At tonight’s Shakopee Public Utilities Commission meeting, a representative from Ehlers, Inc.*, an industry-leading municipal advisory firm, will be presenting the results of a study comparing Shakopee’s fees and rates to neighboring communities. This certainly sheds light on the current issues raised regarding our fees and charges. I recommend Shakopee’s citizens take a close look at this data before jumping to conclusions based upon some blatantly biased information circulating in the community.

Cutting to the core issue, Ehlers observes that the “Options to reduce fees” are either to “Postpone/eliminate capital projects,” which would effectively stop any further development or, conversely, “shift cost burden to user charges,” which is what I believe the City Council wants.

Download the Ehlers presentation here:

*From the Ehlers website: “Ehlers is an industry-leading municipal advisor firm serving Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado and Kansas. We leverage centuries of combined experience and specialized expertise to deliver innovative, fully-integrated public finance solutions that help governments and public agencies build strong, vibrant and sustainable communities.”