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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRoads Taskforce - MinutesAGENDA CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT TASK FORCE AUGUST 18, 1988 A. CALL TO ORDER 1. Roll Call 2. Agenda Approval B. APPROVAL OF MINUTES, 8-11-88 C. DISCUSSION 1. Review of Material D. ADJOURN TASK FORCE, ROAD IMPROVEMENTS Minutes, August 18, 1988, 7:00 PM Kenai City Hall Chairman Peter Lyse presiding A. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Lyse called the meeting to order. A-1 Ro11 Call Present: P. Lyse, F. Getty, K. Godek, R. Malston, D. Quellette, L. Quesnel, T. Wagoner Absent: R. Baldwin, D. St. John, D. Sandahl, C. Ward (All arrived late) Also in Attendance: City Manager Brighton, City Clerk Ruotsala, Public Works Director Kornelis B. APPROVAL OF MINUTES, 8-11-88 Minutes approved by unanimous consent. C. DISCUSSION C-1 Review of Material a. Task Force agreed to hold meetings on Thursdays, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. MR. ST. JOHN, MRS. WARD, MR. BALDWIN ARRIVED, 7:15 PM. Mr. Getty: There are a lot of people that are very confused about what is going on. There are gravel roads on both sides of town, there are places that will not get water & sewer for many years. There should be more public comment from these districts. Council has dumped this in our lap, we are between a rock and a hard place. MR. SANDAHL ARRIVED, 7:25 PM. Mr. Wagoner: Council has passed the buck by doing this. It is their responsibility. This does not belong in the Charter. The policy should be by ordinance. Mr. Quellette: The reason for the Task Force is because the City has themselves in a bad place. They have given free paving. They should not continue unless they give to all. Our charge is to come up with a method that is fair to all. You cannot mix water & sewer with paving. If you assess larger areas, their costs will be very high. When you run paving in front of a house, you do not increase the value, water & sewer does increase the value. A lineal ft. is the only economical way to ROAD IMPROVEMENTS TASK FORCE AUGUST 18, 1988 PAGE 2 charge. It should not be up to Council what to charge. Mr. Wagoner: He was assessed by the sq. ft. Public Works Director Kornelis explained how assessments work. We can assess per sq. ft. For example, if we have a project and paving is $44,000, we assess 50% or $22,000. If one owner feels he should not be paying that much, and Council does not want him to pay, others will take up the slack. Mr. Lyse: With water & sewer, what are residents assessed? Mr. Kornelis: 250. Mr. Lyse: What is the paving amount? City Manager Brighton: There is no set policy on payments, but up to 25% of approved value on both. Mr. Lyse: If he lived on a street the City wanted to improve, if the majority say no, they don't get it. Mr. Wagoner: It is not up to the City to offer assessments, the people ask for it. Mr. Lyse: If the people are not active in pursuing, the City should offer. City Manager Brighton: When we advertised for assessment districts, no one responded. Mr. Getty: The money is oil money, it belongs to all of us. There are people who are bitter about streets that have been paved because of political action. If we are going to come up with something, let's have the people be part of it. A lot of paving has_been done, by oil. companies, a lot by the City, some with-airport funds. If we come up with an idea that will cost the people money when they already have improvements, they will say no. Mr. Brighton: The crux of the problem is the people feel the City has provided free streets. Council felt the way to expand paving when money got tight was by assessment. Mr. Wagoner: Redoubt, Woodland, Inlet View - those with paving, water & sewer were assessed with the price of the lot. It is not free paving. Mr. St. John: Council should make a decision where funds come from. Chairman Lyse: There are residential as opposed to commercial/gathering streets. Is there a difference and who pays? Mr. Quellette: The City has gotten into the real estate business and the golf course. If property owners are assessed, the City should assess themselves. Mr. Brighton: They do. Mr. Quellette: If someone on a corner lot has their street paved and has assessments, and then the other street is paved, can they be assessed in 2 districts? Mr. Kornelis: They could. Mr. Wagoner: When you sell ROAD IMPROVEMENTS TASK FORCE AUGUST 18, 1988 PAGE 3 a corner lot and it is paved on both sides, it is more