Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of monthly articles highlighting the past, present and future of the city of Roseville as it counts down to its 100th birthday April 10, 2009.

For a person to reach the age of 100 getting plenty of exercise and living a healthy lifestyle is usually required.

For a city or town to be in operation and thriving for a century requires a good deal of vision, balance and spirit. The city of Roseville is on its way to earning that distinction on April 10, 2009 when it will celebrate the centennial of its founding.

According to Craig Robinson, Roseville’s city manager, who has been at the city’s helm since 2003, the city has been able to accomplish much because of the close working relationship between city staff members and the city council.

“We’re unique,” Robinson said. “This is one of the blessings of being here. The city council trusts me and allows our staff and me to be creative and take risks to accomplish some things we’ve wanted to do. This is a city that has great leadership at the council level. When I came to work here, their vision was to make Roseville a place where families and their children would come home to.”

Indeed, the city has grown by leaps and bounds since the late ’80s, when Roseville’s population was about 30,000 compared to today’s numbers of 109,000.

“We decided at that time to make housing and jobs a priority,” he said. “We’ve more than met those expectations.”

Robinson said the city has experienced a 37 percent increase in job growth over the last seven years and Roseville’s population in 25-30 years could be as many as 180,000 people, according to current predictions.

“But we’ve anticipated our future,” he said. “Our philosophy is that if you want to control history, you’ve got to make it.”

Having the city council’s trust came in handy when Roseville decided to build its own power plant to supply electricity to its residents.

“Building that plant, which opened in 2007, was risky. The utilities industry had changed, deregulation occurred but our council had confidence in us,” Robinson said.

Having its own electric utility company, according to Robinson, has allowed Roseville residents to consistently have lower electric rates than other customers throughout the region.

According to Robinson, there is cohesiveness and team camaraderie between the council and staff.

“There is no personal gain here for council members. While most members serve the city for two terms there are term limits. The citizens of Roseville voted for that. Not all cities work this way,” he said.

Mel Hamel, Roseville city councilman from 1987 to 1997, recalls the days when city manager Al Johnson was at the helm.

“Al had a hands-on style,” Hamel said. “He hired capable people and always encouraged risks and creativity. Craig Robinson has continued that policy.”

Current Mayor Jim Gray agrees.

“We’ve had an ongoing excellent relationship between council and staff,” Gray said. “We’ve been fortunate to have had Al and Craig and we have competent department heads as well.”

One of the reasons Gray feels the city staff has been so capable is because of the rigorous testing process applicants are put through before a job is offered.

“There is a two- to three-day assessment to determine if a person is right for a job,” he said.

Besides making sure the right people are in the right positions, Robinson said there are organizational goals the council and staff proposes each year, which are in constant review.

In addition, Robinson and his staff prepare city budgets and are responsible for the business aspect in city affairs. As city manager Robinson said he provides leadership and guidance for council members

“People know what their roles are. And this council has set some high standards. If the council wants something, it is our job to get it done,” Robinson said.

Those high standards are what allow residents to enjoy almost twice as many acres of area parks (Nine acres per 1,000 people) than what is required by state law, which is five acres per 1,000 people.

According to Hamel, it’s the specific planning process Roseville has had in place that has allowed the city to be able to offer some of the amenities for its residents.

“We worked with developers before ground on the various projects was broken,” Hamel said. “It meant builders had to pay more to build but the homes that were built commanded a higher price and it made the city a place people wanted to come to.”

“We’ve improved the quality of life for our residents and added value,” Robinson said. “Early on we realized that whatever development that was going to occur needed to pay its fair share.”

It is because of this philosophy and collected developer fees, Robinson said, that has allowed for the city’s civic center expansion, libraries, fire and police stations to be built.

As the city gets closer to the big day of its 100th year celebration Robinson said he believes Roseville will continue to be “good place to live.”

“People here have always had a spirit of giving back and a sense of pride,” he said. “We take care of our own. There is a feeling of patriotism and shared inclusiveness no matter how long you’ve lived here.”