Litchfield and Meeker County emergency responders remembered those lost in the 9/11 terror attacks on the 20th anniversary Saturday with a memorial at the corner of Sibley Avenue and Depot Street.
People and vehicles representing Litchfield Fire Department, Litchfield Rescue Squad, Litchfield Police Department and Meeker County Sheriff’s Office stood and kneeled in silence throughout the day.
Litchfield Fire Department began honoring the fire and police personnel lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacks the year after the tragic day, and the memorial has grown to include other emergency response organizations since.
Cindy Haugland shares tips from her new book “The Thrifty, Cleaning & Organizing Adventures of the Tidy Tighwad.”
I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for that next-best tip that’s going to help me be a little better organized, or that best-kept cleaning secret that’s going to make my kitchen shine.
That said, it’s not surprising that I wanted to talk to Cindy Haugland, owner of Tidy Tightwads. She started her Hutchinson-based cleaning and organizing company with a mop and a broom. With 16 years of professional services under her belt, it’s not surprising Haugland has a lot of stories to tell. So many, in fact, that friends, family and her editor at River Valley Woman magazine, where she writes a monthly column, encouraged her to write a book. Thanks to the down time caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Haugland was able to make it happen. Her first book, “The Thrifty Cleaning and Organizing Adventures of The Tidy Tightwad,” was released in July.
The 80-page softcover book is packed with tips, tricks and advice she’s been accumulating since she started her business. It’s the kind of book you can pick up and put down. You don’t need to read it all in one sitting. It’s also an excellent source of immediate information such as is it useful or clutter, see page 34. With the new school year right around the corner, you might want to check out how to make school mornings less stressful on page 14, and best school tips on page 16. Need some help with getting ready for fall? See page 71.
“I’ve worked with every scenario, from highly organized and tidy people to county-contracted hoarder situations,” she wrote in her blog. “I’ve helped time-strapped parents streamline their days, as well as chaotic households with stay-at-home moms or dads figure out what to do with all their stuff. I’ve advised business people with jam-packed calendars and piled-high desks how to better organize their offices and time so they can find some peace and order to their days. You name it, and I’ve been called to help bring some order and cleanliness to the chaos.”
Haugland, who moved to Hutchinson about 30 years ago, was born in Buffalo Lake but grew up in Springfield. After 20 years of working as a dental assistant, she was burnt out. She quit her job without another one in sight. When a busy-mom friend asked if she would clean her house, Haugland stepped up. Before she knew it, a business was born.
“It was a leap of faith,” she said.
TOO MUCH STUFF
While cleaning launched Tidy Tightwads, organizing has become one of its pillars.
“Everybody has problems with clutter, but it’s getting better,” she said. “We provide clutter boxes to our clients and then pick them up each visit and donate the items. Clients love it.”
When it comes to clutter, paper is No. 1. People want to know how long to keep it and how to file it. Another biggie is clothes.
“People have lots of clothes, lots of shoes, lots of books, good dishes,” she said. “Some people have three or four sets of china sitting in a closet that never gets used. Kids get overwhelmed (with a lot of clothes). They always want the same T-shirt. Does your child need 18 pairs of jeans? If you keep bringing things in and take nothing out, you’ll get into trouble.”
It’s not surprising Haugland loves to organize. She describes it as “so satisfying.”
“I worked with this gal, you couldn’t see the bed in the spare room,” she recalled. “I didn’t know there was a bed in there. We spent two hours. When we were done, you could walk into the room and walk around the bed.”
Haugland doesn’t leave her clients. She likes to follow up to find out if they’re keeping things together or if they need another session.
“People get frustrated and close the door,” she said.
Another growing area is senior right-sizing. She’s often brought in when mom and dad are ready to sell their longtime family home. Haugland has family members telling her that their parents won’t get rid of anything. Without emotional attachment, Haugland can ask the tough questions such as, “Can we get rid of grandpa’s golf clubs? He’s been dead for 20 years.”
DO YOU NEED 12 SCRAPERS?
While commercial and residential cleaning is steady, there’s been an uptick in organizing and senior services in her market area that is roughly a 30-mile radius of Hutchinson and includes Litchfield, Dassel, Cokato, Glencoe, Buffalo Lake and Hector.
“I think senior kids are busy,” she said. “They’re the ones calling. Mom and Dad sold their house and are moving to the Village Cooperative. It’s a process. It can’t be done in a weekend. Don’t wait until you need to move. Start early to get rid of stuff.”
