05-10-95 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES CITY COUNCIL MAY 24, 1995 improvement to them. It will also help at the assessment hearing since the City will be able to compare the total cost of the project with what is being assessed. Morelan did not agree that the City's goal should be to assess as much as it legally can. Morelan suggested taking the matter one step further and assessing all projects at $45.00 per lineal foot even if bid prices come in lower. Scalze did not believe property owners would agree to payinq the maximum assessment rate if that cost is not justified in their project. It was pointed out that Brooks Street, for example, may come in at a lesser amount given the good soil conditions and the fact that there is a lot of assessable footage along the street. Fahey asked about the rehabilitation of an urban street. The City Administrator replied that the City will not be faced with that situation for some time. Once a street is put in, should it have to be rehabilitated, a lot of cities do not assess again. The Administrator felt that the City's policy was ahead of where many other cities are at. He also felt that the City is assessing more of the cost of improvement projects than other cities are. Scalze pointed out that Little Canada is also at the high end of property taxes. Fahey pointed out that City financing of more improvement costs results in raising property taxes. The City Administrator pointed out that the Closed Bond Fund will support the a hiqher level until the City's bonded debt falls off in the years 2000 and 2003. After that point the City will have revenue to use on a capital improvement basis. The City will be able to reduce taxes and reallocate a portion of the levy going for bonded debt to programs such as this. Fahey asked how scientific the process was which was used to arrive at the $45.00 figure. The City Administrator reported that he used the 1993 assessment rates and factored in the CPI for the past two years. 3