Agenda Packets - 1997/02/24 - Laserfiche WebLink

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, ., . . : f Pte/ 0 2f% Mounds Viewgets a deals bridge, . ,• on with one catch -. ,: BEN CHANCO STAFF WRITER• They brought up the question after lis- tening to the council eliminate using tax- : increment financing, or TIF, for the The mayor of Mounds View tried to bridge. Tax-increment financing allows : • make it as convincing as he could. cities to plow property tax money back • He turned to the four other members into a district to pay for municipal im- of the City Council and asked: "Is anyone provements. • here against it?" Council Members Phyllis Blanchard, : No one said a word against the pedes- Sue Hankner and Gary Quick made it: • ' . trian bridge. proposed for construction clear they did not support using TIF to over U.S. 10 at Long Lake Road at a help pay for the city's $185,000 share. bargain price for the city: a $600,000 "TIF should be used to expand the tax ' bridge for only $185,000. base and to create jobs," Hankner said. ` "No one on the council is against it," "It's to rehabilitate our city," Elan-: Mayor Jerry Linke then told the audi- chard said of tax increment financing. : - ence. "But we're looking at how to come "I'd love to use TIF, but I don't think • up with the $185,000." it's appropriate," Quick said. Linke made the point because some Council Member Julie Trude and Linke j residents who showed up for a council supported using TIF. workshop at City Hall Tuesday asked if "This bridge promotes nonvehicular j the council was really going to look for _ — j the money. _- -_. BRIDGE 0 CONTINUED FROM 1B a ' • traffic, it enhances safety and it promotes a sense of communi- i ty," Trude said. Y . "If this bridge keeps a shopping center viable, yeah, it fits in the TIF category," Linke said. But Linke said it was obvious that he and Trude did not have the votes to use the tax financing. v The council then asked City Administrator Samantha Orduno to come back with an option to pay for the city's portion of the .bridge with money from franchise fees, the street light utility t •fund, the recreation activity fund and property taxes. iOrduno said that option will be presented to the council at its • Oct. 2 work session. i `'If people want this bridge, let's put it on property taxes." Hankner said. "Let the taxpayers decide." Blanchard said. The city can get the $600,000 pedestrian bridge for $120,000 i through a federal grant from ISTEA (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act), which the city received earlier i _ this year. The grant will pay for 80 percent of the construction cost, if -the city comes up with 20 percent. In addition, the city must t pick up $65,000 in architectural design and inspection fees. "If we don't buy that bridge at 20 percent, it's not going to happen." Trude said. Orduno said a property tax portion of payment for the bridge could mean a property tax increase of about 3 percent for one year only. She said that would be a $5.80 increase a year on a $75,000 home: $6.03 on an $85.000 home: $6.39 on a $100,000 home; and $6.77 on a $115,000 home. i ` Orduno said the council will make a decision after listening to people who attend the public meetings. "The people who have showed up so far are overwhelmingly in favor of the bridge and are willing to pay for it," Orduno said.