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Dakota County

Tribune

Farmington | Rosemount and the surrounding areas www.dakotacountytribune.com

NEWS Your name in lights We would like to run a listing of homes with outstanding holiday light displays in the next week’s edition. In order to be considered, send your address and a photo of the light display with the house number visible to editor. thisweek@ecm-inc.com.

OPINION Thank a teacher Columnist Joe Nathan encourages people to sit down and write a thank you note to an influential teacher. Page 4A

THISWEEKEND

December 11, 2014 • Volume 129 • Number 41

Songs evoke emotion from Scrooge Rosemount High School students to stage ‘A Christmas Carol: The Musical’ with which to view Scrooge. “In a play with a significant amount of emotional moments, music broadens this potential to inspire the audience and truly draw them into the spirit of the story,� said RHS student Leif Olson, who plays the miserly Scrooge. With music and lyrics by the team behind the musicals “Beauty and the Beast� and “The Little Mermaid,� there are sways of emotions that reach out in minor keys of sorrow and a crescendo of celebration. “I have always found music and ‘A Christmas Carol’ to be emotionally powerful,� said Emma Schneider, who plays the Ghost of Christmas Present. “When the chorus cuts off that last note of the song and Tiny Tim says, ‘God bless us, everyone,’ I can’t help being moved.� Olson said the biggest challenge of the musical is how different it is from the original work or spoken word adaptations. “The cast is faced with the daunting task of recreating a Ebenezer Scrooge, played by Rosemount High School student Leif Olson, is visited during the course of “A Christmas Carol: The Musical� See SCROOGE, 9A by many spirits in the night. (Photo by Jane St. Ores)

by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

Only a person as grumpy and isolated as Ebenezer Scrooge is at the beginning of “A Christmas Carol� could not be familiar any one of the various adaptations of Charles Dickens’ 1843 work. From the outset, Scrooge is concerned only with work and money, not the pleasures of life such as art, literature, theater and music. It is fitting Dickens, a writer of political essays, turned away from the stifled world of pamphlet writing and turned rather to a creation of the fictitious character Scrooge, whose story of redemption has had a powerful effect on people for nearly two centuries. In much the same way Dickens turned to fiction to illuminate a political problem, Rosemount High School students will use music and singing to showcase a new dimension of Dickens’ printed words. “A Christmas Carol: The Musical,� which will be staged this week in the school’s Performing Arts Center, offers a new prism

Budget finalized in Rosemount City portion of property taxes estimated to increase 3.5 percent on median home

Have you heard Scrooge sing? A musical adaptation of “A Christmas Carol� comes to the stage of the Lakeville Area Arts Center. Page 19A

by Tad Johnson SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

SPORTS

Rosemount on a roll Girls have brought a balanced roster to the court, which is leading to wins to start the season. Page 13A

ONLINE To receive a feed of breaking news stories, follow us at twitter.com/SunThisweek.

PUBLIC NOTICE The Dakota County Tribune is an official newspaper for the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District.

Santa Claus came to town An appearance by Santa Claus was a highlight of the Tree Lighting event Friday, Dec. 5, at the Rosemount Community Center. After the tree lighting there were activities in the RCC banquet hall. In addition to musical performances, the Rosemount Area Arts Council gave people an opportunity to sign tiles that will be part of the community art project installed at the Robert Trail Library and Rosemount High School teacher Chuck Brooks and 2014 RHS graduate Andre Nelson signed their new book, “The 12 Days Before Christmas in Rosemount.� All events were free. More photos are at SunThisweek.com. (Photos by Tad Johnson)

Most of the increase comes from OPEB funding by Andy Rogers SUN THISWEEK

Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 13A

Tax levy up, taxes down in District 196

District 192 struggles with tax levy hike

DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

INDEX

The city portion of property taxes on the median value home is expected to increase by $31 for 2015, based on the final budget approved by the Rosemount City Council during its Dec. 2 meeting. The 2015 budget results in a 1.94 percent increase in the city’s overall levy to $10.827 million, which has a direct impact on residential property taxes. The $31 increase from $885 to $916 in the city portion of taxes on the median home assumes an increase in market value from $204,500 to $220,500 from 2014 to 2015. The market value increase is a 7.8 percent rise, which is the average projected for Rosemount homes by the Dakota County assessor. The 2008 city portion of taxes on the median home in Rosemount was $1,058. It’s been a good year for the city’s property tax base, which is slated to increase See ROSEMOUNT, 8A

Farmington approved an unpopular tax levy during Monday’s meeting after nearly every board member said they struggled with the decision and were sick about raising taxes.

The board approved a 5.3 percent increase in the district’s portion of the property tax levy for 2015. The average rise for a residential property’s school portion of taxes is projected to about $30 in 2015. The effect on property taxes varies greatly depending on property values and recent increases in value set by the county. It is also affected by the total value of all See 192, 8A

by Jessica Harper SUN THISWEEK DAKOTA COUNTY TRIBUNE

The property tax levy in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District will increase slightly next year but most homeowners can expect to pay a little less. On Dec. 8, the School Board unanimously approved a payable 2015 property tax levy of $78.24 million, which is a $300,000 (0.03 percent) increase from payable 2014.

“The board’s goal was to keep the tax levy as level as possible,� Finance Director Jeff Solomon said. The slight increase in the levy was, in part, due to a need to increase funds for building maintenance projects. The district’s total tax levy is comprised of board approved and voter approved levies. The board approved levy for 2015, which was passed on Monday night, is $48.6 See 196, 8A

Announcements . . . . 14A Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 15A

News 952-846-2033 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000 Delivery 952-846-2070

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