Inver Grove Heights City Council Preview

The Inver Grove Heights City Council is holding a public meeting tonight. Here's a preview of the agenda for the group. The council meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall, and will be followed by a work session. Click on the attached pdf file to view the full agendas for the council.

Inver Grove Heights City Council

• The council is expected to approve a plan submitted by the Dakota County Historical Society to work in partnership with the city to provide cultural interpretation and research in relation to the Rock Island Swing Bridge. Under the plan, the historical society would serve as a consultant to the city, helping city officials secure grant funding, collecting oral histories related to the bridge from community members and developing interpretive themes for the bridge site. The costs for the city aren't expected to exceed $4,000.

• The number of Canada geese in the city has exploded in recent years, and city officials are recommending that the city again participate in an early hunting season for geese within the city. If approved, the early season would run from Sept. 3 to Sept. 22. Under the proposal, the city would also allow goose hunting within the city limits on several weekends during the regular season, which runs from Oct. 1 to Dec. 22. Anyone wishing to participate in the goose hunting would be required to pay a one-time permit fee of $20.

• The council is expected to approve the third and final reading of an ordinance amending the City Council meeting start times from 7:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

• At a work session immediately following the meeting, the council is expected to discuss the city's 2012 budget and hear budget presentations from each of the city departments. Council members have indicated that they are not willing to increase the tax rate within the city, which may lead to as much as $292,000 in budget cuts in 2012.