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Council tables vote on street maintenance fee increase to allow more analysis
Summary
The council tabled a resolution to advance a planned increase in the special street maintenance linear-foot fee after staff outlined long-term needs and council requested a clearer plan and timeline; item was tabled to the Sept. 9 meeting.
The Lennox City Council voted to table a resolution on the city’s special street maintenance fee to give staff more time to provide a detailed spending plan and schedule.
City staff described the maintenance fee — collected on all residential and commercial properties and deposited into the special maintenance fund — as the revenue source for slurry seals, gravel maintenance and, in the future, mill-and-overlay projects. Staff said the council previously adopted a gradual increase strategy that raised the fee to $2 per linear foot for 2025 and forecast a future increase to $2.50 per linear foot.
Mitch Mark, identified in the meeting as the city engineer, offered a project estimate for a smaller mill-and-overlay example on South Main at roughly $240,000 in today’s dollars. Staff reported the special maintenance fund balance at about $392,000 and cautioned that larger mill-and-overlay projects would require substantially more revenue than current annual receipts provide.
Council members asked for a clearer multi-year plan showing which streets would be prioritized, the timing of likely mill-and-overlay projects (staff estimated about 10 years out for many streets), and the impact of recent city expansion on linear-feet assessments. One council member cited the current fund surplus in years without a mill-and-overlay and urged staff to “put together the plan where this money is gonna be spent” so the council and public can see the long-term need and avoid a future large surcharge.
After discussion, a motion to table the resolution was made, seconded and carried; the item was tabled to the Sept. 9 (recorded as September 8 in the meeting exchange) council meeting. Staff said they will prepare a report for that meeting including a recommended schedule, street-by-street priorities, and updated cost analysis in today’s dollars.
