Waseca council 2022 coffee break debates

Four local residents running for Waseca City Council seats took the stage at the Performing Arts Center at Waseca High School on Friday, Oct. 7 for the first round of this year’s Coffee Break Debates: Jeremy Conrath running unopposed for ward one; James Ebertowski, unopposed, ward two; and Stacey Schroeder and Robert Tackett running against one another in a special election for ward two. Moderating the event was WHS senior, Charli Harguth.

The debate started with opening statements from each candidate, beginning with Conrath, a 46-year-old who has lived in Waseca his whole life. He has a wife, Jamie, and one adult daughter. He is a current 14-year employee of the Waseca County Sheriff’s Office as a correctional officer, prior to which he worked for ten years at Countryside Motors. Conrath has served as a ward one council member for nearly six years, served on the Discover Waseca Tourism Board for six years, the fire relief board for six years, police reserves for nine years, and fifteen years on the Waseca County Snowmobile Trail Association.

“I’m very passionate about Waseca and like giving back to the community,” Conrath said. “I would enjoy serving four more years on the city council.”

James “Jimmy” Ebertowski is a 26-year-old who was born and raised in Waseca, having served as an EMT with North Memorial Health starting at age 19 before becoming a paramedic. Last year, he switched career paths to become an electrician in order to build a family in town. 

“I just want to see change in Waseca and see Waseca grow with the taxpayers in mind,” Ebertowski said, adding that while he does not have any experience in politics, he is “willing and excited to learn.”

Stacey Schroeder is a local resident and hairstylist of 28 years with a husband and four adult children. She stated that she has always had a passion for the community, having graduated from Waseca High School about 30 years ago. 

“I think I bring forth a really unique position where I have access to the public on an almost daily basis,” Schroeder said. “I have always heard that Waseca [can be] hard to work with, so I am trying to figure out why that is and am willing to get busy working for you.”

Robert Tackett, military veteran with 21 years of honorable service, is running against Schroeder and describes himself as a family and business man. 

“I have seen and experienced a lot and have learned much in my life, and I want to bring a fresh viewpoint to Waseca,” Tackett said. “I believe that we need to get people involved and together we can help Waseca grow.”

Next was the question and answer portion of the debate, during which time each candidate had a limited amount of time to answer each question presented to them.

Question one: quality of life - what are the most important aspects of our community that are worth bragging about, preserving, and developing more, and how should Waseca market itself to draw attention to this quality of life?

Ebertowski: “Our town as a whole, and the people that protect and serve our town, be it our police officers, fire department, or our private ambulance. Secondly, our neighborly aspects and how much we care for each other and want to help each other out; our awesome school system and teachers; being a great place to raise a family.”

Tackett: “I believe that one of our saving graces here is our self-reliance and independence. We’ve got some small and large farms here, and their strength is actually a big focal point for our community. We do have some economy here; we need to build on that economy, need to bring in some bigger businesses and develop some smaller mom-and-pop businesses: that way everybody can have something to do.”

Tackett also noted that Waseca needs more activities for youth in the area outside of school, possibly partnering with small businesses to achieve this goal. In terms of marketing, he noted a website that has been developed for Waseca to connect with companies across the nation to entice them to come to Waseca.

Schroeder: “I think one of our greatest assets is our school system. We’re providing a great education and I think that’s very marketable to families. I also think we do have a lot of wonderful amenities, such as our parks, lakes, and public library. We have so many good things going for us, and I want to get more good things going, too.”

Schroeder noted the need for finding ways to keep younger people in Waseca and keeping an open dialogue about what the community needs and can do in the future for growth.

Conrath: “I think we’ve got an excellent school district here; public safety is one of the biggest points being made.”

Conrath said Waseca should focus on telecommuting for work, continued focus on public safety, and noted an assessment recently completed by the tourism board through the University of Minnesota outlining key things that bring people to Waseca, namely the town’s parks, lakes, and trails. 

“It’s our lakes, our trails - Waseca has a vast trail system throughout town; a lot of communities don’t have this.”

