Northfield police keeping close eye on the Cannon
There’s no question the Cannon is on the rise and the Northfield Police Department has concerns of flooding. Upriver, they had more rain than we did. That means we could be seeing the aftermath later. Police Chief Monte Nelson says he’s in close contact with the City’s Emergency Management Director, Tim Isom as they are keeping a close eye on it the river. Nelson encourages anyone in flood prone areas to be on alert. Check out this LINK for information on flood preparedness from the City as well as other resources.
Underdahl says ACA creates change for NH&C but the extent isn’t yet known
Steve Underdahl has 1 year under his belt as the President and CEO of Northfield Hospital and Clinics. There have been some changes including the Affordable Care Act. Asked how he thought the roll out went he said it went smoother than some media reported. He says one of the challenges was how it became such a political football. For the hospital it’s a little early to tell HOW much they’ll be affected. Underdahl says the number of uninsured has been cut by 40%. The difficult piece for them is how to work with the insurance changes. The fact is most of these newer policies have much larger deductibles so that people could afford the monthly premium. That means there’s been a “softening of demand” for services. The hypothesis is that new policy owners “manage their money differently than the insurance companies money when it may cost a $20 copay”. They’re choosing more carefully what procedures they’ll have and also asking how much it costs. Underdahl says they’ll have a better idea at the end of the year to 18 months, as to how it affects them directly.
Northfield Council holds special meeting regarding City Admin position
The Northfield City Council meets tonight at 6 o’clock for a special meeting to make selections for finalists for Northfield City Administrator. This will be streamed live online at kymnradio.net. They will then meet at 7 for their regular meeting. City Clerk Deb Little will swear in new police officer Derek Ellis. On the regular agenda Council will hear a presentation on Bridge Square options, they’ll decide on what company to award the telecommunications contract to and also choose a companies to represent them for legal services, both criminal and civil. The Committee is recommending staying with Flaherty & Hood for civil matters but changing the Criminal attorney to Eckberg and Lammers, a Stillwater based company. There have been complaints against the current Criminal Attorney, Eliot Knetsch by advocates of Hope Center. Again, the meetings will be streamed at 6 and 7 o’clock on kymnradio.net.
Movie theater a no-go for now
City staff has received notice from the developer of the movie theater project that they will not be pursuing the project at this time. The financing gap is larger than they anticipated. Community Development Coordinator, Michele Merxbauer said while this news is disappointing, the developer was clear that they will continue to evaluate the project for feasibility in the future. Staff will continue to maintain this relationship and facilitate with the EDA any project progress.
The Northfield Chamber of Commerce and partners are hosting a Legislator breakfast on Thursday morning from 7:30-8:30 am at the Community Resource Bank lower level community room. District 20 Senator Kevin Dahle and House District 20b representative David Bly will be on hand. You can register online at northfieldchamber.com.
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The post Today’s news update – Northfield police keeping close eye on the Cannon; Underdahl says ACA creates change for NH&C but the extent isn’t yet known; Northfield Council holds special meeting regarding City Admin position; Movie theater a no-go for now appeared first on KYMN Radio - Northfield, MN.