05-14-2002 City Council Study Session PacketCity of Grand Island
Tuesday, May 14, 2002
Study Session Packet
City Council:Mayor:
Ken Gnadt
City Administrator:
Marlan Ferguson
City Clerk:
RaNae Edwards
T
u
7:00:00 PM
Council Chambers - City Hall
100 East First Street
Joyce Haase
Margaret Hornady
Gale Larson
Glen Murray
Jackie Pielstick
Larry Seifert
Robert Sorensen
Scott Walker
Tom Ward
Fred Whitesides
City of Grand Island City Council
Call to Order
Pledge of Allegiance
Roll Call
A - SUBMITTAL OF REQUESTS FOR FUTURE ITEMS
Individuals who have appropriate items for City Council consideration should complete the Request for Future
Agenda Items form located at the Information Booth. If the issue can be handled administratively without Council
action, notification will be provided. If the item is scheduled for a meeting or study session, notification of the date
will be given.
B - RESERVE TIME TO SPEAK ON AGENDA ITEMS
This is an opportunity for individuals wishing to provide input on any of tonight's agenda items to reserve time to
speak. Please come forward, state your name and address, and the Agenda topic on which you will be speaking.
City of Grand Island City Council
Item -1
Sidewalk Committee Report
In 1997 the City Council adopted a Resolution (attached) for the continued installation of
public sidewalks. The policy requires a plan to accommodate pedestrian school traffic. A
committee consisting of staff from the Public Works, Building and Planning Departments
has been meeting to develop priorities for sidewalks near schools.
In April 2002, the committee met with the Principals of Stolley Park, Seedling Mile,
Westridge and Engleman schools to discuss their thoughts regarding sidewalks. At Seedling
Mile School, two representatives from the Seedling Mile Parent Teachers Organization also
attended the meeting.
The Committee would like direction from the Council in order to proceed. If Council
resolves to pursue sidewalks in these areas, property owners will be notified to install
sidewalks and be given a deadline for compliance. A Resolution directing staff to notify
property owners to install sidewalks will be on the May 21, 2002 Council Agenda.
Tuesday, May 14, 2002
Study Session
City of Grand Island
Staff Contact: Steve Riehle, City Engineer/Public Works Director
City of Grand Island City Council
Sidewalk Committee Report
Grand Island City Council
Study Session
May 14, 2002
The installation of sidewalks on both sides of the street (in most cases) is recommended for the
following locations:
I. Stolley Park School
William Street from Grand Avenue to Stolley Park Road
Grand Avenue east from Riverview Drive to the existing sidewalk east of August Street
Riverview Drive south of Grand Avenue
A number of students that live west of Stolley Park School walk to the school property from
Pioneer Boulevard through the City’s Parkview Well Pump No. 1 property, a utility easement,
and enter the school property though an opening in the fence. Sidewalk could be constructed on
the City wellfield property. A sidewalk easement would be required across 2 lots to connect the
wellfield property to the school property.
II. Seedling Mile School
Seedling Mile Road from Lueth Drive to the City limits on the north side
Seedling Mile Road from Lueth Drive to Shady Bend Road on the south side
Installation of sidewalks in a portion of this area will require grading and culvert work by the
Public Works Department before the sidewalks can be installed. The grading will be needed on
the north side of Seedling Mile Road east of Shady Bend Road and the south side of Seedling
Mile Road west of Shady Bend Road.
III. Westridge Middle School
Staff recommends that the sidewalks be part of the solution with the transportation issues
surrounding the extension of Independence Avenue.
IV. Engleman Elementary School
Gateway Avenue from Sherwood Road to Capital Avenue
Marian Road from the School north to Blauvelt Road on the west side
Blauvelt Road from Marian Road to Northwest Avenue on the south side
Northwest Avenue from Capital Avenue to Utah Avenue on the east side
Northwest Avenue from Capital Avenue to the City limits north of Saddle Horse Court
on the west side
Installation of sidewalks along Northwest Avenue will require grading and culvert work to be
performed by the Public Works Department before sidewalks can be installed.
Item -2
Update on Annexation
BACKGROUND ON ANNEXATION PROCESS
Annexation has been a subject of discussion many times over the past several years and was
one of the top Council priorities identified at the 2001-2002 Annual Council Retreat. When
Council directed Administration to look at annexation, the emphasis was on addressing
infrastructure needs, equalizing tax situations for those who are currently receiving City
services, and acknowledging current and anticipated growth of the community in order to
best plan for service delivery.
Nebraska law provides the authority for municipalities to annex land. The annexation of
urban areas adjacent to existing city boundaries can be driven by many factors. The
following are reasons annexation should be considered:
a. Governing urban areas with the statutorily created urban form of government,
municipalities have historically been charged with meeting the needs of the expanded
community.
b. Provide municipal services. Municipalities are created to provide the governmental
services essential for sound urban development and for the protection of health, safety and
well being of residents in areas that are used primarily for residential, industrial, and
commercial purposes.
c. Ensure orderly growth pursuant to land use, building, street, sidewalk, sanitary sewer,
storm sewer, water, and electrical services.
d. Provide more equitable taxation to existing property owners for the urban services and
facilities that non-city residents in proposed annexation areas use on a regular basis such as
parks, streets, public infrastructure, emergency services, retail businesses and associated
support.
e. Ensure ability to impose and consistently enforce planning processes and policies.
f. Address housing standards and code compliance to positively impact quality of life for
residents.
g. Enable residents of urban areas adjacent to city to participate in municipal issues,
including elections that either do or will have an impact on their properties.
