Affected property owners were mailed a notice of the public Monroe City Council meeting at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2, which will "reconsider and possibly cancel special assessments (16th Avenue)."
In May, we property owners attended a meeting in which the City Council voted to delay a decision of whether to assess the 23 owners of homes on 16th Avenue for reconstruction costs. At that time, council members openly seemed to acknowledge the unfair financial hardship of asking this select group of citizens to pay for a road that is one of the main arteries of the city, as well as a state road. The meeting ended with the council's words to the assessed individuals, "Trust us."
I am one of those 16th Avenue owners and residents who is asking you, City Council, to please remember those words. I trusted you while enduring the reconstruction, which hit a main gas line on our block, and which removed five healthy trees from the parkway, one of which was ours. I trusted you when our own household's gas line also was hit, prior to the one that made the news. I trusted you while experiencing multiple water shutoffs, most times flooding our home's water lines with our water-softener's resin, which no one could prevent or explain. I trusted you when we replaced our lateral sewer line, choosing to do so during the time that the lines were exposed and the road already was rendered temporarily unusable. I am trusting you now, to follow through with your implied promise, so our family can address the expenses of the lateral line, as well as those for repairs to our home's foundation, which cracked and separated during the many excessive vibrations that were an inevitable part of the reconstruction process.
I speak for my neighbors, who also are trusting you. Many of us have had numerous other expenses which could not have been foreseen. Our own family is recovering from July 2007 unemployment and November 2007 furnace replacement. One other resident besides us also has incurred the expense of sewer line lateral replacement. Another property owner had significant fire damage this year, and required a restoration service. Major medical expenses for serious extended illness have challenged another family. These only are a few examples of residents who still are trusting you not to burden them with an additional expense when their income production capabilities have declined.
The 16th Avenue project was a planned improvement, and the financing should have been decided before beginning it, without resorting to assessing residents. Please continue to work on a policy change for financing street work.
I realize your budget is tight, and that you have had to make cuts and delay projects. Please remember that this is true for all of us on 16th Avenue, too. Assessing residents for this expense perpetuates the cycle of one individual or agency seeking assistance from another in order to cope with unexpected expenses. We don't own the road any more than any other person who uses it. Please don't make us pay for it.
I trust you!
In May, we property owners attended a meeting in which the City Council voted to delay a decision of whether to assess the 23 owners of homes on 16th Avenue for reconstruction costs. At that time, council members openly seemed to acknowledge the unfair financial hardship of asking this select group of citizens to pay for a road that is one of the main arteries of the city, as well as a state road. The meeting ended with the council's words to the assessed individuals, "Trust us."
I am one of those 16th Avenue owners and residents who is asking you, City Council, to please remember those words. I trusted you while enduring the reconstruction, which hit a main gas line on our block, and which removed five healthy trees from the parkway, one of which was ours. I trusted you when our own household's gas line also was hit, prior to the one that made the news. I trusted you while experiencing multiple water shutoffs, most times flooding our home's water lines with our water-softener's resin, which no one could prevent or explain. I trusted you when we replaced our lateral sewer line, choosing to do so during the time that the lines were exposed and the road already was rendered temporarily unusable. I am trusting you now, to follow through with your implied promise, so our family can address the expenses of the lateral line, as well as those for repairs to our home's foundation, which cracked and separated during the many excessive vibrations that were an inevitable part of the reconstruction process.
I speak for my neighbors, who also are trusting you. Many of us have had numerous other expenses which could not have been foreseen. Our own family is recovering from July 2007 unemployment and November 2007 furnace replacement. One other resident besides us also has incurred the expense of sewer line lateral replacement. Another property owner had significant fire damage this year, and required a restoration service. Major medical expenses for serious extended illness have challenged another family. These only are a few examples of residents who still are trusting you not to burden them with an additional expense when their income production capabilities have declined.
The 16th Avenue project was a planned improvement, and the financing should have been decided before beginning it, without resorting to assessing residents. Please continue to work on a policy change for financing street work.
I realize your budget is tight, and that you have had to make cuts and delay projects. Please remember that this is true for all of us on 16th Avenue, too. Assessing residents for this expense perpetuates the cycle of one individual or agency seeking assistance from another in order to cope with unexpected expenses. We don't own the road any more than any other person who uses it. Please don't make us pay for it.
I trust you!
