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Utilities

Electricity

Provider: City of Lake City Public Utilities
Utility phone: (651)-345-5383
Contact person: Neil Brunkow (651)-345-6851

Electrical Service Rates:

Small Commercial	Large Commercial
Minimum Bill: • $20.00 (Urban) • $31.00 (Rural)	Minimum Bill: • $25.00 (Urban) • $36.00 (Rural)
Energy Charge (Per kWh/month) • .09365 (Oct. 1- Apr. 30) • .10365 (May 1- Sept. 30)	Energy Charge (Per kWh/month) • .05178 (Oct. 1- Apr. 30) • .06178 (May 1- Sept. 30)
	Demand charge/kWh (non-coincident) • $14.00
Small Industrial	Large Industrial
Demand charge/KW (non-coincident) • $14.00	Demand charge/KW (coincident w/ L.C. peak) • $16.00
Energy Charge (Per kWh) • 04903 (Oct. 1- Apr. 30) • .05903 (May 1- Sept. 30)	Energy Charge (Per kWh) • 04629 (off-peak) • .05750 (on-peak)
	Customer Charge (per month) • $475.00

 

Water

Provider: City of Lake City Public Utilities
Utility phone: (651)-345-5383
Contact person: Dave Finley (651) 345-6854

Additional Water Information

Storage Capacity: 1.5 million gallons
Pumping Capacity: 2,550 gallons/minute
Average Demand: 1.2 million gallons/day
Peak Demand: 2 million gallons/day
Total Water Hardness: 18 ppm

Water Service Rates:

Commercial	Industrial
Monthly Minimum Charge: • $5.00	Monthly Minimum Charge: • $25.00
Water Charge (Per 100 cubic foot): • $0.99	Water Charge (Per 100 cubic foot): • $0.94

Wastewater:

Provider: City of Lake City Public Utilities
Utility phone: (651)-345-5383
Contact person: Mike Tucker (651) 345-3711

Additional Wastewater Information:

Treatment Type: Mechanical Plant
Capacity of Plant: 1.3 million gallons/day
Average Flow: 600,000 gallons/day
Peak Flow: 3.87 million gallons/day

Sewer Service Rates:

Commercial	Industrial
Sewer Charge (Per 100 cubic foot): • $3.83	Sewer Charge (Per 100 cubic foot): • $3.83
Monthly Minimum Charge: • $13.51	Monthly Mininimum Charge: • $61.90 (Small Industrial) • $180.08 (Large Industrial)

Natural Gas:

Provider: Xcel Energy
Utility phone: (800) 848-7558
Contact person: Ken Stabler (612) 330-5834

Major Employers

Company	Product/Service
Lake City Medical Center - Mayo Health System	Hospital/Clinic/Nursing Home
Hearth and Home Technologies	Fireplace and equipment manufacturing
Federal Mogul	Heavy equipment piston production
Valley Craft	Office furniture manufacturing
Wild Wings	Art printing and related support
Pepin Heights Orchard	Fruit tree farming and production
Pepin Manufacturing	Medical and industrial manufacturing
Independent School District 813	Elementary and Secondary Schools
City of Lake City	General government support
Pally Pallets	Other wood product manufacturing
Horizon Milling	Grain and oilseed milling
Acrotech	Urethane product manufacturing
Fiesta Foods	Grocery/deli/bakery
Lake City Federal Bank	General Banking
Alliance Bank	General Banking

Workforce

Information for Southeast Minnesota – Economic Development Region 10

Year	Month	Labor Force	Employment	Unemployment	Unemployment Rate
2009	November	279,700	262,096	17,604	6.3
2009	October	279,184	261,357	17,827	6.4
2009	September	278,638	260,287	18,351	6.6
2009	August	280,060	260,672	19,388	6.9
2009	July	281,402	261,198	20,204	7.2
2009	June	280,610	258,640	21,970	7.8
2009	May	276,566	256,681	19,885	7.2
2009	April	277,919	256,495	21,424	7.7
2009	March	276,355	252,912	23,443	8.5
2009	February	273,067	250,724	22,343	8.2
2009	January	273,232	251,344	21,888	8.0

Retail Trade Analysis

The City of Lake City, in partnership with the University of Minnesota Extension, underwent a detailed analysis of the retail sector of both the city and Goodhue and Wabasha Counties. The report generated from this analysis gives an historical overview of the retail trade sector in our area, provides a basis for comparison with similar size communities and counties and is useful for identifying opportunities within the retail sector in Lake City. Access a complete copy of the Lake City Retail Trade Analysis.

