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HomeMy WebLinkAbout[04a] Minutes, February 4, 2019February 4, 2019 Page 1 of 4 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session on Monday, February 4, 2019 at 6:00 PM at the St. Joseph Government Center, opening with the pledge of allegiance. Members Present: Mayor Rick Schultz. Councilors Brian Theisen, Bob Loso, Anne Buckvold, Troy Goracke. Administrator Judy Weyrens. City Representatives Present: City Attorney Chris Nelson, City Engineer Randy Sabart, Police Chief Dwight Pfannenstein, Public Works Director Terry Thene, Finance Director Lori Bartlett, Community Development Director Therese Haffner Others Present: Mary Beth Munden, Dale Wick, Kevin Schirmers, Darlene Kellner, Joe Bechtold, Joanne Bechtold, Brenda Klein, Carol Reisdorf, Dan Reisdorf, Jerry Olson, Carolina Apaez, Kelly Shaddrick, Mary Waite, Jeff Reber, Debbie Reber, Blake Heurung, Loretta Angell, Nick Curtis, Ridell Curtis, Nate Loso, Dick Taufen. Public Comments: No one present wished to speak. Approve Agenda: Loso made a motion to approve the agenda; seconded by Goracke and passed unanimously. Consent Agenda: Loso made a motion to approve the consent agenda; seconded by Buckvold and passed unanimously. a. Minutes – Approved the minutes of January 7 and January 16, 2019 b. Bills Payable – Approved check numbers 054286-054349, Payroll EFT # 111621-111633 and Accounts Payables EFT # 001861-001865 c. Revised Payment – Approve the delayed payment for Bayou Blues fees due on February 15, 2019 to July 31, 2019. Mayor Reports: Schultz reported that he will be hosting Coffee with the Mayor on Saturday, February 9 at the Local Blend and he will not be participating in the 2019 APO Visit to Washington DC as the City of St. Joseph will not have impacted projects. Engineer Reports: City Engineer Randy Sabart provided the Council with a brief update on the 2019 CSAH 75 Improvement. He stated that it is anticipated the project will begin early spring, which in a typical year construction would start the second or third week in May. 2019 Proposed Street Improvement Project: Mayor Schultz called the hearing to order and turned the meeting over to the City Engineer Randy Sabart. Sabart stated that the public hearing at this time is the first of two required hearings when the City contemplates making street/infrastructure improvement. The hearing at this time is to consider the improvements to six project locations and include: th 1. 4 Ave SE & NE; Western Court thth 2. 12 Ave SE; Pond View Ln E; 13 Ave SE; Baker St E; Dale St E; Callaway St E, Cary Ct, Cedar Ct st 3. Birch St W; Ash St W; 1 Ave NW 4. Jade Rd 5. Old Hwy 52; Cypress Drive 6. Elm St W. The city manages the improvement needs through the development and implementation of a Street Maintenance Plan and Capital Improvement Plan. The Street Maintenance Plan identifies all the streets in the City including the year of construction and maintenance such as seal coating. Annually the plan is reviewed to determine what if any streets need improvement. It is for this reason that projects one through four above have varying degrees of improvement, each with a different cost. The street projects will either consist of a mill and pave or mill and overlay and is determined on the condition and life of the road. February 4, 2019 Page 2 of 4 Projects five and six above also include some utility work to include Water and Sewer replacement or repair. In the case Old Hwy 52 and Cypress Dr, the sanitary sewer was constructed in 1969/1970 with clay pipes. The sewer line was televised which provided evidence that significant root intrusion has occurred and the line needs to be replaced. In the case of Elm Street, the water and sewer system is needed to be expanded to accommodate future growth. Sabart presented an overview of the proposed cost and funding. The following table is a summary of the financial impacts. Opinion of Probable costs Sabart stated that it has been and continues to be the policy of the City of St. Joseph when infrastructure improvements are constructed providing a benefit to a particular area, those costs shall be levied against benefiting properties. To assist the City in determining the benefit, the City will commission a Special Benefit Report to identify the range of market benefit by the project (maximum level of special assessment). Special Assessment Frontage is determined by:  Regular Interior Lots: 100% of the side abutting the improvement  Rectangular corner lots: Sum of 100% of short side frontage and 50% of long side frontage  Irregular interior lots (ie “pie shapped”): 100% of average width of the lot abutting the improvement. The adopted Assessment Policy for the City includes the baseline amount that is charged to abutting property, with the understanding that the final assessment will be based on the Special Benefit Report. The policy identifies the following assessment apportionment sharing:  Up to 60% of street and utility reconstruction costs assessed  Up to 100% of street costs assessed to annexed property with no previous assessment, unless the Council determines otherwise.  Up to 100% of costs for new curb and gutter assessed.  