10/14/13
So what is the real story when it comes to what implementing the "Trail Plan?" What will it really cost? The meeting packet for tonight's council work session at 600 PM provides some reality. See page 5 at: http://weblink.ci.shorewood.mn.us/weblink8/0/doc/166513/Page1.aspx.
Summarizing:
- Completing this year's projects (Smithtown, Cty Rd 19 and Excelsior): $1.7 million ($56,000 more than all the money available for all trail projects)
- Completing Mill St, Galpin Lk, and remainder of Smithtown: $2.5 million (increasing the funding shortfall to over $2.6 million)
- Completing the rest of what is in the Trail Plan: over $5.6 million (total funding shortfall of more than $8.2 million)
To put some perspective to the new cost estimates, the City spends about $5 million per year, using about $4.8 million of property tax money. So, $8.2 million of new funding is nearly two years of all the property tax revenue. More to the point, what percentage of tax increase do Shorewood taxpayers want to assume to pay for $8.2 million of unfunded trails?
The council meeting tonight should be quite interesting.
Happy Reading!
The Insider
The memo referred to by the Insider is vague. While it includes dollar amounts, it does not include a timeline, nor does it include reference to any type of process for accepting and prioritizing a segment. Not very helpful to the general public who may read it.
ReplyDeleteNext, Insider, you make it sound like this total package is going to be approved all or nothing, again, no process, no prioritization, no financing method or schedule.
Both tactics do nothing but throw gasoline on a fire, in my opinion, and devalue what should be a well thought out and important addition to the city's infrastructure system.
Trails can hardly be called "infrastructure."
DeleteReally?
DeleteGoogle "Trails and Sidewalks as Infrastructure" and you get 2,170,000 articles. Either your comment is based on sheer ignorance or you're looking for an argument, that with such an archaic view you can have with yourself..
Roads, sewer, water, fire and police- now THAT'S important infrastructure. Trails are fluff, let's be honest. Shorewood and the lake area lucked out with several abandoned railroad right-of-ways that were turned into pleasant walking paths. But let's not read anything more into it- building more trails is certainly not worth potentially bankrupting the city.
DeleteNo need for such a dramatic comment. I do not think anyone in our city, staff or elected official, is stupid enough to let building trails bankrupt the city.
DeleteThis is a discussion of the reality that is facing every community in the country-how to repair and improve their infrastructure.
And yes, trails are infrastructure.
And this goes back to my earlier comment about the presentation from both the city money dude and Insider: Both leave out important details about timeline, policy, selection process and the end result is the flamethrowers who conclude that all will be done at one time and bankrupt the city.
DeleteOne expects city staff to be slow to learn (and I mean really slow) that this method does not work, but Insider, you ought to be able to do better.
Don't lump in trails with necessary infrastructure like roads and sewers. It shows your bias.
DeleteShorewood will not go bankrupt over the millions spent on trails, but it will raise our taxes. A lot.
I, for one, don't want to see my Shorewood taxes double over it.
Insider, you talked % of tax increases. The Shorewood portion of my property taxes is $663 a year. At one point you mention a 10% increase, that would be $66 a year, a 5% increase would be $33 a year. Let's be clear, we are not talking about major increases in our total property tax bill, we are talking about a small percent of a small percent. And this should be stretched out over a period of years no different than the city's capital improvement plan.
ReplyDelete