Tuesday, May 14, 2002
Study Session
City of Grand Island
City of Grand Island City Council
h. Anticipate and allocate resources for infrastructure improvements. Specifically,
changes in October, 1999 to Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Regulation
Title 124 concerning on site waste water treatment systems impacts new and replacement
private septic systems.
i. Assist in population growth to enable community to reach Community Development
Block Grant entitlement status – 50,000. Entitlement communities automatically receive
Community Development block grant dollars; no competitive process required.
j. Provide long term visioning abilities as it relates to growth and provision of services.
Annexations are, oftentimes, challenging issues for communities. Unlike many actions taken
by City government, residents who are directly affected may have strong opinions about the
personal impact annexation will have on them. As this Council is well aware, the 1984
annexation of the Capital Heights area has impacted city government for the past 18 years.
In fact, residual feelings and concerns from the annexation of Parkview in the early 1970s
still exist.
One of the challenges associated with annexation involves timing. The impact to most
residents is not neutral. Those property owners who are experiencing infrastructure
problems (sewer or water) now will exhibit a different level of support than those who are not
having problems and will not see an immediate benefit in sewer or water services. Those
affected have legitimate questions, concerns, and reactions. City officials must recognize
these responses yet remain focused on the overall big picture.
Because of the complexity of annexation issues and the associated questions, the City
Administration suggested an opportunity be provided whereby residents could informally seek
and receive general information regarding annexation and specific information regarding
their property. While the proposed annexation timetable allows several opportunities for
citizen comment at OFFICIAL meetings, many people may feel more comfortable talking in
an informal setting. The open houses provided an excellent opportunity for one on one
interaction allowing property owners, as well as City staff and officials to discuss concerns
and issues.
Flyers notifying the property owners were mailed to each address. Attendance was good. The
meetings were, in my opinion, very successful.
Meeting at Cedar Hollow - 67 people attended
Meeting at Seedling Mile on Saturday morning - 63 people attended
Meeting at Seedling Mile on Wednesday evening - 44 people attended
ISSUES RAISED AT OPEN HOUSES
1. City just wants more property taxes.
While the receipt of additional property taxes is certainly a response to annexation, a cursory
City of Grand Island City Council
review of the additional property taxes shows no direct relationship between the amount of
investment in the public systems (water/sewer) needed to make necessary infrastructure
improvements in some of the proposed annexation areas and the revenue generated. (See
Attached Chart)
2. We take care of our own.
This thought/philosophy may have been effective for many years during the life of this
development; however, as systems age and regulations change, this may no longer be true.
It is a given that at some time these areas (specifically the East Lakes Area) will need to
revamp their current infrastructure. Annexation allows the City to position itself from a
financial perspective and priority perspective in order to be prepared to meet these needs
when the issue becomes urgent. To wait puts the neighborhood, property owners, and the
City, in the position of not being prepared to make the necessary improvements to insure
these residents have continuous services.
If an area is not in the City limits, districts can not be created until the area becomes part of
the City. It is best that this not happen during a time of crisis but rather through a planned
process.
3. We wanted to live in this school district; in the country.
School choice is a very personal issue. The City recognizes and acknowledges this.
State Statutes do not allow areas within 5 miles of incorporated cities to incorporate as a
stand-alone city. This regulation was adopted knowing that municipalities can and would be
expanding their boundaries as growth occurs.
Some residents in the proposed annexation areas have stated they do not consider themselves
"part of the City." Yet, many of these folks are currently working in Grand Island, traveling
City streets, using City services such as the Library, parks, electricity, etc. They enjoy the
benefits of the City without the responsibilities, either civic or financial. In addition, their
property value is directly related to its proximity to the City of Grand Island. Relocating the
houses around the Lakes or in Schroeder Subdivision to 20 miles outside of Grand Island
would affect the value of those properties. While property owners may have become property
owners when the neighborhood was "out in the country", it is reasonable to expect that at
some point these residential areas would be brought into City limits.
4. Annexation at some time in the future is OK; just don’t do it now - what’s the hurry?
Now is the appropriate time from a planning and preparation standpoint. There is enough of
a concern about infrastructure to consider these annexations. City officials have a
responsibility to consider the big picture and an obligation to look at the outlying areas and
determine the impact those areas have on the City. Elected and appointed officials must be
able to envision how a City will grow and how this growth should be managed so as to protect
the integrity of the entire community. We recognize that residents may not have this overall
perspective and may be driven by a more limited perspective - how does the annexation affect
me?