Up to 100% of costs for new sewer & water main assessed  40%, or more, of costs subsidized by the City. February 4, 2019 Page 3 of 4 Sabart stated that the method of assessment is meant to balance equity in distribution of special assessments. The terms and payment for the special assessments will be determined at the Special Assessment Hearing which is the second required hearing. Sabart ended his presentation with an illustration of the proposed preliminary schedule which included the Council accepting bids in April/May, th proposed assessment hearing in May and construction sometime after July 4. Mayor Schultz opened the hearing to those present. ndth Dick Taufen, 32 2 Ave NW stated that he owns two properties, one on Birch Street W and one on 4 nd Ave NE. With regard to the home at 32 2 Ave NW he stated that he purchased the home in 1968 and not only is this the fourth time he is being assessed, but he has seen a reduction in improvements. Over the years he has lost the sidewalk and his storm sewer has been removed created a ponding issue. If the City is going to move forward with the project he encourages the City to resolve the storm water issues. Sabart responded that the will look into the drainage. Taufen stated the second property is located at 329 MN St E and he is the only resident being assessed th on 4 Ave NE with the other properties commercial. He indicated that the road does not seem residential and is more regional and should not be assessed. He further questioned the condition of the road and if it really does need to be improved at this time. In addition he expressed concern with the impacts of CR 75 being under construction at the same time. Sabart responded that there is significant cracking and the City does not want to wait too long so that the only option is to reconstruct. With regard to the CSAH 75 the Council has discussed the impact and if the project could begin after the CSAH 75 project snice that project is anticipated to begin in May. th Mary Munden, 317 12 Ave SE questioned which cost per lineal foot would be assessed to her property, is it $ 16 or $ 69 and how the cost is determined. Sabart stated that the project abutting her property is an overlay with an anticipated cost of $ 27.47 sq. ft. Since there are so many different types of projects they have been grouped into similar projects. th Munden also questioned the amount of traffic on 12 Ave SE and questioned the equity due to the considerable vehicle traffic per day and those using the road consistently do not have to contribute to the costs. She so questioned if the City could do anything to reduce the speed on the road. Sabart stated that the City needs a network of roads to make the transportation system work. For that reason the City subsidizes all the road projects which is then paid through general taxation. th Therefore those traveling on 12 Ave will be paying for the improvements. Munden questioned how the proposed assessment is compared to the Park Terrace project. Sabart stated that the same process is being utilized, that being the preparation of a Benefit Analysis. The report will indicate the range of benefit and will include a cap. This is the same process for Park Terrace, only that project had utilities as well so the project was much larger. It is for this reason that the City utilizes an assessment policy so that the City is consistent throughout all projects. Joe Bechtold, 28263 Jade Road, expressed frustration that he is being notified of a pending assessment at the same time he is being annexed to the City. A number of years ago St. Joseph Township had requested the City partner with the Township to re-pave Jade Road and the City declined, now he is being asked to pay for it. In his opinion Jade Road services as a major road and he estimates that 500 cars a day use that road, yet only three residents reside in the same section. He does not feel he should be assessed for the improvement. He does agree something needs to be done to the road. Schultz questioned Sabart if the APO has completed any traffic studies in this area and if not they should be contacted. Sabart agreed to follow-up with the APO. Jerry Olson, 1517 Dale Street stated that he had resided at the property for the past eights years and questioned if the drainage problems will be resolved with this project. His neighbors have had to replace their driveway due to standing water and he is looking at replacing his; however, he does not want to invest consider resources in his driveway to only have it deteriorate. February 4, 2019 Page 4 of 4 Sabart stated that storm sewer improvements are not part of the project, but he will look at the area. The drainage is impacted by the grade of the street in relation to the grade of the driveway and the soils which are poor in that area. If resolution would be as simple as removing a small section of curb panel that could be completed as part of the project, anything larger would be difficult. He agreed to review the matter and meet on site to further discuss. There being no one further wishing to speak, Schultz closed the public hearing. Buckvold questioned if the City will place a cap on the assessments and if the City can do anything about th the speed on 12 Ave SE. Sabart stated that the Benefit Analysis will determine a cap for the th assessment. With regard to traffic on 12 Ave SE, the only resolution is enforcement. Unfortunately new smooth pavement tends to increase speed short term. Buckvold questioned if the project includes material where sales tax will be charged. Sabart affirmed that sales tax is charged and typically 50% of the project costs are taxable and the remaining 50% is labor which is not taxed. Loso questioned the utility extension on Elm Street and if that would extend to the water tower. Sabart responded that utilities adjacent to the water tower on Elm Street are identified in the Capital Improvement Plan in a future year. Loso questioned if the consultant preparing the Benefit Analysis could attend the Council meeting to present the report and answer questions. Weyrens reminded the Council that the Benefit Analysis is not property specific, rather it is the area. Buckvold made a motion authorizing the Mayor and Administrator to execute Resolution 2019-005 Ordering Improvement and Preparation of Plans for the 2019 Street Improvement Project. The motion was seconded by Schultz and passed unanimously. Loso made a motion authorizing the City Attorney to engage a consultant to prepare the Benefit Analysis Report; seconded by Schultz and passed unanimously. Adjourn: Loso made a motion to adjourn at 7:40 PM; seconded by Schultz and passed unanimously by those present. Judy Weyrens Administrator