Among the items on tonight's Chaska City Council agenda are:

* Highway 41 improvements (including stop light at Second St)

* Police Officer Bargaining Unit contract

* Non-union city employee pay classification plan

*** A worksession will be held at 6 p.m. to discuss term length for the mayor's position.

Chaska City Council meetings are held the first, third and fifth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. at Chaska City Hall, One City Hall Plaza.

Last week’s snowstorm added an exclamation point a year that was already sludgy. Instead of barreling ahead, everyone was holed-up, waiting for the storm to pass.

Long gone are the days when Chaska was growing by a thousand people a year and houses were popping up like spring dandelions.

Instead, everyone – residents, politicians, business owners – were all coming to grips with the fact that cash just isn’t flowing into the coffers like it used to.

The Chaska City Council approved the general and enterprise fund budgets, as well as finalizing the 2010 tax levy and enterprise rates Monday night.

The general fund budget was set at just over $9.6 million, a 0.55 percent increase over 2009.

“It’s very constant to what we saw last year,” said City Administrator Matt Podhradsky. “I think a 0.55 percent increase is doing very well considering the times,” said Councilor Rick Ford.

Three of the four candidates running for mayor were on hand at The Lodge last Thursday morning to share their thoughts about Chaska and its future.

Jay Rohe, Bob Snyder and Mark Windschitl (with Doug Williams absent) participated in a forum moderated by Park Board Chairman and Jonathan Association President Nate Bostrom.

More than four dozen crowded into The Lodge at the Chaska Community Center to attend the nearly two-hour event. The candidates discussed topics that included downtown revitalization, Firemen’s Park and affordable housing.

Among the items on tonight's Chaska City Council agenda are:

* Tax levy/general fund budget

* Utility fund rates

Chaska City Council meetings are held the first, third and fifth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. at Chaska City Hall, One City Hall Plaza.

Tough economics continue to wreak havoc on cities around the state, including Chaska.

“[This year] was probably one of the most challenging budget years we’ve faced,” City Administrator Matt Podhradsky told the Chaska City Council at its Dec. 7 meeting. “And 2010 did not paint a much prettier picture.”

Two forums are scheduled to help the public decide which candidate to select Chaska's next mayor.

The first will take place at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17 at The Lodge (1661 Park Ridge Drive).

The second, sponsored by the Eastern Carver County League of Women Voters, will occur at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at the Chaska Community Center (1661 Park Ridge Drive). The second forum will be live on cable channel 14, with re-runs daily on channel 15 (9 a.m., 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.).

Among the items on tonight's Chaska City Council agenda are:

* Public hearing: Truth in Taxation

* Commitment to Community Task Force recommendations

Chaska City Council meetings are held the first, third and fifth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m. at Chaska City Hall, One City Hall Plaza.

The city of Chaska’s annual public hearing for the Truth in Taxation process will be 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7 at City Hall chambers, 1 City Hall Plaza.

The Truth in Taxation process allows residents to comment on their taxes and the Minnesota property tax system.

It will approve its annual budget on Dec. 21. In Chaska, the proposed tax levy for 2010 would result in $28 more in annual city taxes for the owner of a $200,000 home, from $416 to $444.