Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-01-08 • Resolution No. 12 -01 -08 CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS WASHINGTON COUNTY, MINNESOTA A RESOLUTION QUESTIONING THE AVAILABILITY OF FEDERAL FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR UTILITY RELOCATION WITHIN THE CITY WHEREAS THE CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS is aware of efforts that have been made to advance Federal legislation to allow the St. Croix River Crossing project to proceed; and, WHEREAS THE CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS is aware that the project will impact the water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer systems within the city; and, WHEREAS THE CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS may be asked to participate in terms of cost sharing, for the necessary improvements as part of State Trunk Highways 95 & 36 improvements that are associated with the project; and, WHEREAS THE CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS made extensive and proactive efforts to communicate with Federal and State Legislators to specifically allocate funding to ensure that the residents and businesses of Oak Park Heights do not pay a disproportional share of the costs for this regional transportation project compared to those who will benefit • from this interstate project; and, WHEREAS THE CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS made extensive and proactive efforts to communicate with the Minnesota Department of Transportation to specifically allocate funding to ensure that the residents and businesses of Oak Park Heights do not pay a disproportional share of the costs for this regional transportation project compared to those who will benefit from this interstate project; and, WHEREAS THE CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS is aware that to date, neither the Minnesota Department of Transportation nor the Minnesota State Legislature have identified or authored a bill to fund the approximately $20 million cost impact to the City for water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, signalization, frontage road impacts, and Minnesota Department of Transportation owned and City maintained infrastructure for the project; and, WHEREAS THE CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS is aware that Senate 1134 as amended further complicates the City's utility relocation problem by redirecting $3.66 million in federal transportation funding that was committed to offsetting the cost of relocating existing water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer utilities in the 2005SAFETEA -LU transportation authorization; and, 1111 III WHEREAS THE CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS has yet to grant municipal c onsent for the project and if the maximum impacts to the water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer utility were to fall fully onto the residents of the City it will require an estimated $443 annual property tax increase for the next 10 years to most City homeowners and business to cover the such costs; and, WHEREAS THE CITY OF OAK PARK HEIGHTS is aware that no official communication exists between the City of Oak Park Heights and our Federal Representatives as to the impacts of the proposed amendment to S -1134. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the City of Oak Park Heights requests that Senators Klobuchar and Franken and Representative Bachmann provide a clear response as to the availability to the City of the $3.66 million dollars in the 2005 SAFETEA -LU for utility relocation grant as amended and passed in the United States Senate on January 23, 2012 in S- 1134, as in the form of Congressional Budget Office analysis; and, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that as the fiscal agent for Federal Transportation funds, the Minnesota Department of Transportation shall provide clear response as to the availability to the City of the $3.66 million dollars in the 2005 SAFETEA -LU for utility relocation grant as amended and passed in the United States Senate January 23, in S -1134. • Passed by the City Council for the City of Oak Park H :hts t c . y of January 0 . g i4 _.,._ David Beaudet, Mayor At t=� / ri e' Jo el s s , City Administrator •