Council advances Musk Road repairs into 2026 after developer agreement frees adjacent segment

The Grant City Council on a unanimous vote agreed to move a segment of Musk Road from 2027 into 2026 in the city's 10-year capital improvement plan, citing a developer agreement that will fund reconstruction of the adjoining roadway.

City Engineer Brad Reesec told the council he was seeking a motion to revise the CIP to include Musk Road between 88th Street and Manning Avenue in 2026 and explained the developer will mill and overlay the segment adjacent to its new subdivision as part of a development agreement. Reesec said staff received two quotes for routine gravel-road work earlier in the meeting and that the city's planning of the Musk Road work had been split into two segments for cost and timing reasons.

"We did receive two quotes back. One from Klein Brothers with an average price of $130 per hour and the second quote was from Miller Excavation with an average price of $143," Reesec said. He described the proposed CIP change as a way to take advantage of the developer's scheduled work and to reduce the per-property special-assessment cost for residents on the remaining segment.

Reesec and council members discussed how the special-assessment process works and whether residents who use the road but do not front on it (for example, properties in Loftton) should be included in the neighborhood outreach and potential assessment. Reesec said the city normally mails notices and holds a neighborhood meeting to explain the assessment process and that state statute also allows a council to order a project rather than waiting for a resident petition.

On potential costs, Reesec offered a historical benchmark and a range rather than a precise figure: "I want to say it was around $19,000 or $20,000. And so if we get it back down to a reasonable amount like $10 or $12,000, I think they may decide to petition the city for this project," he said, adding that the city could also choose to order the improvement if residents do not petition.

Council members debated whether to include Loftton in the neighborhood meeting and whether limited city maintenance dollars planned for patching should be applied to the larger reconstruction opportunity. One council member proposed including Loftton on the mailing list and to consider applying about $31,000 in maintenance funds toward the east half of the Musk Road project; staff clarified the recommended CIP motion itself did not include budgetary dollars but that council could direct discussion of funding.

A motion to revise the CIP to move the Musk Road segment (88th Street to Manning Avenue) to 2026 and to include Loftton on neighborhood outreach passed on a verbal roll call.

Next steps: staff will schedule the neighborhood meeting, mail notices to affected properties, and return to council with details about estimated assessments, potential city contributions, and a project timeline.