCC should get rid of Mediacom and bring in another provider. It's virtually impossible to unseat an incumbent cable provider under FCC rules. Just beacuse some people don't like aspects of Mediacom's service isn't sufficient grounds for revoking or not renewing the franchise of Mediacom.
How does Mediacom feel about the LMCC? They would like it to go away. It's really a thorn in their side when they have one, focused, organization working to support the interests of customers in 17 cities. They're campaigning with individual city councils in the LMCC area to get them to drop out of the LMCC.
Why? They say the cities could collect the franchise fee revenue instead of the LMCC. This is attractive to cities that need money. Of course without the LMCC, who manages the relationship with Mediacom and provides all the programming and other services? Conveniently for Mediacom, it would be the individual cities who largely have no expertise and 1/17th the bargaining leverage the LMCC has now.
Happy Reading!
The Insider
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
What is the LMCC?
12/4/12
Readers are asking about the LMCC. So here goes.
The LMCC is a Joint Powers organization of 17 cities roughly surrounding Lake Minnetonka. The agreement delegated the cable TV franchising authority of the member cities to the LMCC and gave it a charter to provide public and educational programming services for the member cities. It's been around for about 25 years.
While the LMCC has the franchising authority over cable TV, it does not control Mediacom's behavior except in limited circumstances. Mediacom's operations are goverened mostly by federal law and Federal Communications Commissions rules.
The LMCC has no authority over cable TV channel selections or pricing. It has absolutely no authority as regards Internet or telephone service offered by Mediacom. These are covered only by federal and/or state law and rules.
The FCC requires the LMCC to offer cable TV franchises to any qualified provider. Mediacom does not have an exclusive right to offer cable TV. On the other hand, no other providers have been interested in overbuilding Mediacom's network and competing with them. The LMCC has asked others. So, the LMCC is stuck with Mediacom.
Residents may get their TV from DirecTV or Dish (satellite). In many areas, Internet is available from Century Link and Frontier Communications. So if you don't like Mediacom switch!
The Limited authority the LMCC does have over Mediacom is controlled by the LMCC Directors and its Executive Committee. So when Scott Zerby or other Directors don't attend meetings, the cities they represent don't even have any say.
BTW, Zerby was instrumental in killing an effort the LMCC had underway two years ago to bring a competing, government owned service to the LMCC area. So, if you don't like what you have now, you can vent on Zerby.
Happy Reading!
The Insider
Readers are asking about the LMCC. So here goes.
The LMCC is a Joint Powers organization of 17 cities roughly surrounding Lake Minnetonka. The agreement delegated the cable TV franchising authority of the member cities to the LMCC and gave it a charter to provide public and educational programming services for the member cities. It's been around for about 25 years.
While the LMCC has the franchising authority over cable TV, it does not control Mediacom's behavior except in limited circumstances. Mediacom's operations are goverened mostly by federal law and Federal Communications Commissions rules.
The LMCC has no authority over cable TV channel selections or pricing. It has absolutely no authority as regards Internet or telephone service offered by Mediacom. These are covered only by federal and/or state law and rules.
The FCC requires the LMCC to offer cable TV franchises to any qualified provider. Mediacom does not have an exclusive right to offer cable TV. On the other hand, no other providers have been interested in overbuilding Mediacom's network and competing with them. The LMCC has asked others. So, the LMCC is stuck with Mediacom.
Residents may get their TV from DirecTV or Dish (satellite). In many areas, Internet is available from Century Link and Frontier Communications. So if you don't like Mediacom switch!
The Limited authority the LMCC does have over Mediacom is controlled by the LMCC Directors and its Executive Committee. So when Scott Zerby or other Directors don't attend meetings, the cities they represent don't even have any say.
BTW, Zerby was instrumental in killing an effort the LMCC had underway two years ago to bring a competing, government owned service to the LMCC area. So, if you don't like what you have now, you can vent on Zerby.
Happy Reading!
The Insider
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