Saturday, April 28th 2018
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
North Branch City Hall - 6408 Elm St

The North Branch Police Department is partnering with the DEA to collect your unused, unwanted, and expired prescription drugs. We will even take illegal drugs and narcotics and safely dispose of them.   No questions asked! Anonymous! Free!

Recycle your old computers, TVs, printers, fax machines, VCRs, DVD players, satellite receivers, radios, cell phones, microwaves, appliances, tires, furniture, mattresses, batteries and scrap metal.

Terry’s Disposal is to provide a one-day recycling pickup in North Branch.  Bring your unwanted recyclables to the North Branch Public Works Shop, corner of Grand Avenue and Birch Street, between 9 a.m. and noon on April 28 to recycle them.

Click here for the Rates

After 70 years of doing business in North Branch, and returning the profits back to North Branch residents and business owners through transfers of those profits to the General Fund to help lower the annual tax levy, North Branch Municipal Liquors has opened a second location!

The second store (West Store 2) is located in Marketplace Mall in between County Market and Papa Murphy’s, and is open Monday – Saturday 8 am – 10 pm, and Sundays 11 am – 6 pm. Stop in and check out the new store! You will find it has a different look and feel, but will still provide you with the friendly and helpful service you have come to know and expect at North Branch Liquors. The new store is about one-third the size of the original store, so there is a smaller selection that was based on our top sellers for the past year. If we don’t have what you are looking for, let a clerk or manager know and we will make sure to get it into the new store.

FREE Movie - Fiddler on the Roof - 2pm on Saturday, February 10 at North Branch High School Auditorium.

Fiddler on the Roof, an award-winning movie set in Imperial Russia 1905, is based on a father’s attempt to maintain his culture and traditions as the world around him is changing. At the same time, the Tsar of Russia is working to evict him and his family.

North Branch Community ED is graciously offering popcorn and refreshments at no costs.

The North Branch Police Department is currently accepting applications for the position of Police Reserve Officer.  Police Reserve Officers are non-licensed and non-paid volunteers who are willing to provide volunteer hours at the North Branch Police Department on a regular basis.  This position provides for a great opportunity for those considering or currently pursuing a career in law enforcement and for those who are in other careers and wish to serve their community by volunteering.  For More information and how to apply, please click here.  

 http://www.aia-mn.org/wp-content/uploads/MDT_Workbook.pdf

We have invited representatives of MDT to come to North Branch City Hall, 6408 Elm Street, North Branch, MN, on Tuesday, November 28 from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm to present the program, its goals/objectives for the city, and the schedule of activities that would be held sometime next fall.  You are cordially invited to attend this information session.  Feel free to extend the invite to your community connections as well.

At the conclusion of the meeting, those in attendance will be asked to indicate, by show of hands or something similar, whether they support the idea of moving forward with an application to participate in the program.  If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, please feel free to contact City Administrator, Renae Fry, 651.674.8113 or via email renaef@ci.north-branch.mn.us

Just a reminder to all residents and visitors to North Branch that per the City's ordinance, there is no parking on any public street between 1:00 am and 7:00 am or in any City owned parking lot (except by city permit) between 2:00 am and 5:00 am between November 1st through March 31st. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and have a great winter season!

CITY OF NORTH BRANCH PRESS RELEASE

Subject:  Minnesota Housing Announces the 2017 Housing Projects Selected to Receive Funding – Two North Branch Proposals Received Funding.

Today, Minnesota Housing held a press conference to announce and celebrate 60 housing projects throughout the state that were selected for funding, resulting in nearly $350 million of new development to create or preserve much needed housing options for Minnesota residents.  North Branch is very excited to announce that the two projects submitted for funding last June were selected for financial assistance.   The application process is very competitive and receiving funding for two projects in the same community and in the same year is unprecedented.  Mayor Hagen-Kennedy joined state leaders, including Mary Tingerthal, Commissioner of Minnesota Housing, Congresswoman Betty McCollum, and Warren Hanson, President and CEO, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund to speak about housing needs and the local and regional benefits of North Branch’s two projects.

The first project is the Cherokee Place Project sponsored by Commonwealth Management Corporation that will result in the construction of 48 new rental townhomes.  The project is tailored to meet the needs of working families.  The townhome units will range in sizes from 1 to 3 bedrooms, offer on-site amenities and be served by on-site management.  The total development cost is anticipated to be $9,009,701.  This project offers family stability, workforce housing and business growth for our community. 

The second project receiving funding is the Central Minnesota Housing Partnership’s, Willow Grove project that will serve Region 7E (consisting of Chisago, Isanti, Pine, Kanabec and Mille Lacs counties) by addressing the housing shortage for adults with mental health conditions.  The project will result in the construction of a new 20 unit apartment building.  The total development cost for this project is anticipated to be $4,138,893.  This creates the opportunity for people to live in their community of choice, remaining close to family and friends, while being as independent as possible.  CMHP’s supportive housing project will provide additional options for continuum of care for individuals living with severe and persistent mental illness.

Contact:

Renae Fry
651.674.8113
renaef@ci.north-branch.mn.us
City Administrator

The City of North Branch has 105 miles of local streets and road infrastructure to maintain. This consists of 70 miles of asphalt pavement, and 35 miles of gravel. Of the 70 miles that are currently paved, 17.1 are state aid and 52.9 are non-state aid.  Prior to 2009, the City had approximately $350,000.00 in our annual street budget for asphalt overlays, milling, full depth reconstruction and sealcoating to maintain our “non-state aid streets”.  In 2009, this amount was cut from the budget and never replaced. The net effect of this funding loss is that City’s roads have continued to deteriorate over the past 8-9 years and the City has fallen further behind in preserving this expensive asset. 

Funding local street rehabilitation is not a one-time need. It’s a permanent need that must be addressed in order to preserve this huge asset. Assuming streets are overlaid once every 20 years, the City of North Branch should be overlaying 2.65 miles per year so all 52.9 miles of the currently paved non-state aid street system is overlaid once every 20 years. This equates to a cost of approximately $1,250,000 per year. As more streets are constructed, the number of paved streets increases adding to the total of streets that should overlaid on a regular schedule.  There are currently 17.9 miles of paved local streets that are over 20 years old, and have never been overlaid.   As the years pass, more streets will reach that 20 year mark thereby adding to the total that should be overlaid.

Franchise fees have steadily become very popular for partially funding pavement management plans.  A comprehensive pavement plan requires several funding sources, including state aid, levy dollars, and franchise fees.  With regard to franchise fees, they spread costs out to everyone over a longer period of time and provide a dedicated fee to ensure local control of the pavement revenue, and that repairs stay on schedule with the City’s plan for managing the condition of its roads.

The City is encouraging residents and property owners to attend one of the upcoming citywide community meetings.  The information meetings will feature a presentation about the use of franchise fees as a way to fund road improvements.  They will also provide time for questions from participants.  The first opportunity to learn more about this topic will be held on Wednesday, October 18, 2017, at North Branch City Hall.  The meeting will begin at 3:00 pm and it is expected to last two hours.  The second opportunity will be held on Thursday, October 26, 2017 at North Branch City Hall.  This meeting will begin at 6:30 pm and it is also expected to last two hours. 

The City Council will hold its formal public hearing on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, with their decision expected to be made at its regular meeting on Tuesday, November 28, 2017.

Contact: