Agenda - Council Work Session - 10/14/2014

Home

7. Within six (6) months of the hearing date, but no sooner than sixty (60) days after ner City Charter § 8.4.1, Council adopts or rejects resolution ordering improvement to be constructed and advertisement of bids. If adopted, staff prepares final plans, advertises for and opens bids as provided in Minn. Stat. § 429.041, prepares bid tabulation, makes recommendation to City Council for award, and prepares proposed assessment roll. Bonds to finance project costs may be issued at any time after the improvements are ordered. 8. Council reviews proposed assessment roll and orders assessment hearing. 9. Staff publishes hearing notice, mails notice of hearing date and proposed assessments to the affected property owners as provided in Minn Stat. § 429.061. 10. Council conducts assessment hearing and adopts, revises, or rejects resolution determining the amount of the total expense the City will pay, if any, and establishing the assessment roll. If adopted, Council authorizes certification of the assessment to the County Auditor. 11. Council awards contract based on the bids received. 12. Staff certifies the assessment roll to the County Auditor. 13. Staff supervises construction and prepares payments. SECTION 5. FINANCING OF PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS. The City encourages public improvement projects as the area-(s) benefiting and needing such improvements develop. Examples of this policy can be seen through the subdivision regulations, zoning ordinance, and building codes. Developers are required to provide the needed improvements and services before development occurs, thereby avoiding unexpected hardships on the property owners purchasing such property and the general public. However, it is recognized that certain areas of the City have developed without all needed public improvements (e.g. parks, water, sewer, and street improvements) and that methods must be found to provide these improvements without causing undue hardships on the general public or the individual property owner. Special assessments are generally accepted as a means by which areas can obtain improvements or services; however, the method of financing these is a critical factor to both the City and the property owner. Full project costs spread over a very short term can cause an undue hardship on the property owner and, likewise, city costs and systems costs spread over a long period of time can produce and undue hardship on the general public of the City. It is the policy of the City to not defer assessments except in cases where hardship to senior citizens 65 years of age or older, or persons retired by virtue of a permanent and total disability, would result. Also, the City Council may elect to defer assessments on undeveloped land for a specified length of time or until the lands are developed. Terms and conditions of any such deferral will be established in the resolution adopting the assessments. SECTION 6. GENERAL ASSESSMENT POLICIES APPLICABLE TO ALL TYPES OF IMPROVEMENTS. The cost of any improvement shall be assessed upon property by the improvements based upon benefits received. The following general principles shall be used as a basis of the City's assessment policy: 1. Project Cost. The "project cost" of an improvement includes the costs of all necessary construction work required to accomplish the improvement (direct costs), plus engineering, 4