Minutes - Council - 03/22/2005 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Mr. City Attorney, I question the legitimacy and more importantly the legality of this Private/Government financial relationship at $6M to be paid back to the developer by city residents through forced attachment fees to sewer and water lines. It is a city partnership in private development adventuring, and a municipality should have no place in that. There is no question about the fact that it will be force, today or tomorrow. City code requires hook up, period. Due on sale, due on death, due on transfer of title, if not forced sooner. A part of vested existing equity in our homes is being taken. We expect you will propose changes to the City's sewer & water hook up requirements tonight. Unless the changes places financial responsibility for running sewer and water fbr development purposes on anyone other than the developer, the cost will be borne by Jthe current citizens of Ramsey. The developer maximizes profitability through instant sewer and water equity, compliments of this city council paid for by Ramsey citizens. Al so, Mr. City Attorney, We are concerned there are conflict of interest relationships connecting the proposed Comprehensive Plan amendment, the Gun Club Properties Development Project, The City Center Project and membership of this City Counsel, past and present. We want your assurance, on your oath of office, neither the City itself, nor the Citizens residing on properties within the City, are not being placed at risk financially or may otherwise be held liable due in any part to this Counsel's failure to abide by Open Meeting Statutes, Public Data Statutes, Conflicts of Interest law, and or any other legally, ethically or otherwise questionable wrongdoing. I n the Metropolitan Council's, Regional Development Framework Document, Adopted January 14, 2004, I found many contradictions to statements made by the developer and some planning commissioners. We as a developing community should be maintaining a 60% new household to 40% new jobs created, ratio as we develop Ramsey. I mentioned thc nmnber of permits issued for households earlier, the number of permits issued for non-residential building was three in 2002. I;et's focus a moment on Money, specifically $6M. To be clear, this is a $6M dollar relationship to enhance favor toward amending the comprehensive plan, to send sewer and water directly to Mr. Jolm Peterson's proposed development. This may very well prove to be a mistake when we re-write our Comprehensive Plan in 2008. Sending a sewer line in the wrong direction, under sizing or over sizing it, either way is an added cost to the citizens of this City. On top the $13 to 18M sewer expansion project, there may be more, and there is the thirty-some million dollar City commitment to Town Center Project to include the new $16M municipal building, with millions already recently spent for sewer and water expansion in that neighborhood. That's well over $50M dollars in spending for just these projects.