Jackson City Council rejects Pearl Street special assessments after heated public hearing

Jackson City Council voted down two proposed special-assessment resolutions for Pearl Street on Jan. 14, 2025, after a lengthy public hearing and council debate that included several local business owners and a detailed funding breakdown from city staff. The failed votes leave the city with a $7.5 million water/transmission and street project that staff said would have relied in part on about $601,000 in assessments.

The council opened a board-of-review public hearing on the assessments and heard multiple business owners from Pearl Street. Larry Filipczak, who identified himself as the owner of 615 Pearl Street, said the assessment “has come in just about double” what he expected and that it would be “definitely impossible for me to pass this kind of a cost on to my tenant.” Darren Buecher, owner of 600 East Pearl, told council the assessments on commercial properties ranged widely and urged the council to “look at the assessments, should have honest discussions with the businesses involved” and reconsider the amounts.

City Manager Jonathan Green described the scope and funding for the multi-street water-transmission and reconstruction project and gave a line-item breakdown: “The total project is a $7,500,000 project,” he said, listing roughly $2,000,000 in water funds, $2,100,000 in sewer funds,…