The Northfield MN Watchdog is dedicated to bringing to light issues facing the citizenry that may otherwise pass by unnoticed. The value of civic engagement cannot be understated when our elected officials make decisions affecting our city infrastructure, tax base, and way of life.
The Watchdog is Northfield's source for how to find information on the city website, how to participate in city council meetings through public comment, and how to make your voice heard in a meaningful way.
Personal attacks and loudmouth complaining help no one. The Watchdog strives for honest accountability and rises above the fray with fact-based content and proactive research.
In his own words...
A medical procedure in April of 2022 found me in need of traversing around my neighborhood with my walker for physical therapy and helped me see the physical condition of the streets in a whole new light. I wondered if the next construction season would bring about change to my neighborhood.
I began researching the city's immediate plans for road construction and I discovered to my dismay that my street is not on the 5-year Capital Improvement ( CIP ) even though my street is getting a failing grade on the Pavement Condition Index.
As I dove deeper and watched videos of city council meetings, as well as attending several meetings in person and speaking with my friends and neighbors, I was disheartened to learn how few people in Northfield have a working knowledge of city governance, how money-spending decisions are made, the role of paid consultants, and ultimately how to voice concerns in an effective manner to bring about the changes envisioned by the people at large.
This website hopefully will help point citizens toward finding information so they can understand how the city operates and play a more significant role in shaping public policy so when the city governing bodies say that they have informed everyone of upcoming changes to infrastructure and tax rates, it will for the majority be true.
Taking time to be an informed citizen doesn't have to be tough work, and it can be as simple as starting at the city's website.