And in case you’re thinking your kids will want it, check with them because this isn’t always true anymore. China, crystal and sterling silver are high maintenance items and fewer people want the hassle anymore.
“They want it simple,” she said. “Don’t assume your kids will want it. Make a list and check with them. It may hurt a little bit, but it’s good to know.”
It’s not surprising Haugland’s motto is “less is more.”
“It’s easy to maintain and clean if there’s less stuff,” she said. “If you’re using it every day, keep it, but if you have 12 rubber scraper and you use the same one. Keep 6 and get rid of 6. They all do the same thing. People are surprised when they discover they have 12 scrapers. I line them up. It’s visual so people can see how many they have.”
To help stem the clutter wave, Haugland recommends giving a consumable gift rather than stuff. For instance, a gift card to a restaurant where you can share the experience. She gave her grandchild a gift certificate for horse-riding lessons. Be creative and make memories by sharing the experience.
While Haugland’s book is chockfull of useful tips, one she highly recommends is a once-a-month family meeting, so everyone is on the same page.
“I think it’s important,” she said. “Time gets away. Schedule together time and make it happen. At the end of the year, we made a goal list. It was helpful with my kids. They are doing it now with their families.”
So who should read Haugland’s book? All of us. Who can’t use a little extra help in keeping the house clean and clutter in check?
Litchfield City Council approved a preliminary 2022 budget and levy Sept. 7 that calls for a 6.4 percent increase in property tax levy next year.
Final approval of the budget will take place at the Council’s Dec. 6 meeting. The budget and levy can be reduced from the preliminary numbers approved last week, but they cannot be increased. City Council approval came on a 6-0 vote, with Betty Allen absent
The down-not-up adjustment restriction seemed to be what motivated councilors’ support for what even City Administrator David Cziok said was a significant levy increase.
“After thinking long and hard, I’m actually in favor of 6 percent … because we can’t do more,” once the preliminary budget is approved, Councilor Eric Mathwig said. “I would rather be cautious on the strong side, and I know some people don’t want to hear that, but I would rather be that way than not able to make ends meet.”
Councilor Darlene Kotelnicki agreed with Mathwig, but said she wanted to be sure that the levy was actually revisited this year prior to approval — something she has said did not happen when the 2021 budget was set.
“I just want to know when we get that final budget and we look at it, is it going to be clear to us what that tax increase is going for,” Kotelnicki said. “We all agree we are short-staffed. (We) have to have a discussion, then, about what our needs are. I would say go with 6.4 percent for the same reason. And I don’t want to increase it 6.4 percent, but I think we need that flexibility.”
Cziok gave the City Council four options for budget and levy as part of a memo. Included was a “No New Taxes” option, as well as “Public Works Support” and “Planning Assistance”.
The preliminary levy of 6.4 percent is a combination of the public works and planning options, and would result in total levy of $3,163,400.
The public works support option would add a person to the street department, as well as fund the promotion of two sergeants in the police department at a cost of $100,735 or upping the tax levy 3.4 percent.
The planning option increases the budget $88,665 and the levy 3 percent, and would add a position in the planning and zoning office.
While the property tax levy would increase by 6.4 percent with the combination of the two options, Cziok explained that the average homeowner would likely not see anything close to that type of increase in city property taxes, due to the city’s net tax capacity, which has risen 4.6 percent.
While impossible to predict what individual property tax statements might read, the increase in the city’s net tax capacity — due to an increase in commercial and industrial construction and a change in rental unit programs — means that a 4.6 percent levy increase likely would mean no increase in the average homeowner’s property tax bill, Cziok said.
Thus, Council member Ron Dingmann said later, the preliminary levy increase of 6.4 percent might equate to only a 1.8 percent tax increase for the average property owner.
“But it’s impossible to predict that, because individual tax values play a much bigger role in this than anything else,” Cziok cautioned.
The city’s net tax capacity has fluctuated somewhat through the years, which makes it challenging, Cziok said, for the city to achieve a “flat, predictable levy, so residents don’t have any surprises.” However, he said, the local levy has been more predictable in the past decade than the market.
Litchfield’s local levy was relatively flat from 2012 to 2016, Cizok said, but because the city’s tax capacity was declining, the tax rate increased.
“If tax capacity goes up and the levy doesn’t go up, later the tax capacity is going to go down, and we’re really going to struggle to meet the needs of our community without enough tax being collected,” Cziok added.
