Minutes-01/03/1964

Minutes of Meeting with Mr. Tucker, Mr. Powers, Mr. Nicholas, Mr. O'Toole, January 3, 1964 Tucker outlined procedure in accordance with Chapter 391.A of the Code: 1. Preliminary procedure. Arrange for engineering service to prepare plats, schedules and estimates. 2. To adopt a preliminary resolution which shall require for passage the majority of the Council, and shall contain the following information: a description of the type of alternate types of improvement proposed, the beginning and the terminal points, and order the engineer to prepare preliminary reports and specifications. Preliminary plans and specs need only be in sufficient detail to advise any person interested in the general nature and character of the improvement. Estimated total cost, and a default fund should be included not to exceed 10% of the total estimated cost. Evaluation for assessment list. The council shall proceed to get the evaluation of each lot, subsequently to be recorded in the Minutes--present fair market value with the proposed public improvement completed. There is nothing to preclude a Council from adopting the assessments contained in the County Assessor's office, except that in every assessment appeal case that hits the court, there is really a substantial variance in the assessments as contained in the County Assessor's office. Powers: The one place where this becomes important is if the assessment is such that the cost of the improvement would exceed 25% of the actual value. Quite frequently when the costs of the improvement are prepared by the engineering firm, they will take it and add 25% and try it out and then examine for particular extenuating circumstances. He suggested that we might examine rolls for Coralville and turn it over to the Council. When Council is satisfied, take the plans and schedule and get an estimate from Bey (or some other bonding house) as to cost of bonding. In Solon, they negotiated a settlement with the school district. They ran into the problem of old age benefit properties that they worked out some special deals on. Set a method of assessment--so much for frontage, so much for residential, so much for business tap-on, special instances, and see how much your assessment is against a named piece of property, then take it and compare it to the assessment rolls and add the assessment cost to the improved cost. Example: Any lot that has a $300 assessment would have to have a value of $1200. Your cost analysis is inclusive of enough that the default fund can be included in the assessment basis. If it is a close proposition, take it to Bey or someone and let them see if they think it would be feasible. Setting the value on the lots is either going to have to be done all on an individual basis or all on a uniform basis. You are better off at this time to assume that the Assessor has taken this into consideration when making assessments. If it is the case that the assessment rolls are not high enough, you can fix the value of the lots independently and upgrade the assessment on the improved lot and downgrade it on the unimproved lot.