Agenda - Council - 01/14/1997 - Laserfiche WebLink

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being lifted. She stated she has a copy of the Anoka Union which says that the sewer and water availability charge will be imposed on all residents. Mr. Goodrich replied that is incorrect. Ms. Mattila felt that information about this should be put in the Ramsey Resident. That's our official newspaper. Mayor Hardin stated that the ordinance was published in the Anoka Union which is the City's official newspaper. Ms. Mattila stated that maybe state law does give the City the right to charge $64, however, if it goes by frontage, she would be on the upper of $26,000. She added that she voted yes on the Charter amendment because she wanted the option to repair her system. She asked what would preclude the City from putting a water stub in front of everyone's house. She agreed that it will be difficult to sell a home with the pending assessment, but she wondered if when the assessment is determined, will the value be increased dollar for dollar. Mr. Goodrich responded that this is not a traditional assessment - this is only if sewer and water comes into your area. The benefit has to be at least equal to the assessment. He reiterated that these people who would be assessed the $64 would have City services available to their property but they have functional systems and elect not to hook up. First sewer and water has to be available. He then explained that the amount due on sale would be what the assessment would have been at the time of the original hookup. Ms. Mattila stated that what is being said is that the property value will not increase proportionately so the selling person is out money. Mr. Goodrich stated that the City does not set values but added that generally the property value increases when sewer and water is available. He talked again about a property not being assessed in an amount more than the property value. This Charter says we may not assess these properties. We are not talking about property values. He added that non-functional may be a "foreign term". Ms. Mattila hoped that City Council will not approve this ordinance as it needs more research. We had not been told anything about any of this when we moved to Ramsey. Mr. Olson asked that as far as the question about the value increase being consistent with the value of the property, who determines that? He stated that his assessor has said it did not increase the value of our property. The City's assessor says it did increase the value because we have to sell the vast majority of our property. He noted that he, too, had asked the City what would happen with that property before he bought it. He stated that Ben Deemer has claimed we did not know about this project in November when we started this Charter amendment. Of course we knew about it. Mr. Green stated that Mr. Olson has said that Ben Deemer had that you knew the project would not be finished by the first of the year. You knew the construction season was over with because of the weather. That's why January 1 was inserted as the date. His statement was, you knew the construction season would not be workable to finish the project. Mr. Green reported that his property value went up $47,000 after the sewer and water came in. It does go up and everybody knows that. Blaine Edmundson, 3947 - 142nd Lane NW, Ramsey, stated he is the developer of the Brandseth Addition. All developers build for profit - that's how we make our living, but we do not do it on the backs of citizens. We paid for our utility lines. We gave up property and put in part of the trail City Council/December 10, 1996 Page 13 of 25