The Open Forum time is listed on every Staples City Council agenda, but most often no one is there to bring up items.

Not so March 24, when two people responded when their Open Forum time to speak came up toward the end of the meeting.

Jim Jeziorski, owner of the Staples Dollar Store on Fourth Street, questioned the direction the city is taking regarding the overall tax burden on property owners. After listing the police station project, the old Highway 10 street project planned for 2010 and the new city hall/library to be constructed this summer, he asked how all that will affect property taxes.

"Right now, with the economic calamity that we have, do you honestly believe there is enough tax capacity in the incomes of the community to support any additional taxes."

He noted both the city, and the school district are contemplating major projects, with an overall tax increase that he feels could come close to 30 to 40 percent.

"Do you honestly believe that a private business like mine can absorb the impact of the road being torn up, the resulting loss of business, then throw in an assessment on top of that, plus an increase in property taxes?"

He referred to bright beautiful government buildings as being nice, but that all the rest are going to be vacant, with any business relocating to new developments on Highway 10.

Council member Rob Schmieg said he shared Jeziorski's concerns but

that he also felt that building

now is the right timing. "All the materials, interest,

labor, all those things are at an all time low right now."

Stan Carlson, the one council member who has not supported the new city hall construction on most votes, responded that "... city hall is something that we could delay, the road project is not, it's something we can't delay."

City council members and city staff noted problems coming up almost every day with city hall, such as water seeping in under the back door just the day before, The council and city staff agreed to listen to any counter proposals for office space or library space that Jeziorski can provide them.

Don Ludovissie was the second person to speak from the audience. His issue was the reoccurring problem with a garage at 1403 Fourth Street N.E. on property he and Rainbow Realty partner Mark Bounds sold after putting on a new metal roof and painting the walls.

Unfortunately, they did so without a building permit and not in conformity with the city's zoning ordinance, which calls for garages to match as close as possible the construction style of the house, which on this property is stucco.

The issue was hashed out in planning and zoning meetings, in front of the council a year ago, and in Todd County District Court, where the city rules were upheld and Ludovissie was found in violation of city zoning and was fined for not conforming to the ordinance.

"It was our choice to repair the garage, the colors match as close as possible but it does not match city code.

"We didn't know we had to get a building permit," Ludovissie said several times, his apparent chief argument.

"Now they've fined us and you want us to take apart what we've done and do it over,' he said, apparently having received a letter from the city telling him he had to re-do the garage.

He said the new property owners "...love the house, they love the garage just the way it is. That's one of the reasons we bought the house," they tell us.

"It's a crying shame. We're ready to move both of our businesses out of town," he said.

City Clerk Phil Lindaman, in the middle of Ludovissie's argument, responded that, "If you had come up for a building permit, we would have told you the requirements for painting and matching the garage to the house."

The long time realtor in town left the council chambers without a smile.

In another matter, the council approved on a 4-2 vote a first reading of the ordinance amending the city's sign regulations. The ordinance included language that allows the appointed three-member Board of Adjustment make final decisions on appeals brought up about signs not conforming to city rules. Both Rob Schmieg and Jo Ellen Einerwold had problems with the city council not being the final decision maker on this. Don Flaten, the council rep on the planning and zoning board, and others mentioned that this is designed to keep political pressure out of zoning decisions.

In other matters, the city council:

o HEARD City Administrator Nate Mathews' activities report, including getting an approval from the Great River Regional Library's board of directors on the Staples library plans, a meeting he attended with the Todd County commissioners and five area county attorneys; his attendance as a board member at the North Central Economic Development Authority (NCEDA) quarterly meeting; and several other meetings. The city has received its Challenger tractor and snow blower for use at the airport, an item purchased with federal airport grant funding, he also reported.

o APPROVED on 5-1 votes with Roy Miles opposed, for Sacred Heart School and Church to conduct both bingo on April 5 and a raffle on April 25.

o APPOINTED Rose Hoemberg to fill her late husband's (Fritz Hoemberg) term on the Staples Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA-Hi Rise board).