Parkland commission approves Pine Tree and Ranches road assessments; adds $1M city buy‑down for Ranches

The City Commission of the City of Parkland on Dec. 3 adopted final assessment resolutions to fund roadway improvements in two neighborhoods, approving a Pine Tree Estates plan that offers a one‑time prepayment option and a Ranches plan amended to include a $1,000,000 city buy‑down.

Finance Director Kelly Schwartz presented the two projects and their funding breakdowns, saying the Pine Tree drainage work cost about $1,570,000 and the roadway scope about $6,560,000, with ARPA, the general fund and assessed property owners splitting costs. Schwartz said Pine Tree property owners may prepay $5,743 per buildable lot by Feb. 25, 2026, or instead be billed an annual assessment not to exceed $603 per buildable lot on tax bills for 20 years beginning Nov. 2026.

Schwartz told the commission the Ranches program includes an $8.9 million drainage project and about $4.9 million in roadway work, for a combined $13.9 million. She said ARPA covered roughly $5.3 million of drainage work, the city planned roughly $4.27 million from the general fund toward the overall projects, and residents’ share of the roadway work was being set by the assessment methodology.

During two hours of public comment, dozens of Ranches residents urged the commission to slow down and said line items labeled as road improvements appeared to be stormwater‑dominant work that should be funded through the city’s stormwater utility. ‘‘The Ranches residents are being asked to pay twice,’’ resident Shelly Miller said, arguing that drainage‑dominant items should not be shifted into a roadway assessment. Residents also objected to the assigned‑acre apportionment used in the Ranches methodology and requested inclusion of large nearby parcels they say receive benefits (notably about 80.5 acres referred to as Hendricks Farms).

City staff and the city’s legal advisor responded that consultants considered the Ranches’ mix of large and non‑homogeneous parcels when choosing an assigned‑acre apportionment and that the city had pulled a $660,000 flood‑driven elevation line item for Northwest 66 Lane into the city’s portion of the project. Public Works staff said full‑depth reclamation (FDR), the method used in Pine Tree, was evaluated for the Ranches but engineers selected milling and resurfacing based on base‑material conditions and differing neighborhood characteristics.

After extended deliberation the commission voted unanimously to approve the Pine Tree assessment (Resolution 2025‑094) and then approved the Ranches roadway assessment (Resolution 2025‑093) as amended to add a $1,000,000 additional city contribution and for the city to cover any construction overages. Commissioner Jordan Israel moved the amendment; Commissioner Murphy Salamonie seconded. Roll calls for both measures recorded unanimous approval.

Mayor Walker said the amendment caps the residents’ exposure and stops the clock: once certified, the assessment amount cannot rise and any overruns would be covered by the city. The commission also directed staff to draft a separate needs‑based assistance program to help residents who can demonstrate financial hardship; staff said the program details and eligibility criteria will be developed and returned to the commission for approval.

The commission separately adopted the uniform‑collection resolution (Resolution 2025‑095) authorizing the tax‑roll mechanism to collect the non‑ad valorem assessments and meeting‑related timing steps (certification to the tax collector and property appraiser prior to the January deadlines).