Agenda - Public Works Committee - 02/18/2003

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PW CASE CONSIDER CHANGES TO CITY'S STREET ASSESSMENT POLICY By: Steve Jankowski, City Engineer Background: At the January Public Works Committee, the 2003 program was presented. At that meeting a listing of the City's assessment policy was presented, and there was some desire on the part of the Committee to consider changes to several of the assessment methods. A copy of the assessment cun'ent practices is attached to this case. As can be seen from that attachment, several of these policies have evolved over times, including last month's Committee decision to assess commercial lots based upon area (item 7). Specifically, the Committee questioned how isolated parcels having frontage significantly larger than the average within a particular project might be fairly assessed. Below are several options for addressing this concern: Current Practice: Each lot of record within a project is considered as one benefited unit within the project group. (The only exceptions are wetland outlots which would have a great likelihood of going tax forfeit if assessed). Alternative A: Where a benefited property exceeds the average frontage within a project, the property shall be assessed multiple shares determined by dividing its total project frontage by the average frontage within the project. The number of assessed shares shall be rounded down to the lowest whole number, but not less than one unit. The average width shall be determined by dividing the total project centerline mileage times two by the total number of benefited properties. Alternative B: Base entire assessment solely on total front frontage (some special consideration might be given to comer lots, such as, use longest side or average of all sides). Below are three examples of how each of the above assessment procedures would affect individual assessment or selected lots. The examples selected are from project 02-11, an overlay project from last year's program. Example 1: Current Practice: Property has 930 feet of frontage along 149th Avenue. Assess one share $772, since there is one lot of record. Total assessed project cost = $110,396; Total assessed units = 143 Assessed cost per unit = $110,396 + 143 units = $772 unit Alternative A: Assessed three shares $2,316 Total project frontage = 3.98 mi x 5280 ft/mi, x 2 sides = 42,049 ft. Average lot frontage = 42,029 ft + 143 units = 294 fffunit Subject lot has 930 ft + 294 units = 3.16 unit, rounded by 3 units