Laserfiche WebLink
Commissioner S. Anderson stated any residents who refuse overlay assessments should pay <br />more for reconstruction. <br />Mayor Strommen stated the system was initiated before reconstruction was considered an issue, <br />and it would not be realistic to expect residents to pay more than their fair share. <br />Councilmember Johns stated homeowners are not financially responsible for roads that were <br />built poorly in the first place, and a potentially high cost for reconstruction is not fair and <br />reasonable to their property value. <br />Councilmember Backous stated a con for assessments would be their inefficiency. He added <br />petitions can make the projects stop and start, causing costly delays. He noted the roads will <br />need to be fixed sooner or later. <br />Finance Director Lund stated the funding source is still necessary to front the cost of the project <br />even with assessments. <br />Councilmember Riley stated a con for assessments is that they are an incomplete funding source. <br />Commissioner S. Anderson stated it is her understanding that a road maintenance fee would not <br />be allowed. <br />City Attorney Langel stated impact fees are not currently legal. <br />Commissioner S. Anderson stated there is a storm management fee. She asked whether the law <br />could be changed for this type of fee. <br />City Attorney Langel stated the authority to do that type of amendment does not exist. He <br />added, for example, a traffic impact fee in Eagan was overturned was ruled unlawful, and <br />overturned. <br />Commissioner S. Anderson asked whether the statute has been challenged using franchise fee as <br />a loophole to raise general funds. <br />City Attorney Langel stated franchise fees can be used for general purposes, and do not have to <br />be tied to a utility. <br />Councilmember Kuzma stated that a pro for franchise fees would be that everybody uses the <br />roads, so it is fairly distributed. <br />Mayor Strommen stated it is predictable for homeowners as well as the City. <br />Finance Director Lund stated it could be a con due to the high impact for commercial and <br />industrial properties. <br />City Council Work Session / November 19, 2013 <br />Page 9 of 15 <br />