Transportation and Shipping

• Major Highways - Lake City is conveniently located on Highways 61 and 63, approximately 15 miles south of Red Wing, 35 miles north of Rochester, 45 miles north of Winona, and 60 miles south of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Also worth noting, the portion of Highway 61 that runs through Lake City is part of the Great River Road, a byway recognized by Congress in the National Scenic Byways Program of the Federal Highway Administration for its beauty and cultural significance.
• Freight Rail - We are also accessible to two major rail lines, CP Rail and Soo Line.
• Passenger Rail – The Amtrak Station in Red Wing is approximately 16 miles away.
• Air - In addition, Lake City is only a short 20 minute drive to Red Wing Municipal Airport, or 40 minutes to the Rochester International Airport. Lake City is also approximately 50 miles from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
• Water – Lake City is positioned directly on the western bank of Lake Pepin, which is the widest spot of the Mississippi River. We are also home to the largest small-craft marina on the Mississippi.

Communications

• Telephone/Internet: Embarq Business – 866-380-9990
• Cable Television: Mediacom - 800-332-0245
• Local Newspaper: Lake City Graphic and Shopper (weekly) – 651-345-3316
• Local Radio Station: Lake Hits 95 KLCH Radio – 651-345-6900
• Post Office: Lake City Post Office – 651-345-3760

Property Taxes

The State of Minnesota has a very complex property tax system that consists of both state and local property taxes. To estimate what your local property taxes will be, you must start with two things:

1. Your property tax classification rate
2. The assessed market value of your property

The list below represents the Minnesota property tax classification types and the corresponding rates as payable in 2009. These rates are determined by the State Legislature and vary depending on use. In general, business properties have a higher rate than farmland and residential properties.

Current Property Tax Classification Rates (as payable in 2009)

Property Type	Classification Rate
Residential Homestead
First $500,000 of market value	1.00%
Value over $500,000	1.25%
Residential Non-Homestead
First $500,000 of market value	1.00%
Value over $500,000	1.25%
Commercial and Industrial
First $150,000 of market value	1.50%
Value over $150,000	2.00%
Farm Homesteads
House, garage, one acre
First $500,000 of market value	1.00%
Value over $500,000	1.25%
Remainder of Farm
First $600,000 of market value	0.55%
Value over $600,000	1.00%
Farm Non-Homesteads
House, garage, one acre
First $500,000 of market value	1.00%
Value over $500,000	1.25%
Land	1.00%
Residential Rental (Apartments)
2-3 units	1.25%
4 or more units	1.25%
Seasonal Cabins
First $500,000 of market value	1.00%
Value over $500,000	1.25%

Once you have determined your property tax classification rate, you may contact the county assessor to find the assessed market value of your property. Lake City is split into two different counties: Wabasha and Goodhue. You must determine which county your property is located in.

County Assessors:

• Goodhue County Assessor - 651-385-3006 or www.co.goodhue.mn.us
• Wabasha County Assessor – 651-565-3669 or www.co.wabasha.mn.us

Once you have the property tax classification rate and the assessed market value for your property, multiply these two numbers together to find your tax capacity.

The next step is to determine the amount of your local property tax. To find this, multiply your tax capacity by the local property tax rate. Lake City’s local property tax rate information is provided below.

Local Tax Rates (Payable 2009)

Taxing District	Tax Rate
Statewide General Tax	45.53%
Average County	49.29%
City of Lake City	47.96%
School District 813	8.37%
SEMMCHRA	0.68%
Total	151.83%

Example: You own a business in Lake City with an assessed market value of $300,000

To find the tax capacity of your property, take the first $150,000 of the value multiplied by the classification rate of 1.50% and the remaining $150,000 multiplied by the classification rate of 2.00%.

($150,000 x .015) + ($150,000 x .02) = $5,250

Your property’s tax capacity is $5,250.

Now, multiply your tax capacity ($5,250) by the local property tax rate, including the state general tax (151.83%). This equals your estimated local property tax.

$5,250 x 1.52 = $7,980

Your Lake City business with a value of $300,000 would pay an estimated $7,980 in property taxes for the year. Keep in mind that this is only an estimate; there are many factors that can affect your property taxes. The list below compares 2008 property taxes on a $300,000 commercial property by city with a population range of 5,000 - 10,000 and located in MN Economic Development Region 10 (Southeast MN).

City	Year	Value	City Tax	Total Tax
Lake City	2008	300,000	2,386	8,386
Kasson	2008	300,000	2,756	9,598
La Crescent	2008	300,000	2,816	9,333
Stewartville	2008	300,000	2,588	9,706