City Council Meeting Date: May 21, 2019
To: Mayor and City Council
City Administrator
From: Sean Simonson, Engineering Manager
David E. Bennett, P.E, Public Works Director/City Engineer
Subject:
TITLE
2019 Street Reclamation Project - Call for Assessment Hearing.
BODY
Action Requested:
City Council approves the attached Resolution calling for an assessment hearing for the 2019 Street Reclamation Project (STRT2019-A42).
Note: This is the second of two actions related to the assessment hearing. The first item is a resolution which will declare the amount to be assessed.
Summary Report:
The City is being asked to restart these two actions related to assessment on the 2019 Street Reclamation Project. On April 16, 2019 the City declared the amount to be assessed, and called for the public hearing for the projects assessments. The hearing for the project was planned to occur at this meeting on May 21, 2019. However, staff found an error in the assessment roll in which residential properties in the north project area had the incorrect assessment rate applied. The benefit appraisal for a Standard Single Family Lot in the John North Park Area is $67 per front foot. The incorrect assessment roll utilized $62 per front foot rate from the Blue Stem Court area.
A typical single-family lot in the John North Park area has a frontage of 85 feet and an assessment of $5,695. The previous notice utilized the incorrect front foot rate of $62 vs. $67. The new assessment roll will show the correct amount which on average is about $425 more than what was previously noticed.
The City Council is being asked to hold a public hearing on June 18, 2019 regarding the assessments anticipated as part of the 2019 Street Reclamation Project (STRT2019-A42). A required 14-day notice will be published in the Northfield News and notices will be sent to the abutting property owners within the project boundaries. Additionally, as part of this mailing a summary of the hardship policy, additional information from the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, and the assessment roll (Attachment 2) will be included. Staff will ask the City Council to adopt the assessment roll at the June 18, 2019 City Council meeting.
The actions requested are required by Minnesota Statutes Chapter 429, which specifies the steps that must be taken to assess property owners for the cost of local improvements. The City Council has moved this project forward to this point with the actions shown on the attached project process (Attachment 3).
The City of Northfield will be utilizing Special Assessments to defray a portion of the costs for the Reclamation Project. The current City of Northfield City Code, Chapter 66 - Special Assessments serves as a guide for the making of public improvements and the levying of special assessments within the City of Northfield. The City also follows the procedures and requirements of Minnesota Statue Chapter 429, specifically, but not by way of limitation, the cost of any public improvement may be assessed upon property benefited thereby, whether or not the property abuts on the improvement and whether or not any part of the cost is paid from the county state-aid highway fund, the municipal state-aid street fund, or the trunk highway fund.
Alternative Options:
The Council could delay the adoption of this resolution, which would result in delaying the assessment hearing. However, since assessments are a necessary part of the project funding the hearing will need to be held at a future date.
Financial Impacts:
Attachment 4 details the Estimated Total Project Costs and Estimated Project Funding Tables at the time of Calling for the Assessment Hearing.
Tentative Timelines:
The attached project process (Attachment 3) shows the next steps in moving this project forward.