Oakdale council approves 2025 neighborhood street reconstruction and assessment roll

The Oakdale City Council on Jan. 28 adopted a resolution ordering the 2025 Street Reconstruction Project covering neighborhood streets east of Greenway Avenue and later voted to adopt the assessment roll that will put about $1,089,240 in special assessments on the properties in the project area.

The action followed a staff presentation on the proposed reconstruction, water-main replacements and lighting upgrades by Brian Bachmeier, the consulting city engineer for the City of Oakdale, and Brad Swanson, the project manager with the design firm. Bachmeier described the work as about two miles of streets in a concentrated area and said the city’s five-year program targets neighborhoods where many streets are in poor condition.

The project, as presented, would combine pavement rehabilitation, curb-and-gutter replacement where needed, replacement of aging water mains on several streets and conversion of street lighting from high-pressure sodium to LED fixtures. Bachmeier said about half the streets in the project area need water-main replacement and that the water mains in the affected blocks date from 1966. "We're gonna be replacing the water main," Brad Swanson said, describing repeated breaks in multiple locations.

Why it matters: Staff told the council the work aims to extend pavement life, improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, lower long-term maintenance costs and avoid recurring emergency repairs. The estimated total project cost presented to the council was about $5,800,000; special assessments were estimated to cover roughly $1,089,240 (about 18 percent), with the remainder from a mix of water-utility funds, storm-sewer funds, the street improvement fund and debt financing.

Residents who spoke at two consecutive public hearings urged the council to limit assessments or provide relief. Danielle Leese, a resident of Gresham Avenue North, said she supports street repair generally but objected to being charged without asking: "It's not fair to us that this burden is put upon us," Leese said, adding concerns about single parents and fixed-income residents who might struggle with payments.

Another resident, Bridal Ruminski of 142 Greystone Avenue North, questioned why her street was included and raised concerns about inconsistent frontage calculations; Bachmeier and staff explained that lot frontage is measured at the building setback line and capped at 80 feet, and that assessment rates differ if curb-and-gutter replacement is required. Bachmeier summarized the assessment rates used for the project: $55 per front foot for surface-only rehabilitation on residential lots, $79 per front foot where curb-and-gutter is replaced, and $114 per front foot for commercial parcels where a thicker pavement section is required.

Staff and the finance director outlined payment and hardship options. Kyle (finance director, last name not specified in the record) described the assessment as an amortized 10-year loan collected on the tax roll unless prepaid; interest on the unpaid balance begins Oct. 15, 2025, at a rate equal to 2 percent above the city’s bond sale rate. He said property owners may prepay, typically in $500 increments, and the city offers a statutory hardship-deferral application for qualifying homeowners, which must be filed within 30 days of the assessment adoption if the owner intends to seek deferral under state law.

There was also an apparent inconsistency in the voting threshold as presented to the public: in the project overview, Bachmeier told the meeting the council would need a four-fifths vote to order the project, while City Attorney Jim Thompson later told the public the ordering vote requires a two-thirds majority because this is not a petition project. The council did not take any additional procedural clarification on that point at the meeting.

Council action and outcome: After public testimony and council questions, the council moved to waive reading and adopt the ordering resolution for the City Project R-2025-01 (resolution 2025-05). The motion was seconded and the council adopted the resolution by voice vote. Later in the meeting the council moved to waive reading and adopt resolution 2025-06, adopting the assessment roll for City Project R-2025-01 in the amount of $1,089,240; that resolution was also adopted by voice vote. The minutes record the outcomes as adopted but do not show a roll-call tally of yes/no votes.

What happens next: Staff said preliminary plans will be returned to the council for bid approval on March 11; bids were expected to be opened and a contract awarded in April 2025, with construction to begin in May and substantial completion aimed for September 2025. Staff also said they will send weekly notices to impacted residents during construction and have a field representative on site to respond to concerns.

Clarifying technical points and costs included in the presentation: Bachmeier said typical water-main replacement cost is approximately $500 per linear foot and that a typical isolated water-main break repair costs roughly $5,000–$10,000, a factor staff used in weighing replacement versus repeated repairs. Staff presented an example amortization for a 75-foot residential frontage with curb-and-gutter replacement showing the parcel’s total assessment, the roughly 10-year annual schedule and the first-year payments including principal and interest.

The council meeting record shows the city accepted public testimony on the improvements only during the first hearing and then opened a second hearing limited to the assessments and financing. Members of the public who wished to preserve the right to challenge the assessments in court were instructed to file the one-page objection form before the assessment hearing closed; City Attorney Thompson and staff explained that filing that form preserves the right to pursue a court appeal within 30 days after the council adopts the assessment roll.

The council also approved routine consensus motions and the claims roster later in the meeting. Mayor Zabel closed the meeting after those votes.