Council creates Benjamin Statler Canal special assessment district, sets Jan. 5 hearing

Council opened a public hearing on creating a special assessment district (SAD) for the 2025 Benjamin Statler Canal dredging project and heard from a resident representative about scope changes and cost implications. City staff and the resident explained that limited barge access required a revised, narrower scope that could be done from the lakeside rather than the canal side, which is costlier and reduces the number of cubic yards that can be removed.

"We wanted to keep that constant," said Marco, a resident who presented the petition and costs, referring to the per-resident assessment; he said the group reduced the project's scope so the amount charged per resident would remain the same despite higher unit costs and a smaller overall dredge quantity. Marco also confirmed petition support remained sufficient under the revised scope (37 valid yes votes this iteration versus 39 previously).

Council discussed whether the new motion needed language to rescind the prior SAD resolution. City counsel and staff said the new motion could include rescission language; Councilwoman Roussy moved the resolution to create the SAD for the Benjamin Statler Canal, set a public hearing for Jan. 5, 2026 to review the assessment roll and hear objections, and included language rescinding the previous SAD resolution from October. The motion passed 6-0.

What happens next: the city will publish the assessment roll, hold the Jan. 5, 2026 public hearing to receive objections and confirm assessments, and proceed with contracting and permitting based on the final scope and offload logistics.