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Street Maintenance Program Information <br /> <br />Introduction: <br /> <br />Your neighborhood has been scheduled for street maintenance improvements this summer, and <br />at least a portion of the cost will be special assessed to benefited properties. This letter is <br />intended to address some of the most frequently asked questions about the program. <br /> <br />Why does the City special assess for this work instead of using general tax monies? <br /> <br />The City of Ramsey does not use general tax revenue for the street maintenance program. The <br />City maintains 150 miles of roadway and spends between $400,000 and $500,000 annually on <br />this program of preventative maintenance. This represents a significant percentage of the City's <br />general property tax revenue. The uncertainty of levy limits, particularly in the rapidly growing <br />communities such as Ramsey, jeopardize the reliability of generating sufficient funds to properly <br />maintain our city streets. Additionally, Ramsey is unusually diverse in the type of street surface <br />and individual lot areas. Ramsey still has over five miles of unpaved streets. Typical lot sizes <br />vary from one-quarter acre to five acres and larger and consequently the amount of pavement <br />necessary to service such subdivision also varies greatly. City policy makers feel it is fair to <br />finance street maintenance in relation to its actual cost, which is more reflective of lot size and <br />pavement condition than on property value. <br /> <br />If I am on a corner lot, do I pay more? <br /> <br />No, the City policy reflects the philosophy that comer lots generate the same amount of traffic as <br />interior lots, and therefore should pay the same as their immediate neighbors. However, the City <br />does feel the larger lot neighborhoods, which require more pavement per lot, should pay more <br />than a neighborhood having smaller pavement needs to accommodate their road system. For this <br />reason individual projects within the program are comprised of subdivisions, on groupings of <br />subdivisions have the same condition and amount of pavement per unit. <br /> <br />What is the Schedule for the improvement and when do I need to pay? <br /> <br />The annual program begins with a written notice in February or early March, which informs <br />residents that the City intends to perform street maintenance the succeeding summer. This notice <br />informs residents of a public hearing at which they may bring concerns or questions regarding <br />the project. Following the public hearing, the City Charter requires a 60 day period in which <br />residents who may oppose the project may petition against the project. If more than half of the <br />properties within the project petition against, the City Council may not order the project or <br />propose it again for at least twelve months. <br /> <br />The projects are generally ordered in May and competitive bids from independent contractors are <br />received in June. The work is constructed in June, July, and August. <br /> <br />Notice of an assessment hearing is again mailed to property owners in September which contain <br />the proposed assessment, which is based upon actual project costs. Following the public hearing, <br /> <br />I IRA_F$ ] ~ I/OL I lusersl City Shared FilelPub lic Works DepartmentlCommitteesiPublic Works Committeel Cases12 001106.19. O11Street <br />Maintenance Progratn h~formation.doc <br /> <br /> <br />