City of Grand Island City Council
5. I pay additional City taxes but get no sewer and water unless a neighborhood district is
created and I connect to the system. The costs for me to connect could be $10,000 or more.
Do I have to connect?
The subdivisions that currently do not have City sewer or water were developed without
provisions for these centralized services. The cost of providing sewer and water was deferred
to the property owners by the developer of these subdivisions. Subdivisions being developed
today are required to provide connections to City sewer and water.
The City provides water/sewer trunk lines to areas within corporate limits. From here, the
decision to build neighborhood systems is the decision of the property owners in that specific
area. If the property owners determine a need for connection and recognize the overall
benefit to the area, a sanitary sewer and/or water district can be created by Council. If 50%
or more of the property owners in the area support the district, the City will construct the
infrastructure and begin making the services available. Property owners can connect to the
system when their private systems are no longer operable and need extensive repair or
replacement. Connection fees will be determined based on district boundaries and costs. The
City will assess the costs at an interest rate of 7% for a period of 5-10 years. The first payment
is typically due about one year after construction is completed.
6. What City services will I get upon annexation?
As outlined in the City’s annexation plan for service delivery, city services provided with
annexation include police, fire, streets, code enforcement and others.
SUMMARY
These informal open houses may not have convinced some folks that annexation was the
right thing to do. They were not intended to do so. The intent of the open houses was to
exchange information and answer questions. Staff did their best to answer the questions with
factual information while neither advocating nor opposing annexation.
The proposed timetable (attached) has the Council referring the issue of annexation to the
Regional Planning Commission at next week’s meeting (May 21, 2002). Please note, there
are 6 opportunities for public comment and testimony through the process.
May 21, 2002 City Council Referral to Regional Plannin
June 5, 2002 Regional Planning Commission Meetin
June 11, 2002 Resolution Setting Public Hearin
June 25, 2002 Public Hearing and First Reading of the Ordinanc
July 9, 2002 Second Reading of the Ordinance
July 23, 2002 Third and Final Reading of the Ordinance
The reasons for this timetable include:
______ Impending infrastructure issues
______ Process needs to be structured and timely
City of Grand Island City Council
______ Council’s discussions last two years at Retreat
______ Issue that shouldn’t be left unresolved
The question for Council is a philosophical one more than a financial one. Is the proposed
annexation an overall benefit to the community and the residents, even over objections of
some of those that will be affected?
To assist the Council with first-hand knowledge of how the informal open house meetings
were structured, we have set up tonight’s meeting in much the same way as the three open
houses were structured.
Staff Contact: Marlan Ferguson
City of Grand Island City Council
5/10/2002 [Time]
CITY ANNEXATION EXPENSES and REVENUE
Area
Number
City Park
Infrastructure
(Lump Sum)
City Electric
Infrastructure
(Lump Sum)
City Water
Infrastructure
(Lump Sum)
City Sanitary
Sewer
Infrastructure
(Lump Sum)
Total City
Infrastructure
(Lump Sum)
Property
Valuation
City Tax
(.371648) and
CRA Tax
(.024721)
Net Increase in
Property/CRA
Taxes per
$100,000
Valuation
(Note)
2 $0 $0 $0 $565,330 $2,241 $417
3 $0 $0 $0 $26,266 $104 $336
4 $500,000 $2,050,000 $7,500,000 $10,050,000 $44,429,606 $176,105 $336
5b $0 $0 $0 $285,269 $1,131 $336
6 $0 $0 $0 $1,289,217 $5,110 $304
9 $0 $0 $0 $1,628,127 $6,453 $288
10 $300,000 $174,000 $240,000 $714,000 $2,698,553 $10,696 $288
11 $0 $0 $0 $771,427 $3,058 $288
12 $418,830 $0 $0 $418,830 $10,445,478 $41,403 $288
$500,000 $718,830 $2,224,000 $7,740,000 $11,182,830 $62,139,273 $246,301
(Note) Additional City (.3716480) and Community Redevelopment Authority (.024721) levies, less rural fire services charges and changes in
school district levies.
ANNEXATION TIMELINE
April 30, 2002
3/02 9/02
4/02 5/02 6/02 7/02 8/02
City Council Retreat
March 4, 2002
15 areas considered
for Annexation
City Council Study Session
April 16
Reviewed inventory of
services and facilities,
areas, direction from
elected officials
Open Houses
May 2, 4, 8
Cedar Hollow and
Seedling Mile Schools
City Council Meeting
May 21
Refer Annexation
to RPC
Notice of
Public Hearing
by RPC
May 24
RPC Meeting
June 5
to Consider
Recommending
Annexation
City Council Retreat
March 10, 2001
Annexation
Discussed
City Council meeting
June 11
Resolution indicating:
Considering Annexation
Approving Plan
Scheduling Public Hearing
Public Hearing
First Reading
of Ordinance
June 25
Second Reading
of Ordinance
July 9
Third Reading
of Ordinance
July 23
Annexation Ordinance
becomes effective
no later than
August 19
June 11 - July 23 - Plan on File for Public Review