Agenda - Council - 03/08/2005 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Your neighborhood has been scheduled for Street maintenance improvements this summer,.~d portion of the cost Will be special: aSseSSed to benefited properties. This letter is intended address some of the most fre~UCntly asked questions about the program. : Why does the City sPecial assess for tliiswork instead of using general tax monies? The City of Ramsey does use gerneral tax~; dollars for these improvements. Except in rare' cases, the City pays one half the construction arid administrative costs of each project.' The City has chosen to assess the remaining ~alf of th~ wOrk.for several reasons. The uncertainty of levy limits, particularly in the rapidly growing eommr unities such as Ramsey, jeopardize the reliability of generating sufficient funds t0!properlz ma'.retain our city streets. Additionally, ~Ramsey is unusually diverse in the type of Street.sUrface, land lot sizes. Ramsey still has over five mile of unpaved streets. Typical lot sides varyfi'.om 6ne-quarter acre to five acres, and larger. As a consequence there are large differences in the amount of street required to serve individual lets. City policy makers feel it is fait 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 let, do I pay more?~ No, the City policy reflects the PhilOsOphy that :omer lots 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 10t neighbqth°ods, WhiCh require more pav. ement per lot, should p.ay more than a neighborhood having sm~ller pavement needs to accommodate their road system. For this reason individual projects withi~n the program are comprised of sUbdivisions, on groupings of subdivisions have similar pavement cond[tiOns~and amounts of pavement per unit. What is the schedule:for the improvement and when doI need to pay? The annual program begins with a wdttest' 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 ithey may bring concerns or questigns regarding the project. Following the public heating, ithe: City Charter requires 'a60 day period in which residents who may oppose the Pr. eject maypetition 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 order,ed in MaY~ and c°mp6titive bids fi-om independent contractors are received in June. The work islconstructed 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. ]:iEn.gineerin,{,,~2005 ProjectslO5-O0 Street Maintenance Projec~lStreet Maintenance Program fl~formation.doc ~; ~ : .