(KNSI) — The St. Cloud City Council decided Monday night to delay approving bills sent to residents for road and sewer projects completed in 2024 after several raised concerns about the quality of the work.
Six people spoke out at a public hearing during Monday night’s city council meeting regarding the $2.3 million residents would be assessed for three projects, including sewer, street, and sidewalk improvements in the Pantown neighborhood, reconstruction of University Drive, and 14 miles of resurfaced neighborhood roads throughout the city. Residents say the roads have developed up to 100 cracks in them in the nine months since the asphalt was laid.
Charlie Lindstrom lives in the Lake George neighborhood, frequently walks with his dog, and worries about how long the new road surface will even hold up. “Are we going to have to pay for this again a few years down the road? It feels like it should last a little longer than that. To be honest, I’m not an engineer or construction expert, so I don’t know if even this is normal, but many other residents have the same concern. It doesn’t feel like this is normal.”
Lindstrom and others argued they shouldn’t have to pay for something if it wasn’t done right. Councilmember Karen Larson took those concerns to heart and motioned to delay approval. “What should be pursued is whether the cracking in this case is normative or whether it’s something outside of what you would normally expect to see. And I don’t think it’s going to hurt anybody to have a look at that and come to a conclusion and then come back to the council and let us know that.”
She would like answers from the city staff or the company that did the work before they vote on April 21st.
Public Utilities Director Tracy Hodel told the council and residents that some cracking was expected and the road should last at least ten years. However, they will investigate the cracking situation and report their findings to the council.
Other residents addressed the council, asking questions about programs for low-income residents and seniors and payment options. The city offers finance options for those who cannot afford the assessments. One property owner asked how the city could compensate them for driveway damage that happened during construction, and another needed to replace a toilet and dishwasher after sand got into their water lines.
While the public hearing is closed, the council can still discuss the project before issuing a final vote.
This is the first use of a new policy assessing how adjacent landowners are charged for the work. Property owners used to be billed based on how many feet faced the road being repaired. In 2023, the council approved a policy where major sewer and road repairs will now have a portion passed onto adjacent property owners based on a benefit study to determine how much the project will improve the property’s value. All property owners would be assessed regardless of whether the city got state or federal grants to help pay for a project. Residents wouldn’t be charged more than the analysis would show.
Property owners won’t need to start paying until 2026.
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