Conversations concerning the city’s plan for street improvements continued during the Monday, April 27 Charlotte City Council meeting. City officials have presented an approach to city council that addresses improving and maintaining roads currently at 4 or 5 Paser rating.
Council members, however, have requested a different take. Councilmember Yvonne Ridge asked why the city would not address city streets in the worst condition currently.
“If you keep fixing your worst roads first, you are going to be spending all of your money on fixing them all of the time while your good roads fall into disrepair,” said DPW Director Amy Schoonover.
Schoonover said she takes emotion out of the equation when looking at how to address the city’s streets. She said she views it from an engineering standpoint, but understands there is a political side to the street improvement conversation.
“What I’m looking for is a projected plan,” Ridge said. “I would like to see a plan of action so we can see, and the people can see what the plan is for the next 12 years.”
City Manager Gregg Guetschow said the city has every intention of providing council with a plan. He and Schoonover will present the council will a potential plan that addresses improving the city’s worst conditioned roads first at the council’s May 11 meeting.
“What we have laid out is a staff approach, where we focus on keeping up the streets in fair condition so they don’t get worse,” Guetschow said. “We will present an alternative approach, which is the exact opposite to the approach we’ve taken to this point … a plan B.”
Whichever direction the council takes, Guetschow said he will advise the city to hold off on doing a street improvement project this construction season.
“It is better to try to develop a well thought out plan and be able to implement that plan in the future,” Guetschow said. “Especially if we are going to undertake a major reconstruction project, which warrants a more careful approach.”
The city council also discussed a potential water and sewer rate increase that is being recommended by city officials. Essentially, the proposal represents a 7.5 percent increase over current rates. Guetschow said an average resident who uses 10,000 gallons of water a quarter would see in increase in their bill of approximately $12.30.
“We understand that nobody likes to pay for these rate increases,” he said. “These are pretty consistent with the rate of inflation.”
The council will continue to discuss the budget at its Monday, May 11 meeting with a budget hearing tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 25.
