Road re-construction

Some City Council members who have supported the proposed $30 million streets program were asked questions about how the proposal will work. There is no organized opposition. Comments from those opposed to the plan are welcome at [email protected].

Here is what supporters had to say:

Q. How come this wasn't done a long time ago? A little could have been done every year. How did the streets get so bad? Why did the city let the problem get so out of hand?

A. City Council member Pam Hillery: "The city has done its best to maintain the roads built by early Havre residents. Maintenance funds were used to do what needed to be done each year. Streets with a 20-year life have been maintained for 50-70 years."

City Council member Terry Lilletvedt: "Almost all of the streets in Havre were paid for by neighborhood Special Improvement Districts (SIDs) or by developers of specific subdivisions. Our parents and our grandparents built most of the streets that we use today through those systems. As few as 25 years ago there were still many active SIDs in our community. There are only two today. In general streets are considered a 20-year investment however most of our streets are 40 to 70 years old. The fact that our streets have lasted as long as they have is really a tribute to our Public Works Department and its efforts to maintain the streets to the best of their ability with a limited budget.

"While it is easy to look back and think about everything that we should have done, at this point it is more important to look forward. "

Q. With the recent reassessment, won't my taxes skyrocket a lot more than $202 a year? My assessment went up 25 percent.

A. Hillery: "Your assessment went up, but the tax rate went down. While $202 for a property valued at $100,000 is not inexpensive, the mill levy will be used to make our most damaged streets and infrastructure whole again. That makes the cost worthwhile."

Lilletvedt: "Yes, most of us saw an increase in our market value due to reappraisal, however it is important to note the tax rate went down, from 2.54 percent to 1.35 percent and the tax rate is what calculates the taxable value on your property. The Legislature brought the tax rate down because they didn't want the recent reappraisal to cause an increase in property taxes. The net effect of this increase in assessment and decrease in tax rate is that property owners should not see a significant tax increase over last year. The $202 figure represents the taxes a property owner would pay annually (or approximately $17 a month) if their house assessed value is at $100,000."

Q. Does this cover just the cost of the streets and curbs or will the city replace what is beneath the streets - things like water and sewer lines?

A. Hillery: "The plan is to completely replace water, sewer, roads, and curbing. The costs shown in the PowerPoint presentation are for street replacement only, so it will cost more to do it all. It may make some projects be postponed if so. Still, it's a start."

Lilletvedt: "As a taxpayer, I find it frustrating to have a street repaired or rebuilt only to have it torn apart the next winter when the sewer or water pipes underneath fail. With that in mind, the City Council committee considering this ballot proposal included the infrastructure underneath our streets. Not only is the infrastructure as old as the streets (and in some cases older), the materials used and the construction standards in place for the original infrastructure make this something we cannot ignore."

Q. Why don't you let people who want their streets redone to create their own special districts and leave the rest of us alone?

A. Hillery: "If people would step up and get SIDs on their streets, that would be great. Unfortunately, that isn't happening. Regardless, we all drive on almost all Havre streets. It is in the best interest of the city's residents to fix the worst streets first, as a citywide project."

Lilletvedt: "As I mentioned, SIDs have been done in the past and could certainly be done in the future whether this ballot proposal passes or not. Before the ballot proposal was approved, I attended a meeting with some of my neighbors to consider an SID to improve streets and storm drainage in our area. The process to create an SID is complicated and I thought ... somewhat difficult. It would take a group of neighborhood organizers and a strong majority of neighbors to pass an SID. Only those neighborhoods that can meet all of these standards would have quality streets. This would result in a checkerboard of some good streets and, quite honestly, gravel streets across our city.

"Please remember, the condition of our streets affects property values, the health of local businesses (especially in recruiting new employees) and tourism just to mention a few. Isn't it time to make an investment in our community?"

Q. Sewer rates just went way up. My assessment went up and now you want us to pay for this? How do you expect senior citizens on fixed incomes to pay for all of this?

A. Hillery: "We know this hits those on fixed incomes the hardest. However, people who have lived in Havre the longest have been spared the cost of replacing the infrastructure in previous years. It would have been nice to spread out the costs over the last 50 years, but that wasn't done. Now we face superficial repairs or letting our roads deteriorate to gravel. That is not in the best interest of our city and its people."

Lilletvedt: "I am certainly aware of the recent increase in sewer rates to pay for federally mandated improvements to our wastewater treatment plant. The average increase to our sewer bills to fund this project is approximately $7 to $12 per month per household. I am also aware that people wonder why the council put the ballot proposal forward right after the increase in sewer rates. The council gave careful consideration, but felt that the issues with our streets and infrastructure are serious and need to be addressed. By putting forward this ballot proposal we are trying to educate our citizens about the current conditions of our streets and infrastructure, the lack of funding available to fix these problems and the potential outcome if we don't do something now to address these issues. The council cannot raise taxes to pay for this project without an affirmative vote from the residents of Havre.

• Voter Information

• Voting will take place by mail ballot only. Ballots will be mailed to registered voters Wednesday.

• Ballots must be returned by Tuesday, Nov. 3. County officials urge people who have not mailed them by Monday, Nov. 2, to deliver them by hand.

• People can register at the Clerk and Recorder's Office at the Hill County Courthouse in downtown Havre. People can cast their ballot when they register.