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Council adopts special assessments for Harriett Road after debate over sidewalk design
Summary
Silver Lake Council voted 7-0 to adopt Ordinance 21-2026 imposing special assessments for Harriett Road improvements after members raised concerns about sidewalk appearance, curb and hydrant placement, and an Exhibit A spreadsheet error that affected the displayed totals.
The Village of Silver Lake Council voted unanimously May 6 to adopt Ordinance No. 21-2026, levying special assessments for the Harriett Road improvement project after members raised multiple concerns about the work’s appearance and how assessment totals were presented.
Public Improvements Chair Chris Scott criticized several features of the completed project, saying portions of the new sidewalk contain “serpentine curves for no apparent reason,” and flagged unusual placement of ramps and fire hydrants. Service Director Ben Gregory said the sidewalks were routed to avoid critical tree root zones and that the Service Department installed hydrants temporarily in response to a water-main break, with plans to correct locations if needed.
Councilor Kevin Rozsa and others pressed for clarification of the assessment totals. Clerk-Treasurer Sean Housley said the OHM-prepared Exhibit A printed with two extraneous lines that made the assessment appear higher than the estimate; after removing those lines the assessment was approximately $20,000 below the original estimate. Council amended Exhibit A to strike the two lines and approved that amendment 7-0.
Council also discussed why some Graham Road properties were not included in assessments; Mayor Dunphy explained that the Graham Road portion was added after the project began and the residents had not had an opportunity to participate in the public hearings, so they were not assessed.
After the amendment, Council moved to adopt the ordinance. The motion to suspend the rules and adopt passed on roll call 7-0.
The ordinance authorizes levy of the assessments as amended; Council did not direct additional changes to the completed concrete or landscaping during the meeting. Next steps are administrative: finalization of assessment notices and any required billing to affected property owners.
