City Council Worksession

MINUTES OF THE Steve Washburn WATERTOWN CITY COUNCIL Deborah Everson Workshop Meeting Tuesday, May 22, 2018 Lindsay Guetzkow Adam Pawellk Michael Walters 1. Call to Order and Roll Call Mayor Steve Washburn called the Watertown City Council Workshop to order at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 22, 2018 in the Council Chambers of City Hall. Council Members present: Washburn, Mike Walters, Deborah Everson, Lindsay Guetzkow, and Adam Pawelk. City Staff present: City Administrator Shane Fineran, City Engineer Andrew Budde, and Clerk-Treasurer Lynn Tschudi. 2. New Business A. Special Assessment Policy Discussion #3 Fineran stated this is a continued discussion in the revision of the assessment policy and how we approach road construction and road reconstruction in the future. Council is interested in a policy that is sustainable, economical, developer friendly and fair. The City will need to create a road reconstruction plan in order to plan for financing. Current policy passes on eighty percent of the burden for road assessments on to homeowners. Fineran showed a map of Watertown that included the proposed road reconstruction and cost for each segment. Staff is looking for direction from Council for the 15 year reconstruction plan and financing strategies. Washburn added that in the economical category, he would like to see a cost of living adjustment factored in. Also in the fair category, he would like to see that the City will try to avoid large swings in property taxes. Pawelk would like to see detailed language added to the “fair” statement. He agrees with the approach and goals set forth in the statement. Guetzkow said she would like to see “predictable” and “consistent” added to the reconstruction policy language. Walters wants to see the percent passed along to residents reduced from eighty percent. He feels the higher percentage is undesirable to residents. Everson asked for clarity on the presented maps and what years are covered for the reconstruction and construction of roads shown. Washburn explained that the new roads proposed have estimated years in which they will be constructed. He discussed possible future development in and near Forest Hills. He would like to prioritize segments of roads so that developers can start expanding the Watertown housing stock. Pawelk clarified Paul Avenue as a collector road, being that no driveways would connect directly to it. Fineran explained to Council that he would like to see a policy similar to the oversizing of sanitary sewer lines where the City pays for the oversizing only. Washburn stressed that in order to support the proposed waste water treatment facility expansion, Page 1 of 2  growth needs to happen. In order to support growth, these roads need to be built. Guetzkow said consistency will be key in the policy so that all developers have the same opportunities. Walters would like to see language added around being a partner to any businesses to support growth. Pawelk asked how the City can understand what their percentage would be in developing a collector street. Fineran said there are only a few tools available to finance these road projects, and the choice chosen depends on how much risk the City is willing to take. Guetzkow suggested creating partnerships with the county and state in order to take advantage of all resources available. Washburn summarized that the language from the policy will help in having conversations with developers to receive feedback on an amount that would be reasonable for their portion of a road construction. 3. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 6:27 pm. Page 2 of 2