FAIRMONT– Roads and infrastructure were a large topic discussed by the Fairmont City Council on Monday. Several projects were touched on during the public hearing on the 2024 improvement program.

The three projects in the program include reconstruction of Park Street: Albion Avenue to Budd Street (assessed at $80/front footage); Resurface of Woodland Avenue: CSAH 39 to Fairlakes Avenue (assessed at $54/front footage); Seal Coat on 11 different streets (assessed at $2.50/front footage).

While several residents affected by one of the projects submitted letters to the council, just one spoke up at the meeting on Monday night. The resident said that $54 per resident on the Woodland Avenue project equaled 67 percent of the total project cost, which they thought was too much and that the city as a whole should take on more of the total cost, especially considering it’s a heavily used road.

Once the public hearing closed, several council members made comments. Council Member Michele Miller asked how the front footage came to be assessed at $54 considering that a lot of the land in that area is ag land.

Public Works Director Matthew York said that the type of bond received for this project requires the city to do 20 percent assessments and since the city’s policy did not have a type associated with this certain kind of road, the city did the best it could and assessed it at the resurfacing cost.

“It is perfect? No. It meets the standards per our policy. There is another agenda item later on this evening that talks about our new assessment policy that, if approved, we could take a look at reassessing the properties along Woodland based upon the new assessment criteria that would reduce the costs of the assessments dramatically,” York said.

However, in order to reach the 20 percent assessment rate for the project, York said the council needed to move forward at the current rate.

Council Member Jay Maynard asked whether the council could come back in January, adopt the new policy and then apply it to the project. He also asked whether the council would have problems hitting the 20 percent requirement if it reassesses.

City Administrator Matt Skaret said the bonds are part of the street reconstruction plan and can thus be borrowed for under the street assessment authority where the city can still assess but won’t be required to meet the 20 percent threshold.

“I think we need to do something for these people,” Maynard said.

He again asked whether the council could come back and reassess the project in January.

York pointed out that the Woodland Avenue project and Park Street project are together. He said that he would like to see the policy changed, but that now wasn’t a good time to get it changed because it would negatively affect the Park Street project and make that one more expensive.

“We’re in a crossroads right now and trying to do right by everyone,” York said.

Kawecki brought up the fact that several ag land owners affected by the Woodland assessment said they were not benefitting from the project and did not want to be included in the assessment.

“I think there’s a difference between what we want and what we can do,” York said. “We’ve given them the option of a deferral.”

Skaret added that under the current policy, the deferral will be for 30 years and if the property is not developed, it goes away but under the updated policy, 30 years will drop down to 20 years.

Maryard inquired whether the council can receive a guarantee that council will reassess the properties after a new policy comes into effect. Skaret said that he did not want to see the current council bind the new council, unless it was made into a motion.

Maynard made a motion to continue the hearing until 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 13, which is the first city council meeting of the new year. The motion passed.

When it came time to discuss the new special assessment policy, Skaret said that the current policy had not been updated since May of 1996 and was out of date when referencing state statute.

“For the past year or so, city staff has been working with Bolton and Menk and Flaherty and Hood to update our policy to reflect the current statutes and become somewhat consistent with other cities in our area,” Skaret said.

He said the current policy is written so that that cost of streets will be split 70 percent to the city and 30 percent to the benefited property but since 2017 the practice has been to assess based on the linear foot cost.

“It’s recommended that the city use the 70/30 percentage split on the street,” Skaret said.

He said this will make Fairmont more consistent with other communities.

Another change in the policy has to do with ag land. Skaret said that a large lot will have the frontage limited to 150 feet under the new policy. As said before, the deferral will also be reduced to 20 years from 30 years.

Skaret called the changes to the policy a “rainbow” because so many different types of properties are altered and color-coated as such.

Kawecki made a motion to table approval of the policy until the next meeting. The motion passed.

On Monday the council also considered a curb and gutter system along Lake Avenue. The conversation was a continuation of the last council meeting on Oct. 14 when some cross section options for Lake Avenue were presented by Troy Nemmers of Bolton and Menk.

York said that he had met with Nemmers to discuss the pros and cons of adding curb and gutter along the whole length of the road. He said it was about a $90,000 cost but pitched his case for adding it.

“This project is a 50-year plus lifespan so to have this complete with the curb and gutter makes a lot of sense with the (2040) comprehensive plan,” York said.

He also said that curb and gutter allows for opportunities to make the city cleaner.

Nemmers added that the design report includes a recommendation of a 44 foot wide concrete street with curb and gutter along the entire length. He said that the existing 2,700 street from Fairlakes to Edison Drive has curb and gutter and that Edison Drive to CR 39 is a rural section.

Maynard said that if it’s constructed without curb and gutter and the council later decides to add a bike path, curb and gutter will need to be added anyway.

“As we do we increase the cost of the bike path,” Maynard said.

York agreed that it would be more costly to do that later on. He said he spoke with a contractor who said it could be done but would be more a problematic project in the future.

Kawecki said she thinks citizens are more interested in connecting a trail system around Hall Lake rather than along this stretch of road.

“I feel that we as a council should be having a work session on where we want to be spending money along bike paths,” Kawecki said.

She also said she believed the council should consider going with asphalt for the project instead of concrete.

York said, “While it may cost a little bit more, I believe overall this is a good use of our money for the city.”

When questioned, Nemmers said that in most cases concrete is more expensive as an initial cost but in this case, there’s a grant from the state’s Road Improvement Program that will help pay for a better project that will require less maintenance overtime.

Mayor Lee Baarts interjected and said that the council was not discussing concrete over blacktop, but whether to add curb and gutter along a road.

Council Member Randy Lubenow made a motion not to put curb and gutter along the whole length of the road. In a roll call vote, the motion failed 3-2 with Councilors Miller, Hasek and Maynard opposed.

Maynard then made a motion to extend curb and gutter along the entire length of Bixby Road to Fairlakes Avenue. The motion passed 3-2.