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Regular City Council Meeting Monday,January 28,2013 Page 17 Regarding the life expectancy of a ten (10) ton road, Ms. Bloom advised that this project, as an MSA project using gas tax dollars for such higher volume roads, dictated a certain width and strength for the roadbed, at ten (10) ton. However, Ms. Bloom noted that the City did not assess for that extra strength or tonnage. Ms. Bloom advised that normal life expectancy for a roadway was usually thirty (30) years, with ongoing maintenance projects for sealcoating and mill and over- lay done to lengthen that life expectancy, all financed entirely with city tax dol- lars. At the request of Mayor Roe, Ms. Bloom addressed differences in the Assessment Policies of the City of Shoreview and the City of Roseville. With the State of MN having over 800 different cities, Ms. Bloom noted that no two (2) Policies could be found the same. As an example, Ms. Bloom noted that she also served through her capacity in Roseville, as the City Engineer for the City of Falcon Heights, who assesses at 40%, but also assess for mill and overlay, which the City of Ro- seville did not do. Ms. Bloom advised that an Assessment Policy was put togeth- er by the City Council to determine project financing for application city-wide. Ms. Bloom noted that the Shoreview City Council had chosen that their Assess- ment Policy would be paid differently than that of Roseville, with an average as- sessment for an MSA project such as this at $2,900 per property. However, Ms. Bloom advised that the City of Shoreview also assessed a portion of curb and gut- ter installation; and was also in the process of holding internal discussions about revising their Assessment Policy. Ms. Bloom advised that it was necessary to demonstrate benefit and whether a proposed assessment would increase the value of the home in a comparable amount to the assessment, thus the appraisals and staff's subsequent recommendation for lowering the standard assessment rates. At the request of Councilmember McGehee, Ms. Bloom advised that the appraisal did not include the installation of sidewalk, as that was not part of the assessable costs. In response to Councilmember Willmus, Ms. Bloom advised that the Pathway Master Plan addressed the priority for their installation based on connectivity as well as design standards based on the type of roadway. Ms. Bloom noted that some roads indicate a need for pathway projects on both sides (e.g. Lexington Avenue, Roselawn Avenue), and recommended installation especially in areas where schools were located. At the request of Councilmember Willmus, Ms. Bloom confirmed that traffic counts on Lexington Avenue were considerably higher than on County Road D. Mayor Roe asked that the public consult with Ms. Bloom after the meeting if ad- ditional follow-up was needed.