Linden council confirms West Rolston Road special assessment roll, switches to 15-year term after public objections

Linden City Council on July 22 confirmed a corrected special assessment roll of $873,167.32 for the West Rolston Road Improvement Project and voted to spread the assessment over 15 years, a change council discussed after multiple residents raised objections during a public hearing.

City Attorney Eric McGlothlin opened the hearing with an overview of the assessment roll and process, and PFM financial advisor Kari Blanchett later outlined financing options and showed the interest- and payment-comparison between 10- and 15-year scenarios. Councilmember Brad Dick moved to approve Resolution No. 26-24 with the corrected roll amount and a 15-year term; Councilmember Elizabeth Armstrong seconded. The motion passed on a 7-0 roll call vote.

Several property owners spoke during the public hearing. Robert Fletcher of 1570 West Rolston Road said he opposed placing bond issuance and capitalized interest costs on assessed parcels rather than the city. Monica Larner of 152 West Rolston Road said she did not favor the special assessment district and called the allocation for a two-acre wetland parcel unfair. Thomas Hicks questioned why contingency and fee amounts were included when the council previously had voted to accept the construction bid, and Gerry Link asked whether unused contingency would be returned to property owners and what would happen if a contractor withdrew from the bonded contract.

City Manager Ellen Glass, Attorney McGlothlin and City Engineer Dave Richmond responded with procedural explanations about the draft roll, the role of contingency in the bond and bidding process, and options for pay-off timing. Staff and the financial advisor explained that switching to a 15-year assessment changes estimated annual payments and interest costs, and also noted limits on altering the financing once bids are accepted.

The council record includes questions from residents about early payoff and whether a prepayment penalty or reimbursement of unused contingency would apply; staff indicated processes and timelines would determine those outcomes. The council vote to adopt the corrected roll and 15-year schedule concludes the formal action taken that evening; staff indicated they will provide details about payoff timing and calculation to affected property owners.

Next steps: the resolution adopted on July 22 finalizes the assessment roll and financing approach; staff will supply payment schedules and prepayment procedures to property owners and proceed with the bond sale process as required by the adopted financing plan.