Street assessments by the square foot

Star Tribune Fri, 15 Feb 2008 04:01:09 GMT
Minneapolitans likely to pay soon for street repairs

To speed its flagging street repair program, Minneapolis is likely to ask its property owners to dig into their pockets sooner than expected. The City Council is expected to authorize the start of a multi-year street resurfacing program today. The new approach is designed to give streets a quick resurfacing rather than waiting for more thorough work that's not likely to happen for decades at the current pace. Property owners will pay less for the resurfacing than they'd pay for full renovation but they'll pay a higher share of that cost through special assessments on their property. Most homeowners to get streets repaved in 2008 will pay about 16 cents per square foot assessed, with the city adding another nickel. That's about half the cost of more extensive renovation work, in which the homeowner pays 32 cents per square foot and the city kicks in another 96 cents. The new approach is cheaper but won't last as long

[[keywords: PublicWorks;Metro;]]