Agenda - Council - 10/22/2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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for the City Council. Mr. Field stated these are his comments based on the information that was provided to him. He stated he opposed the franchise fee and urged the Council to do the same. Darrel Smithwick, 8353 168th Lane NW, commended the Council for addressing the need for a solution to fund the road projects. He felt the projections were aggressive with 174 miles of streets, many of which are short and not heavily traveled so they will require less maintenance. He noted that if this is approved, staff recommends that every street be seal coated every three years and then overlaid but he thinks that not every street will require that scheduled maintenance. Mr. Smithwick stated he thinks the projected rates are really high. He agreed the flat tax is not the right way to go and asked what the utilities will charge for handling these fees. Mr. Smithwick stated instead of a scheduled maintenance every three or six years, it should be based on PASER. Richard Cich, 6440 170th Avenue NW, stated this fee is another fee for government to be wild on. He questioned the real level of transparency and stated there needs to be taxes so they can pay the federal government and midgets in St. Paul. Randy Villa, 15125 Garnet Street NW, stated all he has heard is about raising taxes or fees and nothing was offered on cutting the budget, reducing projects, and improving infrastructure. He stated it was known there would come a day when roads would have to be improved or maintained but it has been ignored. He felt that once imposed, it has to be paid so the "reliable source" being mentioned by staff is actually the resident who has to pay it. Mr. Villa stated he is adamantly opposed to franchise fees, noting he has not had a raise since the recession while all of his other costs have gone up. He felt it would price residents out of existence, the Council should start by cutting the budget, and stated he supported the comments made by Mr. Field. Jennifer Carlson, 7540 163rd Lane NW, asked the Council to consider what happens if through the franchise fees, there is excess revenue, as the Council is trusted to be fiscally conservative. She also asked what happens if there is a budget shortfall and costs are higher than projected, and how cities not using franchise fees fund road repairs. Eric Zaetsch, 6521 154th Avenue NW, stated he agrees with what Mary Jo Olson suggested to tier the fees instead of having a flat fee that stings the poor more than the rich. He also supports what Mr. Field stated. Mr. Zaetsch asked how amenable the Council would be if the Charter Commission puts forward an amendment. Matt Look, 5635 142nd Avenue NW, stated he recalls being in a similar situation with a packed Council Chambers, which can be intimidating. He commented on the support of a past Public Works Director for a $20 million Public Works Station that did not get traction but if it had, there would be a $20 million Public Works debt service plus roads. He stated at that time, the City never heard anything about the impending catastrophe with roads but maybe that was because there was a competing interest. Mr. Look stated he noticed a lot of attention in Town Center with MSA dollars on Sunwood Drive and that the MSA funds were spent in advance. He stated this Municipal Center was built with belief there would be "wheelbarrows of cash" coming from the Ramsey Town Center, but it did not come to that point. Mr. Look stated at some point it will come, but the economy has not responded. He stated the Council says there is City Council / October 8, 2013 Page 13 of 24