Minutes - Council - 10/08/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Kruger stated that there has never been a jump of this amount from preliminary to final assessment. Councilmember Kuzma recognized that and noted that the Council did make an adjustment to the final assessment amount. Lavonne Klucking, 180183 Krypton Street, stated that the neighborhood only has eight properties and is mainly composed of seniors and retirees. She felt that the residents were pushed into this project without control for how things were completed. She did not feel that this was correct and believed that the assessment should stay at no more than $4,500. She stated that this has never happened before, to have this high of a jump from preliminary to final assessment. Mayor LeTourneau recognized that this is a challenging issue. He stated that the reality is that the City did not have control over the cost. Ms. Klucking stated that if the residents would have known that the assessment would be this high, they would have objected to the project. She stated that the project is complete, and the drainage issues are still not correct. She commented that no one has been out to the properties for two months to observe the issues. She commented that the City of Ramsey installed the road incorrectly to begin with and did not believe the residents should be responsible for the corrections. Mayor LeTourneau recognized the comments made, noting that he has experienced similar issues during his time in Ramsey. He questioned how the roads were allowed to be constructed in the 1970's and 1980's, recognizing that the community now has to solve that problem. He stated that the City is sharing 75 percent of the cost across the entire City. City Engineer Westby provided details on the bidding process followed by the City as outlined through State bidding law. He explained that the City does not have control over who submits bids on the project, noting that only two bids were received. Mayor LeTourneau stated that the community has worked together to develop the assessment process for road reconstruction and road maintenance. He explained that policy has been used for the past five years on road construction and recognized that this is a very challenging issue across the City. He stated that the City has remained consistent in its application of the policy throughout the past five years. He noted that five years is ending, and the discussion will continue on road financing. Ms. Klucking asked if there have been any other projects that have come in overbid similar to this project. Mayor LeTourneau commented that most projects did not come in at the preliminary amount because there are variations in the actual project costs. Ms. Klucking referenced the cul-de-sac and asked why that improvement was completed when staff was aware of the higher cost. City Council/October 8, 2019 Page 6 of 15