St. Francis adopts final resolution for 2025 street-improvement special assessments after public hearing

The St. Francis Common Council voted to adopt the final resolution authorizing public improvements and levying special assessments for the 2025 street-improvement project following a public hearing where residents criticized the notice, cost allocation and the equity of police-power assessments.

City engineering staff described the work and assessment methodology before the hearing. Engineering said most streets would be pulverized and replaced, with Pennsylvania Avenue milled and overlaid; curbs and driveway aprons were replaced where needed. Staff said Americans with Disabilities Act sidewalk work was separate and not included in the assessments, and that special-assessment amounts were calculated from actual measured quantities. City staff stated the ordinance allocates about 70% of the actual cost to benefited property owners and about 30% to the city.

Residents told the council the city’s communications had been poor and that the bills would be unaffordable for many long-term and elderly homeowners. Resident Darren Allard of 4056 South Hailey Avenue called the process “public telling” rather than a true public hearing and said the project was “handled pretty poorly.” Lisa Glista, speaking on behalf of her 96-year-old mother at 4044 South Hailey Avenue, said the letter notifying residents was a ‘‘shock’’ and warned that assessments would be a financial burden on elderly residents who want to remain in their homes. Margaret Roadie, a homeowner at 2833 East Crawford Avenue, said she and neighbors felt the unit pricing and driveway-apron charges had been misrepresented; Roadie said the work left a trench that she believes contributed to basement flooding and that she and neighbors faced assessments in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Council members and city staff answered questions about the 2016 advisory referendum on assessment policy, noting advisory referendums provide direction but do not bind the council and that any change to the city’s assessment ordinance would require an ordinance change. The city attorney and staff also explained that state rules constrain referendum language and that advisory referenda may need state review.

After the hearing, the council adopted the final resolution. The council did not provide a roll-call tally in the hearing record available in the transcript, and vote counts were not specified in the public record excerpt.

Votes at a glance (items acted on during the meeting): - Final resolution authorizing 2025 street improvements and levying special assessments: adopted (motion introduced and adopted by council). - Alley repairs ($412,681) — approved subject to public information meeting. - Sidewalk repairs and GIS build ($120,000 total) — approved. - Beverage operator license (Annie Redinger) — approved.

What the council said and next steps City staff said the intent of performing the physical work before finalizing assessments was to have more accurate, “actual-quantity” cost information rather than high preliminary estimates. Staff also warned that financing the entire street system through citywide borrowing could increase annual property-tax costs substantially (staff estimated citywide borrowing could raise costs into the hundreds or low thousands per household in some scenarios) and that equitable distribution of costs is a complex budget and policy decision.

The council closed the public hearing after hearing resident testimony and indicated staff will continue to provide information to affected property owners. The resolution adopted at the meeting authorizes the assessments to be finally determined in accordance with the city’s ordinance and state statute.