HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-051RESOLUTION NO. 2013-051
A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING LEGISLATION AUTHORIZING THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF MUNICIPAL STREET IMPROVEMENT DISTRICTS
WHEREAS, Minnesota contains over 135,000 miles of roadway, and over 19,000 miles —or 14 percent- -
are owned and maintained by Minnesota's 853 cities; and
WHEREAS, 84 percent of municipal streets are ineligible for dedicated Highway User Tax Distribution
Fund dollars; and
WHEREAS, the more than 700 Minnesota cities with populations below 5,000 are ineligible for dedicated
Highway User Tax Distribution Fund dollars; and
WHEREAS, city streets are a separate but integral piece of the network of roads supporting movement of
people and goods; and
WHEREAS, existing funding mechanisms, such as Municipal State Aid (MSA), property taxes and
special assessments, have limited applications, leaving cities under - equipped to address growing needs;
and
WHEREAS, maintenance costs increase as road systems age, and no city - -large or small —is spending
enough on roadway capital improvements to maintain a 50 -year lifecycle; and
WHEREAS, for every one dollar spent on maintenance, a road authority saves seven dollars in repairs;
and
WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Stillwater finds it is difficult to develop adequate funding
systems to support the City's needed street improvement and maintenance programs while complying
with existing State statutes; and
WHEREAS, cities need flexible policies and greater resources in order to meet growing demands for
municipal street improvements and maintenance.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
STILLWATER supports enabling legislation that would authorize cities to establish street
improvement districts to fund municipal street maintenance, construction and reconstruction.
ADOPTED by the Stillwater City Council this 2nd
A=T:
Diane F. Ward, City Clerk