06/19/1985 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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A. City Assessment Process - Using a flow chart on the wall, City Engineer Bert Teitzel reviewed the City assessment process. The process starts when the City asks neighborhood groups and other organizations to suggest capital improvement projects each year. The projects are prioritized by the staff and included in the Capital Improve- ment Program (CIP). The Planning Commission and City Council hold public hearings and approve the CIP. Preliminary design work on each project is begun. Interested people are notified of each project and a neighborhood public hearing is held by the Public Works staff for each project. The Hearings Official then holds a public hearing on each project. Answering a question from Mr. Hansen, Mr. Teitzel said the process applies to projects for which abutting property owners will have to pay part of the cost. The City pays the rest of the cost. After the Hearings Official 's hearing, the project is presented to the council for approval or denial. If the council approves the project, the necessary right-of-way is acquired and bids for the construction are requested. Then assessments are figured and property owners are notified of them. The project is again presented to the Hearings Official. If 50 percent of the adjacent property owners remonstrate (protest), the council considers the project again and two-thirds of the councilors must approve it. If the Hearings Official and the council approve the project, the assessments are made and the contracts are awarded. e Answering questions from councilors, Mr. Teitzel said property owners are given an estimated assessment before the staff hearing. He discussed the process when property owners request improvement of a street. If there is only one adjacent property owner, that owner can remonstrate and probably stop the project. The assessment is figured on the amount of property frontage. The property owners usually first learn about the projects when they are notified of the staff hearing. However, neighborhood groups are notified of the public hearings for the CIP. The first year of the CIP is approved by the Budget Committee as the Capital Budget. The Public Works staff considers the first two years of projects authorized when the council approves the CIP. The time required to process a project through this process necessitates starting a year in advance of when the actual construction begins. Mr. Gleason said the projects first appear in the T-2000 Plan. He asked councilors not to adopt the T-2000 Plan if they do not intend to approve the projects. Much engineering work ;s done on the projects in the T-2000 Plan. The State Department of Transportation has a six-year plan for projects. Sometimes adjacent property owners do not like an improvement project, but it is needed by other people in the community who use the streets. Councilors briefly discussed the Lorane Highway Improvement. Mr. Miller wished all the arterials and collectors could be improved to City standards. Mr. Teitzel responded that the council could initiate the improve- ment of arterials if funds are available. The projects should be included in the T-2000 or Transplan. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 19, 1985 Page 7