Full house attends city of Glencoe assessment hearing

There was a full house at the final assesment public hearing for the 2014 street improvement projects.
The hearing took place during the Glencoe City Council meeting on Monday, Sept. 15.
Property owners who will be assessed were recently sent a letter informing them of the amount of the assessment.
A final public hearing is required by law after the letter is sent to give those affected to question of the process.
The total cost of the project is just under $2 million. State law requires at least 20 percent of any municipal bonded project to be assessed to affected property owners, so $463,015.68 will be assessed. The remaining $1.5-plus million will be covered by the general tax levy and other sources.
Street improvements are based on lineal footage of the parcel of land adjacent to the improved street. Corner lots are assessed based on one-half unit of the lineal footage of the improved street.
Not all of a project can be assessed. The portions of the project that improved streets by milling and new overlay and those partially reconstructed are assessed.
The streets on which there was partial reconstruction are assessed at $50 per lineal foot. Those streets where only mill and overlay were done will be assessed $28 per lineal foot.
The original estimates for the assesments were $60 and $33 per lineal foot, respectively.
The assesment can be paid over a 15-year period with a 5 percent interest rate. Homeowners can pay all or a portion of the assesment to the city within 30 days of the public hearing. After that time the assesment amount will be certified with the McLeod County Auditor and paid as part of the property taxes.
Some residents expressed concern about the increase in property taxes. City Attorney Jodi Winters said there is an assesment deferral program that can be applied for through the county.

For more, see the Sept. 17 print edition of The Chronicle.