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<br />Cities look to fix streets and bypass the big bill <br /> <br />Page 2,01'2 <br /> <br />StarTribune.com <br /> <br /> <br />rclati()t1s. <br /> <br />water bills. I.t has not yet determined how much <br />the fees might total per household, Dietz said. <br /> <br />Bec,luse legislators and the business community <br />have been leery ofsill1ilal' proposals, the league is <br />hopi,ng that this year the Legislature will allow a <br />few cities to demonstrate how they would work. <br /> <br />So f,lr, Eden Prail'ie City Council members have <br />endorsed the street fee idea in concept only. They <br />are waiting to see ',Vhat authority legislators give <br />before voting on specifics, said Public Works <br />Director'Gene Dietz. <br /> <br />Council Member Kathy Nelson hopes legislators <br />give the OK. "I believe in putting money away," she <br />said. "It's a lot easier for people to pay it as they <br />go along than for someone to absorb t~ $IO,OQO <br />tlSSessment for the street in front of their bOLlse." <br /> <br />Laurie Blake' 612-673-1711 <br /> <br />A lot of Eden Prairie's roads were blIilt in the <br />1980s and early 19905 and have not yet needed <br />replacement, Dietz said. But the city spends ab()ut <br />$2 million a year on tilling cracks, repairing curbs, <br />putting on surface overla)'s and other <br />maintenance. <br /> <br />So far the city has kept up using property taxes, <br />but "in hard times it's hard to raise tuxes to <br />maintairl the street system," and tl tee would take <br />pressure off property taxes, Dietz said. "We need <br />to stay on top of maintenance practices. Every <br />dollar you spend in maintenance will avoid $6 in <br />reconstruction costs. So it's imperative that we <br />have ongoing funding." <br /> <br />Fees would be based on how much is needed to <br />do the work year to year. and would be paid by all <br />properties including tax-exempt properties, <br />which do not pay the property tax, Dietz said. <br />Eden Prairie envisions collecting the fees with <br /> <br />AdvElrtlsement <br /> <br />,.,-_....-,.....,- '~.""'..;r..""'_~"~~"__..,.,,,,.,~....'"...,._,........._...-~'''"._,....,_..,........... <br />Print Powered By CJJl!I"jE~;~!:!:r.~~f~~,t9,~r!~,T!~~J <br /> <br />-32- <br /> <br />.., /1 ~ <br />