Agenda - Public Works Committee - 02/15/2005

Home

STREET MAINTENANCE pROGRANI INrFORMATION Your neighborhood has been schecfuled for street maintenance improvements this summer, and at~· f portion of the cost will be special assessed to benefited properties. This letter is in~eenr~l;~]dtoa~k~~ address some of the most fi'equently asked questions about the program. . Why does the City special assess for this work instead of using general tax monies? The City of Ramsey does use general tax dollars for these improvements. Except in rare cases, the City pays one half the construction and administrative costs of each project.' The City has chosen to assess the remaining half of the work for several reasons. The uncertainty of levy limits, particularly in the rapidly growing communities such as Ramsey, jeopardize the reliability of generating sufficient funds to properly maintain our city streets. Additionally, Ramsey is unusually diverse in the type of street surface, and lot sizes. Ramsey still has over five mile of unpaved streets. Typical lot sizes vary fi'om one-quarter acre to five acres and larger. As a consequence there are large differences in the amount of street required to serve individual lots. City policy makers feel it is fair to finance street maintenance in relation to the actual cost, which is more reflective of lot size and pavement condition than on property value. If I am on a corner lot, do I pa3, more? No, the City policy reflects the philosophy that comer tots generate the same amount of traffic as interior lots, and therefore should pay the same as their immediate neighbors. However, the City does feel the'larger lot neighborhoods, which require more pavement per lot, should pay more than a neighborhood having smaller pavement needs to accommodate their road system. For this reason individual projects within the program are comprised of subdivisions, on groupings of subdivisions have similar pavement conditions and amounts of pavement per unit. What is the schedule for the improvement and when do I need to pay? The annual program begins with a written notice in February, which informs residents that the City intends to perform street maintenance the succeeding summer. This notice informs residents of a public hearing at which they may bring concerns or questions regarding the project. Following the public hearing, the City Charter requires a 60 day period in which residents who may oppose the project may petition against the project.' If more than half.of the properties within the project petition against, the City Council may.not order the project or propose it again for at least twelve months. The projects are generally ordered in May and competitive bids from independent contractors are received in June. The work is constructed in June, July, and August. Notice of an assessment hearing is again mailed to property owners in September which contains the actual assessment which is based upon the final project costs. The City Council will pass the assessment and residents may choose to pay this entire amount without interest within 30 days. If the:assessment is not paid within that period, the City forwards it to Anoka County to be collected with interest over a specified number of years, three years for sealcoat projects and ten for an overlay project. I.'kE~,gineeringt2005 Projectsl05-O0 Street Maintetiance ProjectlStreet Mahttenance Program Information.doc