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New Prague council adopts assessments for $5M street and utility project
Summary
The council approved special assessments for the 2025 Street and Utility Improvement Project after a public hearing. Typical residential assessments are about $15,030; owners have a 30-day interest-free prepay window and unpaid balances will be levied over 15 years starting in 2026.
The New Prague City Council on a 3-0 vote adopted the assessment roll for the 2025 Street and Utility Improvement Project, authorizing special assessments for properties that benefit from full street, water and sewer reconstruction.
City engineer Chris Knutson told the council the project includes full reconstruction of 1st Street Northeast, Lincoln Avenue North and Pershing Avenue North plus select sidewalk and alley work, with an estimated total construction cost of about $5,000,000. Knutson said the neighborhood contribution (the assessments) is roughly $1,503,490 while the citywide contribution and other sources cover the rest.
"The typical residential assessment is $15,030," Knutson said, listing proposed rates: 1-inch water service at $3,350; sanitary sewer service at $2,490; and full reconstruction at $9,190. He said the city used the same base-rate unit method it has applied on prior reconstruction projects and did not raise assessment rates for inflation.
A resident who attended the hearing, Greg Bark of 210 Lincoln Ave. N., asked how the assessment will appear on property tax statements. Bark asked whether an assessment of about $15,000 would translate to roughly $1,000 a year on a 15-year schedule. Knutson and other staff explained that unpaid balances would be levied to Scott County and payable beginning in 2026 in equal annual installments for 15 years and that there is a 30-day interest-free prepayment period after council adoption.
Staff also described deferment options: administrative low-income deferments and council-approved deferments for hardship including age (65+), permanent disability or active military service.
The council closed the public hearing and adopted the resolution to finalize the assessment roll (motion by Bruce Wolf, second by Maggie Bass). The motion passed by voice vote, 3-0. Following adoption, property owners will receive final notices with amounts and instructions for prepayment or application for deferment.
The next procedural step is for city staff and SEH to provide the final assessment roll and mail notices to affected property owners. If assessments remain unpaid after the interest-free period, the unpaid balance will be levied on property tax statements starting in 2026.
