Summer 2022 Hometown Messenger

A Look Back A popular past summer recreational activity in Shakopee was the annual Turtle Derby Held every June, area children were asked to find a turtle and enter it into the event In the 1960s, the Turtle Derby was held at Stans Park at 10th Ave nue and Fuller Street There were two rules: Turtles could not be more than six inches long, and no snappers were allowed The top three winners went on to compete in the Aquatennial Turtle Derby every July On and off through the years, the Shakopee Parks and Recreation Department has sponsored the Turtle Derby In 2011, the event was moved to Huber Park and became a part of the annual Sha kopee Derby Days festival Children no longer had to find their race turtles, as they were provided by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources However, children were always welcome to bring their own turtles! Top winners were given prizes and tro phies Due to difficulty finding turtles during that time of year, the event was eventually cancelled

Tips for navigating solicitor season With the change in weather comes an increase in solicitors and ped dlers selling their wares in Shakopee neighborhoods The City of Shakopee requires all peddlers, solicitors and transient mer chants to register at City Hall Peddlers and transient merchants must obtain a city-issued license before selling in the community Solicitors do not require a license but must register and show a government issued ID Information on how to obtain a license or register is available on the city website at www.ShakopeeMN.gov/licensesandpermits The city does not require a license for individuals or groups canvassing or soliciting for the purpose of charitable, religious, political or educa tional organizations if such an organization is registered with the Min nesota Secretary of State Report aggressive, suspicious or unlicensed solicitors to law enforce ment immediately at 911 (aggressive or threatening) or 952-445-1411 (suspicious) Provide a description of the solicitor and what direction he or she was headed How to deal with peddlers and solicitors: ■ Ask to see city-issued license or registration ■ Ignore them Look through the peep hole; you’re not obligated to answer the door ■ Do not let an unknown person into your home to use the bathroom or demonstrate a product ■ Do not get into a conversation with solicitors; it only encourages them to stay ■ Watch where the solicitor goes next and notice what he or she does Look for suspicious behavior, such as looking in car windows, testing doors for locks or entering backyards ■ Remember a solicitor may not remain on your property after you have asked him or her to leave NO SOLICITING

The last Shakopee Turtle Derby took place on Saturday, Aug 2, 2014

Residents may visit the city website to download a No Soliciting sign for their front door

#AsktheCity

CITY PROPERTY TAX RECEIPT

WHAT IF I OWN MULTIPLE HOMES? Great news, you can add multiple properties by clicking on the “Add Another” button just below where you fill in the market value of your home WHAT ISN’T INCLUDED ON THE ITEMIZED RECEIPT? The unofficial property tax receipt encompasses the city portion of your property taxes only and does not include county, school district and other property taxes WHAT IF I HAVE QUESTIONS? Contact Nate Reinhardt, Finance Director at 952-233-9326 or send an email to nreinhardt@shakopeemn.gov.

This spring, the city rolled out a new Shakopee Property Tax Receipt tool so residents can review an itemized breakdown of how the city portion of their property taxes are spent This tool aligns with one of the city’s core values: Transparency HOW DO I ACCESS MY CITY TAX RECEIPT? Easy! Simply type www.ShakopeeMN.gov/taxreceipt on your inter net search bar and you will be directed to our unofficial city property tax receipt page HOW DOES IT WORK? You’ll be asked to answer whether or not you own a home, and based on the taxable market value of your home, you’ll get an itemized breakdown on where in the city your taxes are allocated

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