Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sanitary Sewer Special Assessment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City staff propose Waldron Road sanitary sewer special-assessment zone totaling $4.02 million; board asked to defer notification step
Summary
Staff outlined a proposed special-assessment zone for South Waldron Road improvements with a project cost of $4,019,293.34, proposing $3,300 per new residential dwelling and $58.50 per commercial acre; staff asked to defer formal advertising and notification to the next meeting so legal notices can be prepared.
City staff presented the first reading of an ordinance creating the Waldron Road sanitary sewer special-assessment zone and explained how the proposed charges were calculated at the Board of Mayor and Aldermen workshop on Feb. 27, 2025.
Staff described the special-assessment zone as a financing mechanism to recover the cost of sewer infrastructure that primarily serves new development. The total proposed assessment base for the project is $4,019,293.34. Staff said the draft formula would assess $3,300 per new residential dwelling unit and $58.50 per acre for commercial development inside the defined zone.
According to staff, the assessment figure derives from the previously-approved construction bid with pump-station improvements removed from the base bid and engineering fees added back into the total. Staff said the calculation also reflects an estimate of the number of potential dwelling units based on current and proposed zoning; the team sought to avoid setting a per-unit amount that would be unrealistically high or too low to recover costs.
Staff answered questions about which properties are included. They said the 67 lots in Walnut Ridge that are not currently connected to sewer are included in the assessment area. Staff clarified the Schauffner property is in the Smyrna basin and is not part of the Waldron Road special-assessment zone.
Staff also noted statutory requirements for assessment zones and said, “per state law, to do an assessment zone, we've gotta have some advertising, or meet advertising requirements and notification requirements.” Staff asked the board to defer consideration to the next meeting if members were comfortable with the proposed figures so staff could work with the city attorney and the city’s public-notice process to meet legal requirements.
Next steps described in the workshop: if the board approves the figures for first reading, staff will prepare required notices and return the item for formal action at a subsequent meeting. If the board rejects the figures, staff said the assessment zone would not move forward.
