Council members debated whether the city should pay preliminary costs to form a Local Improvement District (LID) for sidewalk work in the Timberlane neighborhood and directed staff to advise the Timberlane homeowners association (HOA) to pursue the petition method rather than have the city initiate formation.

At the May 13 meeting staff summarized the request: city staff said the HOA had asked the city to initiate the LID and that staff estimated preliminary, pre-formation costs—including surveys, title reports, appraisal, engineering verification and legal fees—“between 17 and 25,000” dollars. Staff emphasized those were high-level preliminary estimates and that costs could rise in subsequent phases.

Council members discussed options and risks: staff explained that if the city pays pre-formation costs and the LID fails, the city would likely not be able to recoup that expense. Staff described two formation routes: a petition method initiated by homeowners and a council-initiated resolution method. Council members noted the petition method gives early evidence of owner support, while the resolution method places an assessment protest threshold later in the process.

Survey results supplied by the HOA were cited during the discussion. Staff pulled up the survey summary: 205 responses were returned, 92 respondents said they read the LID information, 82% said the HOA should work with the city to form an LID to replace problem sidewalks, and 80% expressed a preference for concrete over asphalt after being given longevity information on concrete. Staff said the survey results were collected in October–November of the prior year.

Council members repeatedly urged “skin in the game” from property owners given the estimated total construction cost staff said would be roughly a million dollars for the primary sidewalks under discussion. Council members also noted Timberlane’s HOA serves over 700 homes, so 205 survey responses represent a minority of owners. Several council members proposed that the city and the HOA split pre-formation costs; others said they were not comfortable committing city funds up front.

After extended discussion staff recorded the direction from council: staff were to go back to the HOA and advise that the citizens pursue the petition route so the neighborhood demonstrates majority support before the city engages pre-formation work. Several council members said they would support splitting pre-formation costs if the HOA demonstrates clear homeowner support, but council ultimately stated it was not comfortable paying a percentage of pre-formation costs at this time.

Why it matters: LIDs allow property owners to finance public improvements through assessments; formation and the method chosen affect which property owners are assessed, the timeline, and whether the city bears up-front risk. Staff advised that pre-formation costs typically roll into an LID assessment if the LID is formed, but if the city pays them and the LID fails the city would likely absorb the expense.

Clarifying details from the meeting: staff estimated pre-formation costs of $17,000–$25,000; the construction estimate for the proposed sidewalk work was about $1,000,000 for sidewalks on two main Timberlane thoroughfares (one side of the roads only, per staff’s summary). Staff explained petition thresholds and protest mechanics: an initial petition requires a majority (discussed as 51% of the area) to move the matter forward; under a council-initiated resolution a later protest based on assessed value can block formation (staff cited a 60% protest threshold under the resolution route). Staff and several council members noted rental properties and non‑homeowner respondents complicate interpreting HOA online survey results.

No formal motion to commit city funds was passed at the meeting; the action is recorded as direction to staff to return to the HOA with guidance that the HOA pursue the petition route and to report back with clearer owner support and options for cost sharing.