Monroe Alderman Paul Hannes was right Tuesday when he described the potential for the city to charge property owners assessments for street work in the future.
"It's going to be a hard sell from the public from now on," he said.
That's because the council set precedent with its unanimous vote to cancel assessments for about two dozen properties along 16th Avenue. The assessments would have covered the cost of a street restoration project not covered by grants.
The assessments were substantial - ranging from about $1,000 to $3,000 per property. Residents have paid assessments for city work on public property (streets and sidewalks) before. But this time there was enough of a public outcry that aldermen reconsidered the wisdom of forcing a small group of property owners, taxpayers, to pay for work that benefits the entire city.
Alderman Mark Coplien called the reversal "a very intelligent decision."
Alderman Jan Lefevre said she would like to see the city "totally abolish" assessments.
That must be the next step for the Monroe City Council.
Now that it has set the precedent of relenting on assessments, it will be extremely difficult for the city to convince residents elsewhere it's fair for them to pay for work done on city streets. The same logic also should apply to work it does on sidewalks, which belong to the city. The cost of any work done on public property should be shared by all taxpayers. It's that simple.
Which means that the city must scrap its longtime tradition of assessing property owners for such work. That won't be so simple.
Doing so will require a substantial shift in funding to allow the city to continue the necessary street repairs and sidewalk installations that will be necessary in the coming years. That will be difficult in a time when budgets are tight and probably won't loosen in the near future.
"That means moving money around with the streets, and that's a tough one," Coplien said.
With the 16th Avenue decision fresh on their minds, aldermen quickly address ending assessments and determine how the city will fund future street and sidewalk projects. They shouldn't put off the discussion until the next time resident assessments are in question.
"It's going to be a hard sell from the public from now on," he said.
That's because the council set precedent with its unanimous vote to cancel assessments for about two dozen properties along 16th Avenue. The assessments would have covered the cost of a street restoration project not covered by grants.
The assessments were substantial - ranging from about $1,000 to $3,000 per property. Residents have paid assessments for city work on public property (streets and sidewalks) before. But this time there was enough of a public outcry that aldermen reconsidered the wisdom of forcing a small group of property owners, taxpayers, to pay for work that benefits the entire city.
Alderman Mark Coplien called the reversal "a very intelligent decision."
Alderman Jan Lefevre said she would like to see the city "totally abolish" assessments.
That must be the next step for the Monroe City Council.
Now that it has set the precedent of relenting on assessments, it will be extremely difficult for the city to convince residents elsewhere it's fair for them to pay for work done on city streets. The same logic also should apply to work it does on sidewalks, which belong to the city. The cost of any work done on public property should be shared by all taxpayers. It's that simple.
Which means that the city must scrap its longtime tradition of assessing property owners for such work. That won't be so simple.
Doing so will require a substantial shift in funding to allow the city to continue the necessary street repairs and sidewalk installations that will be necessary in the coming years. That will be difficult in a time when budgets are tight and probably won't loosen in the near future.
"That means moving money around with the streets, and that's a tough one," Coplien said.
With the 16th Avenue decision fresh on their minds, aldermen quickly address ending assessments and determine how the city will fund future street and sidewalk projects. They shouldn't put off the discussion until the next time resident assessments are in question.
