Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 6923 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 6923 �'p"NEa March 20, 1984 E fO r To the Mayor and Members of the City Council A. Subject: NOTIFICATION OF ADJACENT PROPERTY ExA OWNERS ON STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS At the Benefit Hearing on Bowie Street on January 3, 1984, a representa- tive of several of the adjacent property owners indicated that the prop- erty owners were not notified that the street was to be improved and the property owners assessed for a portion of the cost until the bids were received and the assessments calculated. EXISTING PROCEDURE Current procedure on a street improvement, initiated by a paving peti- tion, is that the person (or persons) circulating the paving petition is requested to contact all of the adjacent property owners to let them know that the petition is being circulated. Over the years this proce- dure has had favorable results. When the City Council accepts the peti- tion and authorizes the Director of Transportation and Public Works to design and advertize the project for bids, the party who circulated the paving petition is notified that the street will be improved. No other official contact is made until bids are received. There are, however, numerous contacts with individual property owners during the design of the project for location or size of driveway approaches, etc. In many instances property owners call to check the progress of the project. Upon receipt of bids, the property owners are notified by letter of the amount of their individual assessment and they are invited to an inform- al meeting. The meeting is conducted by the Assessment Paving Supervisor who explains the proposed improvements, how assessments are calculated, how assessments may be paid and answers any questions the property own- ers may have. Minor changes to the plans are also made, such as adding or deleting driveway approaches or other minor modifications which do not materially change the overall concept of the plans but satisfy the property owner. On street improvements listed in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), at such time as the preliminary plans are complete, which is well in advance of the project being advertised for bids, a public meeting is conducted by the project engineer. This meeting is open for a full day and into the evening to allow property owners who work different hours to attend. Property owners are notified by letter of the hours and loca- tion of the meeting. The letter also indicates that property owners will or will not be assessed for a portion of the cost. The project engineer explains the proposed project to the property owners who attend, to include the estimated amount of their assessment, if applicable. Many potential problems are resolved during these meetings, such as drainage, tree removal, existing parkway improvements, etc. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER - FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 6923-p.2 March "H `gfo 2 1984 ~oE fORT�p To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Q _ - �TeXP&) Subject: NOTIFICATION OF ADJACENT PROPERTY 107 OWNERS ON STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS On February 7, 1984, Ms . Gwen Dennison appeared before the City Council and requested that consideration be given to the following: 1. Public Meetings be conducted in neighborhoods . 2. Bilingual notification. 3. At least 30 day notification for absentee owners . The staff has considered these requests and wish to make the following recommendations: 1. Public Meetings should continue to be held at City Hall. During the 1960's and early 1970's, meetings were conducted in neighbor- hood schools. However, the rental of schools became expensive, facilities at times were inadequate, certain records pertaining to projects were not always available at times and mainly, secur- ity became a major factor causing property owners not to attend during the evening hours. The staff has found that since 1977, a higher percentage of property owners attend meetings that are conducted at City Hall. 2. A total "Bilingual Notification" would be time and cost prohibi- tive since each project is unique in itself. It is proposed that a 3" x 5" card be printed in English and Spanish and be mailed with each letter regardless of the property owners origin. The card will read: I-M-P-O-R-T-A-N-T "This correspondence pertains to the improvement of your street. It involves a paving assessment against you and your property. If you do not understand the letter and its attachments, please call the Assessment Paving Office at 870-7805, and someone will assist you. I-M-P-O-R-T-A-N-T-E "Esta correspondencia se relaciona con el mejoramiento de su calle. Se trata de la cuota del pavimento en contra de usted y de su propiedad. En caso de que usted no entienda la carta y sus anexos, haga el favor de llamar a la oficina de las cuotas del pavimento al telefono 870-7805, y alguien le ayudara." The above will assist the Spanish speaking property owners, how- ever it does not assist property owners of other national origins who do not read English or Spanish. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 6923-p.3 aMarch20, 1984 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Subject: NOTIFICATION OF ADJACENT PROPERTY '°" OWNERS ON STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS 3. Assessment paving projects are controlled by State Law and the City Charter on all sequence of events, to include notifications to property owners. State Law requires that notices to property owners be mailed 14 days in advance of a specific event. The staff has experienced no difficulty in this procedure with the exception of property owners moving or leaving no forwarding address. No change is recommended. In response to the above concerns raised regarding the current proce- dures, the staff has reviewed the process and recommends a number of changes. The proposed procedures are shown in detail on the attachment to this report. The staff will follow these procedures, as outlined on the attachment, on all future projects unless directed otherwise. * * * * * * * * * * Should additional information be desired, it will be furnished as requested. ert L. Herchert RLH:jb Attachment ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER - FORT WORTH, TEXAS