Brad Aho for Credit River City Council

Credit River is still nearly a third agricultural land, and that rural, large-lot character is exactly what residents incorporated to protect. Growth is coming — but it should happen on our terms, not a developer's.

• Defend large-lot, rural-residential zoning where it exists today, rather than allowing it to be quietly rezoned parcel by parcel.
• Require public council workshops before zoning changes reach the Planning Commission, so residents see changes coming.
• Tie new subdivision approvals to proven infrastructure capacity — roads, water, and septic/sewer must handle it first.
• Keep permitting fast and predictable for existing homeowners, farmers, and small landowners.

Credit River is a young city, and its budget habits are still being set. I'll push to keep levy growth below the statewide trend, not above it.

• Hold the line on the property tax levy — increases justified line by line, not assumed year over year.
• Publish the city budget in plain language before adoption, with real opportunity for resident input.
• Prioritize core services — roads, public safety, water and septic oversight — over new programs or staffing.
• Push back on state and county cost-shifts passed down to the local levy, and be transparent about the real drivers of tax increases.

New development creates new road wear and new demand for water and septic capacity. That cost should fall on the growth causing it — not on longtime residents.

• Use developer impact fees and special assessments so new subdivisions fund their share of infrastructure.
• Build a public, multi-year road maintenance and paving plan residents can actually see.
• Pursue state aid and county partnership funding before turning to local tax dollars.
• Right-size water and septic planning to actual approved growth, not speculative projections.

Local control is why Credit River exists as a city today. Before incorporation, Scott County and the Metropolitan Council made these decisions for us. I'll defend the independence residents voted for.

• Resist Metropolitan Council housing-density mandates and one-size-fits-all regional planning targets.
• Keep zoning, permitting, and land-use authority firmly in local hands.
• Minimize regulatory burden on property owners, farmers, and small landowners.
• Keep council meetings, votes, and records genuinely accessible to residents.