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International Falls City holds hearing on petition to pave 6th Avenue West
Summary
City Engineer Jason Fischer estimated the proposed paving of 6th Avenue West (17th to 19th streets) would cost just under $170,000; property owners would shoulder roughly 90% of the cost spread over a 10-year assessment, while the city's policy would cover about 10%. Residents urged the council to proceed and asked if sales-tax funds could front the work.
International Falls City held a required public hearing on a resident petition to improve 6th Avenue West between 17th and 19th streets.
City Engineer Jason Fischer told the council the petition covers the block between 17th and 19th streets and is "approximately .19 miles," and presented an engineer's estimate of just under $170,000 for surface stabilization and paving with 10-foot driving lanes, a one-foot paved shoulder and a two-foot gravel shoulder. Fischer said the estimate excludes utility work and assumes a rural section without curb or gutter.
The project estimate yields a projected assessment of $9,548 per lineal foot applied to property frontage. "It would be an assessment over 10 years," Fischer said, explaining the city typically fronts the construction cost, holds an assessment hearing to set each property's share, and places the assessment on property taxes beginning the January after an October assessment that follows project completion.
Council members discussed timing and funding. One member noted several paving contractors are working in town this summer and suggested that competitive pricing might be available if the city proceeds now. Under the city's assessment policy, the city would pay 10% of the project cost (roughly $16,000'$17,000) and the remaining 90% would be spread among affected property owners; the city must initially front the full cost and could draw on capital or sales-tax funds.
Several residents spoke in favor of the work. Resident Bobby Bernath, who said he organized the petition, described the unpaved section as a "dust bowl" and a "washboard" that forces homeowners to keep windows closed and, in his view, damages siding and reduces livability. "The sixth avenue needs to be stabilized and paved," Bernath said, adding that he pays about $4,500 a year in taxes and would like to see the project completed. He also asked whether the city could use the dedicated 1% sales-tax road fund to front the project so property owners would be repaid through the tax assessment.
Resident Larry Keith, who said he owns multiple lots on the block, also urged the council to proceed, saying paving would reduce dust, protect property, and help preserve the neighborhood as new housing develops there. The clerk reported a written letter from Stephen Peggy Johnson, an absent property owner, which was offered for council review.
A city staff member reiterated the petition process and legal threshold for petition sufficiency under state law, saying the administrator verifies petitions and that staff had received a few calls from people saying they were not asked to sign, but that the city follows the statutory process once the required number of signatures is met.
No formal action was taken at the hearing. The mayor closed the public comment period and adjourned the hearing, and reminded the audience that the item will appear as the first new-business item at the council's next regularly scheduled meeting.
