Minutes - Council Work Session - 09/12/2017

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would be a functional road for equipment and emergency vehicles as needed with flexibility for easement in the future for the roadway improvements that may be necessary. She asked if there is enough easement to support construction of the cul-de-sac on the property to the south. City Engineer Westby noted that a good portion of the cul-de-sac will reside on the property to the west. Councilmember Williams received confirmation that the cost for the easement on the property to the west is not included in the project total. Community Development Director Gladhill stated that there have been discussions with the property owner to the south for the property to the west. He was unsure if there would be a cost to obtain the easement. Councilmember Kuzma proposed a counteroffer in the range of$6,000 to $9,000 and if that is not acceptable he would support moving forward with legal action. Acting Mayor LeTourneau confirmed that Councilmembers Riley and Kuzma would support a counteroffer equal to the typical assessment rate, while Councilmembers Williams and Shryock would support accepting the $3,000 with flexibility for future easements. He stated that he does not like the precedent that would be set with accepting the $3,000 contribution. He stated that he would prefer a reference to consistency and the policy for assessment and therefore would be more inclined to make a counteroffer that would be more in line with the assessment policy. Councilmember Shryock stated that it appears that this occurred as no fault to anyone that is here. She stated that the Schmitzs were sold the property and somewhere along the line the easement did not show up on their property and stated that she would hate to assess this cost if a future assessment is going to be made in the near future when the road is improved. She stated that maybe the City should maintain some kind of easement access for the future and work to get the turnaround to the west side property, which is where a future road would be placed anyway. Acting Mayor LeTourneau stated that it would come back to a question of burden and a lot of that is on the homeowner right now, and what they believe is the right use of that road. Councilmember Kuzma stated that he has heard that this is a public road that the Schmitzs have denied access to and that is where the dispute is. Councilmember Shryock stated that if the City is comfortable that they can prove this is a public road, that is fine but beyond that point why would there be any need to make other improvements at this time. Councilmember Kuzma stated that if the City went to court and prevailed, they would not improve the turnaround further. City Council Work Session/September 12, 2017 • Page 5 of 8