Question two: the budget and taxes - the current council has passed an 11% preliminary tax levy increase. It is actually lower when the tax revenue from Conagra is included in that formula, but still in the ballpark of 7%. Are you in favor of this raise in city taxes? If not, how much would you support it?

Schroeder: “It does take money to build a good community and keep those safety practices in play and keep those amenities. Sometimes, you need to look at things as an investment and short-term.”

She noted her desire to grow housing and the need to look at growing Waseca’s tax base in order to spread the tax burden over a greater population.

“You can only go to the well so many times; you can’t keep asking over and over.”

Tackett: “We need to grow the tax base, and to do that, we need to build more houses so people can live here in Waseca rather than drive to Mankato or Owatonna. We need to bring in bigger businesses that can pay those property taxes. If we don’t get our taxes to a manageable level, our seniors are going to have a problem.”

He said that if Waseca can get more businesses to share in the tax base, “we can breathe a little easier for a little longer.”

Conrath: Noted that the actual impact for the homeowners base of the preliminary tax levy is 4.49% when Conagra is factored in. He also mentioned that $100,000 is included for future development of the town that can be used for housing development or subdivisions - things that can help to grow Waseca.

“We can take that out and lower people’s property taxes, but it’s going to hurt down the road. So, do we want to do a little bit now, to ease the pain? In order to get the businesses and the houses, we need to start looking a little bit more towards the future. In order to get the businesses, we have to get the employees - there are many aspects you have to look at.”

He also noted that he expects the actual impact to be lower than the preliminary tax levy increase by the time the final tax levy is approved in December.

Ebertowski: “I’d say just because we can doesn’t mean we should. I understand it does take money to grow and build the community, but in the past I understand levies were around the 3% range, and I’d like to see it there in the future, if not lower, if possible with respect to still being able to grow.”

He noted that high taxes are one reason Waseca has had difficulty bringing and keeping businesses in town.

“I understand it takes money to make money, but [tax levies need to be determined] with respect to the pocketbooks of lower middle class such as myself and most of the people that live in Waseca.”

 

 

 

 

 

Question three: what are the critical, non-negotiable services the city must continue to provide, and are there services that must be cut through financial times?

Conrath: Listed non-essential services that could be cut including leaf and brush pickup, which has been done in the budget in the past. He noted that he has heard community support for said services and therefore would not be in favor of cutting those services. He also stated that parks would be one area that could be reduced, as there is an “overabundance of parks” in Waseca.

Ebertowski: Noted that reducing parks services would affect the draw to Waseca for families, adding that there are multiple essential services that need to be kept. He said that city employees should not have to “take a hit” from services being reduced or cut.

“If our middle class can live on a budget, I feel like our city should be able to as well.”

Tackett: Mentioned the possibility of an “adopt a park” program that would utilize community volunteers to free up city employees for other tasks. He noted that there are many essential services that the city cannot do without - snow removal, law enforcement, trash removal, etc.

Schroeder: Talked about looking at ways to combine areas to increase efficiency of employees and services or possibly outsourcing services, either on a volunteer or paid basis. Agreeing with the other candidates, she noted that emergency and public safety services - police, fire, ambulance - are critical and cannot be cut or reduced.

Question four: future of Waseca - what are the biggest challenges facing the City of Waseca in the next five years, and what would you do on the council to ensure that Waseca’s quality of life is high for its citizens and appealing to potential citizens?

Ebertowski: Talked about the importance of focusing on lowering taxes, mentioning the empty building left by Delta that “with taxes being as high as they are, I don’t see a blue-collar, family businesses that [would want] to move in.” He noted plans for Gator Lake currently in progress with the council are a “step in the right direction” and suggested bringing in more voices from those with more knowledge to help lower tax burden.

Schroeder: “I would like to see the city stop spinning the proverbial wheel and put a little gas behind it. I would like to see growth within our housing and industry, and it’s very hard to attract a business to come in and pay those taxes if they don’t have an employee base to draw from or a place to bring their employees to.”

