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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-01-19 - Council MinutesCITY OF CORCORAN CITY COUNCIL STREET/ROAD MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP January 19, 2006 The Corcoran City Council met on January 19, 2006, at City Hall in Corcoran, Minnesota. Present were Mayor Cossette, Councilor Jacobs, Councilor Call to Order Lymangood, and Councilor Thomas. Also present were Administrator Vergin and Engineer Vander Top. Absent was Councilor Grabowski. Roll call Mayor Cossette called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Engineer Vander Top provided highlights on the information addressed at the Recap from Previous finance workshop held on January 12, 2006 and a review of where the council had Meetings ended after the last street/road management workshop held in October 2005. Revenue Sources available to the City include: • City Bonds • State Aid (Construction & Maintenance) • Assessments • Area Charges • OSP/Rural Area Charges • Funding sources depending upon project type Direction from previous workshop: • Break the city into quadrants for the distribution of transportation fees • Identify roads that would be paved / more emphasis on collector roads • Input from Attorney on legality of fee • Assessment policy / how improvements will be paid Assessment policy options were reviewed for rural neighborhood streets, MUSA neighborhood streets, and collector roads. Vander Top recommended that these assessments be similar in value. Historically the city has assessed rural neighborhood street improvements at approximately 70 %, with the remainder being paid by the City through work performed by public works. Using this average, a rural neighborhood would see an assessment in the area of $4700. In the MUSA neighborhoods the urban design increases the costs; therefore an average assessment would be in the area of $8,200, using 70 %. For the rural collector roads it is recommended that the assessment be set at 30 %, as benefit at a higher assessment amount would most likely be difficult to substantiate. A 30% assessment would provide an assessment of approximately $4,700, similar to the rural neighborhood street assessments. A transportation area charge for OSP and rural plats was discussed. Vander Top informed the council that they had split the city in quadrants and had identified a different fee per acre for each quadrant based on improvement costs and developable acres in each quadrant. After conferring with the City attorney it has been recommended that the fee be consistent through out the city. Based on that the average area charge would be $1,500 to $2,000 per acre. The average may be on the order of $2,000 as it cannot be assumed that all of the rural property will develop. It was further noted that when negotiating with a developer the city will have some leeway on the improvements and fees collected. Assessment Policy Transportation Area Charges Page -1- CITY OF CORCORAN CITY COUNCIL STREET/ROAD MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP January 19, 2006 Some concern was raised as to the ability of the city to collect area charges from an OSP /rural development, and then delay the pavement improvement until such time that it can take place. Do not want to see small stretches of pavement along gravel roads, would prefer to see pavement connections. Identified the decisions that need to be made by the City Council, assessment policy, type of bonding (ability within the budget), and area charges to be charged. The next steps would be to create a five -year CIP, identify annual maintenance costs, address bridge repairs, and determine if MSA monies can be used to repair bridges. The Council was in consensus with a 70/30 split for local road assessments; 30/70 split for collector road assessments; prefer no general obligation bonding; OSP developments need to cash flow improvements; need to focus on the SW district; need to finalize the maintenance plan and how bridge repairs will be paid; agree with the averaging of the OSP area charges. Need something that is fair and equitable, and will accomplish the goals for making the improvements. Noted that if any council member has concerns or issues regarding this matter, they need to address those with staff prior to the policy coming to the council at a regular council meeting. Workshops are intended to be the place to address those differences of opinions. It was suggested then when the City does set the policy that an open house or public meeting be held to review the policy. Also noted that it could be included in a future newsletter. Attorney Carson will be contacted to see how long the city can hold funds from an OSP /rural development before they commit to a pavement project. It was suggested that the city encourage developers to work with other property owners to expedite paving. It was the consensus to allow, at a minimum, a 1/2 mile of a rural collector road to be paved if it connects to pavement. If it does not connect to pavement the minimum would be 1 (one) mile, or collector to collector. MOTION by Thomas, seconded by Lymangood, approved unanimously to adjourn, 7:20 p.m. ' Y �J Sue Ver.in, City A-2nistrator Decisions Before the Council Next Steps Direction Adjournment