desirable. Mr. Quellette: It does not increase the value to the cast of the assessments. Mr. Baldwin: We should develop the direction of the Task Force: a) water & sewer improvements, b) ordinance or Charter amendment, c} mix between assessments and grant. How are we going to make these decisions? We could designate a meeting for each issue. Should we set a deadline? The Task Force agreed to schedule Thursday meetings, but at each meeting they would decide if there would be a meeting the following week. Mr. Wagoner suggested a list of specifics from Council as to what they want us to do. Mr. Sandahl: We should not meet till we get direction. Mr. Brighton reviewed the minutes of the Aug. 3 Council meeting. He noted the Council does not want to call it Capital Improvements, but road paving only. MOTION: Mr. Baldwin moved, seconded by Mr. Quesnel, to request Council specify definite goals for this body before we take on any task. Motion passed by unanimous consent. Mr. Brighton: He is here with Clerk Ruotsala and Public Works Director Kornelis to give information, not influence. The Council has already established policy, they will not pave roads that do not have water & sewer, with the exception of where water & sewer will not be done for many years. Mr. Quellette: Council is giving this to the Task Force, they were not elected. Mr. Sandahl: Is paving more important than other projects? Or is this developing because of political pressure? Mr. Brightoh: The City has had public opinion polls for many years, road paving is the # 1 priority. Public Works Director Kornelis: We have $2 Million+ designated for roads. No matter how we finance, we pay the contractor when he does the job and it may be 20 years before we get it back. We have to turn it back if it's not used in 5 years. Mr. Brighton: $700,000 must be committed by Oct. 1989. There are some gravel roads with more traffic than others. Council will identify those first. Chairman Lyse suggested. the first discussion should be what kind of streets are going to be paved. ROAD IMPROVEMENTS TASK FORCE AUGUST 18, 1988 PAGE 4 Mr. Wagoner: Council, when money was available, paved many roads, but the bulk was to improve roads that were not up to par as far as all-weather roads. After that we said if we have paving, we will have assessments. People should pay far improvere~ents. You will get it back when you sell. Mr. Brighton: The City spent $1.5 Million on Thompson Pk., over 1.5 Million on Candlelight-Linwood, $2 Million on Haller-Evergreen, $800,000 on roads across from Thompson Pk. None of that was asphalt. No one was assessed. That included water & sewer in 2 of them. We are down co asphalt now. Mr. Getty asked Mr. Sandahl, is health & safety a concern of the School Dist? Mr. Sandahl replied, it is primary. Mr. Getty: We are going to pave Swires because the School District will not pave. Why? Mr. Brighton: The Borough Public Works Director said they asked and the School Board said no. Mr. Getty: It is going to be paved because of safety. But you have safety problems on Haller and the golf course is a City problem. 2 people are on sewer on Candlelight, the golf course and Mulhollunds. $300,000 to put water to the golf course. Does health & safety come into this? Mr. Lyse: We cannot isolate areas. Mr. Baldwin: We don't know where we-are going. He hesitated to go forward. Mr. Malston: One of our goals is to formulate a method of assessing and if we are assessing. Mr. Lyse suggested adding to the motion, residential and commercial streets, are they assessed the same? Do they have what is residential and what is commercial? Mr. Brighton: There is no Code other than P&Z identification. Most of paving left is residential. Mr. Malston: That could change. Mr. St. John: When Council makes its list on street paving, they go down the list and have assessment districts? Mr. Brighton: The City can force assessment districts with a vote of 6 members. Mr. St. John: If we pave and form assessment districts, we will not lose the funds? Mr. Quellette: The idea is to service as many as possible with $2 Million. The best way is to assess. Mrs. Godek: The people of the City spoke when they did not respond to the request for assessments. People are not going to pay 50o assessments. Mrs. Ward suggested the agenda list the first item of business be setting up guidelines and goals. Task Force agreed to meet again Sept. 8, 7:00 PM. ROAD IMPROVEMENTS TASK FORCE AUGUST 18, 1988 PAGE 5 D. ADJOURNMENT Meeting aydj„our~ned a/,t 8:35 PM. Janet Ruotsala City Clerk