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City Council Minutes February 8, 1995 Page 2 1.$~ and Pascal Street to Albert Street; and between Idaho Avenue and Iowa Avenue from Pascal Street to Albert Street. The alleys would be constructed for a nine ton capacity, which will remain strong through spring thaws and minimize future cracksealing needs. An overlay construction is not possible due to drainage issues. The alleys will be reconstructed essentially at their current width. Mr. Jim Dixon, 1495 W. California Avenue, asked if residents would be required to pay their assessments all at once or if they would be spread out over time. Maurer replied that, after the assessment hearing, each resident would have 30 days in which to pay their assessment in full without interest. After the 30 days, the assessment is placed on the tax rolls and the resident pays it with their property taxes over a set number of years, most likely five to seven. Mr. Mitch Rothman, 1485 W. Idaho Avenue, noted that a number of garbage trucks use his alley each week. Why can't the city limit the number of garbage trucks that come down each alley? Mayor Baldwin replied that there are two ways that this limitation can be accomplished. The first is for the city to adopt "organized collection" whereby the entire city is serviced by a single, contracted garbage hauler. The city council and solid waste commission considered this option a few years ago and rejected the idea for a number of reasons, including the fact that with organized collection, residents lose the freedom to switch haulers if they are not satisfied with their service. The second option for limiting the haulers is for neighborhoods to voluntarily agree among themselves to use only one or a few haulers. Due to state laws, the city cannot assist neighborhoods in this type of effort. Mr. Rothman thanked the mayor for his response and then asked a question regarding the alley assessment formula. Mr. Rothman stated that when his house was built, the owner chose to put in a driveway rather than accessing the garage from the alley. Since he doesn't use the alley as much as his neighbors, Mr. Rothman questioned whether he should pay the same assessment. Mayor Baldwin responded that this will be an item for discussion at the February 22, 1995 council meeting. The city's assessment philosophy has always been to assess not for how much a resident actually uses a service, but rather the amount for which a benefit is available. For example, a person who doesn't drive and therefore doesn't use the streets is still assessed for street improvements because they are necessary for public as a whole. It is the city's obligation to provide safe alleys and roadways and Falcon Heights has chosen to assess those properties which receive the most potential benefit. Engineer Maurer noted that he had received a verbal comment from Mr. Marv Flodin, who owns an apartment building at the corner of Larpenteur and Pascal. Mr. Flodin