Stated she would like to see the city partner with private enterprises for something such as an enterprise fund or business incubator, sourcing outside of the taxpayer base. She also said Waseca needs to look at how it is marketing itself and look toward the future in terms of business and housing.

“I think things work better when you try to partner versus trying to take it on yourself.”

Tackett: Noted the empty buildings in historic downtown Waseca and discussed moving businesses in to that area as a start. He discussed the importance of housing and multitasking rather than focusing on one project as well as looking at and making plans for making land available for larger businesses in the future. He said that private companies have the funds to take risks that the city does not, which is why bringing businesses in is so important.

“We have to be good stewards, friends, and neighbors, and talk to people outside of Waseca to convince them to be part of our family.”

Conrath: Agreed with the other candidates in terms of housing, mentioning a previous tax abatement and noting the importance of filling empty buildings with new businesses. Discussed infrastructure that is essential for Waseca to compete with communities surrounding it, and noted that multitasking is necessary to get taxes reasonable.

Question five: business growth - do you agree with the decision by the City of Waseca last year to offer a generous tax abatement to Conagra in exchange for continuing to be a part of the Waseca economy? Do you favor this approach to encourage businesses to locate here?

Tackett: “I do agree with the tax abatement. We need them, and at some point they’re going to start getting that money back. Having Conagra stay here is going to keep people employed, and those people are going to be buying houses and paying taxes and hopefully we can entice more people and businesses to come.”

Schroeder: “I did agree with the tax abatement. BirdsEye/Conagra has been here for a long time, and if it meant keeping them here, I don’t see why we wouldn’t. I know other communities have been very successful in attracting businesses by offering such things as a tax abatement.”

Noted that investing in businesses results in them investing in the town, which is a benefit to the community.

Conrath: “I do agree, and I was part of it. The deal was not perfect. We hear on the city council that we don’t do enough for businesses and to keep businesses in town, and we kept them in town.”

Noted that some employees lost jobs through optimizing operations, but hopes that employment will be expanded in the future.

“In 20 years when that tax abatement ends, you will be astonished at what a difference that makes to the levy.”

He also said that the impact of the tax abatement was similar to that of 52 new houses being built in the community, which along with keeping the jobs Conagra provides, would have made the 2023 tax levy impact 11% rather than 4.49%.

Ebertowski: Also agrees with the tax abatement, noting that while it wasn’t a perfect deal, it worked out and kept a big business in town that will hopefully help grow the community in the future.

“I think it was a good of a job as they could have done with what they were given.”

Added that he would like to see smaller businesses receive similar help and breaks and overall openness to work with by the city council. 

In closing statements, Conrath noted that he has enjoyed serving on the city council for six years and would enjoy serving for four more. He said he’s most proud of not missing meetings and being available to the public.

“You are not going to please 100% of the people, but whenever I make a decision, I put my personal feelings aside and try to think of how the majority of people of Waseca would want it done,” Contrath said.

Ebertowski said that he enjoyed serving the community as a paramedic and looks forward to serving the community on the city council.

“I hope to do a great job - I will do my absolute best,” Ebertowski said. “I’ve heard over and over again, ‘Listen to the people, make them feel heard’ - I may not always gree with you, but I will listen to you. I may not have all the answers, but I will ask thought-provoking questions and hopefully get people headed in the right direction.”

Schroeder noted that most can agree that quality of life needs to be maintained in Waseca, and that she is willing to ask questions and bring forth concerns of the community.

“I’m not only working for you, but I want to work with you,” Schroeder said.

Tackett mentioned that he and his opponent, Stacey Schroeder, share a lot of the same values as he does. He believes council members need to work with the people in their ward in order to make positive change in the community.

“You’re not going to go wrong with either one of us that you vote for,” Tackett said. “You need to listen to people and hear their concerns, issues, and answer their questions as best you can. Sometimes you don’t always have the answers, but we can bring those questions to the city council. We need to be transparent in all of that.”

The next Coffee Break Debate will be at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14 at the Performing Arts Center in Waseca High School between the two candidates for Waseca County Sheriff.