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the entire district would pay for those improvements. The advantage is <br />that you can build the system so it will take care of the entire area. <br /> <br />Mr. Goodrich - How are boundaries set for each district? <br /> <br />Mr. Hartley - Boundaries are set based on topographical and geographical <br />considerations. Boundaries have more to do with where water drains from than <br />anything. <br /> <br />Mr. Goodrich - Why does the City want storm sewer taxing districts? <br /> <br />Mr. Hartley - What we hope to ultimately accomplish with these districts, or <br />any other means of financing, is a way to provide needed storm sewer <br />improvements. <br /> <br />Mr. Raatikka - If a certain property is located within a taxing district but <br />situated on high ground and improvements were made in the district, would that <br />property be taxed for the improvement and would it be receiving benefit from <br />the improvement? <br /> <br />Mr. Goodrich - Minnesota drainage law (Reasonable Use Doctrine) says that even <br />if you live on a high area, you have some responsibility for where your water <br />flows to. Courts weigh the effect of leaving your water on your land versus if <br />you allow that water to go onto your lower neighbor's land. The reason you do <br />have water going onto your neighbor's land, even though you are on high ground, <br />is because your house, garage, driveway, etc. leave less ground to absorb water <br />runoff. Drainage is an area wide problem and service just as police and fire <br />protection are. Council has the obligation to protect the health and welfare <br />of the citizens of Ramsey. Council has to look at what's happening to storm <br />water and how to resolve flooding problems; one method would be to adopt this <br />storm sewer ordinance. If they do determine that there is a necessity to <br />handle storm water runoff, groundwater, etc., then they determine how to <br />finance it. With the storm sewer taxing district system they determine it is <br />an area wide benefit; if you are in a storm sewer district, high or low ground, <br />your taxes will increase. <br /> <br />Mr. Hartley - If we establish these storm sewer taxing districts and do not do <br />any improvements, there will be no change in your property taxes; but, if we do <br />improvements, there will be a property tax increase. How much will taxes <br />increase? We don't have any specific projects and associated costs to present <br />tonight. What we are discussing tonight is whether to use storm sewer taxing <br />districts to pay for storm sewer improvements. <br /> <br />Mr. Goodrich - Why not use a city-wide tax to pay for improvements? <br /> <br />Mr. Hartley - City-wide taxing can be a very cumbersome method to use for <br />paying for storm sewer improvements. The process is long and requires a <br />referendum vote of the entire community, i.e., there may be one strom drainage <br />district that has a drainage problem but the rest of the community feels that <br />it is not important. <br /> <br />Mr. Goodrich - Would the special assessment method be fair? <br /> <br />April 15, 1986 <br /> <br />Page 3 of 12 <br /> <br /> <br />