Residents challenge road work bill

Talk about it

Several residents in northeast Rosemount have challenged assessments for a project to rehabilitate the streets in front of their homes.

Residents in all parts of the project planned to take place later this summer filed objections following a May 18 assessment hearing, but the part of the project that got the most attention at the assessment hearing was the rehabilitation of a rural section of Shannon Parkway.

Thirteen households in that area are being assessed $6,944 each for work on a rural section of the road. The residents say that is too much for the benefit they will get from the project.

Attorney Karla Vehrs spoke at May 18 assessment hearing, representing seven homeowners in the area. She accused the city of using improper methods to determine what residents will be charged for the project, which will include milling of the top of the road surface and replacing it.

“The law requires that the city look to the amount of benefit that can be received by a property,” Vehrs said. “The city has gone through the process in the opposite way that it ought to be done.”

The city of Rosemount’s policy on assessments is to charge homeowners in the project area for 35 percent of the project cost. The city followed that process for the Shannon Parkway project and for two other projects in the area discussed last week. In one case residents will be assessed $566 per residential unit and in another they will be assessed $1,366 per unit. Because the rural Shannon Park project includes such a small number of homes, assessments are higher there than in other areas.

Cities cannot charge residents more for a project than homeowners will see in benefit. City engineer Andy Brotzler said the city ordered appraisals in the area after hearing objections from residents. That appraisal supported assessments of $7,500 to $8,000.

“We’re actually well below what the benefit appraisal suggests the improvements are worth to the market value of the property,” Brotzler said.

Assessments can be paid immediately with no interest charge or added to residents’ property taxes and paid over 10 years with 4.9 percent interest.

The Rosemount City Council approved the assessments last week. The appeal process allows residents to file a notice to appeal and later to challenge assessments in court.

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