MONROE - Alderman Jan Lefevre (Ward 4) has called on all Monroe citizens to work with her to change the city's street construction policy of charging property owners for a portion of the costs for street reconstruction.
Property owners are assessed about 50 percent of the cost for base and asphalt, gutters and curbs and for full costs to fix or replace sidewalks and driveway approaches. Street and sanitary sewer repairs are not assessed to property owners.
Lefevre said she believes streets and sidewalks are for use by every city resident and visitor, not just the adjacent property owners.
Lefevre has been an outspoken member at City Council and city committee meetings about sidewalks being paid for from general funds, as that would share the cost among all the city taxpayers.
She now extends that opinion to include city streets.
"City property, in my opinion, means that it's shared equally by everyone, including the expense. (Streets) ... are part of the infrastructure of the city," she wrote in an April 9 Times letter to the editor.
Although elected by the people of her ward to work for them, Lefevre said every alderperson "should be looking out for every solitary citizen in the city."
Lefevre said she has not made any plans for the group's work or how it might proceed.
"One idea a caller gave was to check to see what other communities are doing and find out if this is completely out of line," she said.
Lefevre said she expects a few people who already have paid for projects on their streets to be against changing the policy now.
Property owners are assessed about 50 percent of the cost for base and asphalt, gutters and curbs and for full costs to fix or replace sidewalks and driveway approaches. Street and sanitary sewer repairs are not assessed to property owners.
Lefevre said she believes streets and sidewalks are for use by every city resident and visitor, not just the adjacent property owners.
Lefevre has been an outspoken member at City Council and city committee meetings about sidewalks being paid for from general funds, as that would share the cost among all the city taxpayers.
She now extends that opinion to include city streets.
"City property, in my opinion, means that it's shared equally by everyone, including the expense. (Streets) ... are part of the infrastructure of the city," she wrote in an April 9 Times letter to the editor.
Although elected by the people of her ward to work for them, Lefevre said every alderperson "should be looking out for every solitary citizen in the city."
Lefevre said she has not made any plans for the group's work or how it might proceed.
"One idea a caller gave was to check to see what other communities are doing and find out if this is completely out of line," she said.
Lefevre said she expects a few people who already have paid for projects on their streets to be against changing the policy now.