Inver Grove Heights City Council — Transcript
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Cahill Trunk Drainage Improvements Project (City Project 2016-13)
Stormwater Management and Flooding Mitigation
Easement Acquisition and Property Owner Engagement
Votes (1)
Cahill Trunk Drainage Improvements Project 2016-13: Virtual Open House for Feasibility Report Feedback
Dissent: Greg Mitchelltree raised concerns regarding city liability for the new pond, continued property tax burden on land with permanent easements, tree removal impacts on visual screening, and the overall scope of the project's impact on his family's property.
The meeting served as an informational open house to present the Cahill Trunk Drainage Improvements project. Staff discussed the project's history, existing stormwater issues (capacity, flooding at 64th Ct), and the proposed solution (Option 3: using two vacant lots for a dry filtration basin). The total cost is $470,175, funded via the Payment Management Program. Easement acquisition for four parcels was outlined. A resident, Greg Mitchelltree, extensively questioned liability for the pond, impact on property taxes for land under easement, and plans for vegetation replacement and tree removal related to the project, emphasizing concerns about visual screening. Staff provided initial answers and committed to follow up with specific legal information on liability before the upcoming public hearing.
Notable Quotes (7)
total project cost is four hundred and seventy thousand dollars and 175 dollars there's no assessments for this project and it is being funded proposed to be funded through the payment management program or as directed by council
i'm not sure if you guys can answer this and i asked us about um liability that if for some reason that there's water there and the kids in the neighborhood go in there and triple and die so i asked us prior who would have the liability
the city takes on the liability uh we're building the pond we have the easement in our name but what you asked for is specific uh information from the city attorney that explicitly says that so i asked for that information from the city attorney but what i'll do is i'll make sure that we get that to you before next monday's meeting greg
my understanding is it does not uh that you would continue to pay taxes on the property so really paying taxes for a property that we can't build on greg that is correct and you have the um option to go to border review and uh at the county level and let them know that the whole property is under easement and is not buildable
the home on 64th court and i'm forgetting the address but the the property that we know is at risk for flooding the owner that lives there has told us it has happened twice in the past so we do have record from the property owner that it is a it is a true issue that has caused flooding in the home twice um in their history of of knowledge of the property
as we go through the process of the easement acquisition with you and the pond design you showed interest in um what you know you can show interest in health and providing input on vegetation type uh you know but ultimately the city will maintain it because you know it is a stormwater pond
if there's a loss of screening that is a concern that can usually be part of the payment for land acquisition process for the easement acquisition and that means that there can be us some provided to you for planting additional trees if you see fit in this area
Ordinances & Resolutions (4)
City Project Number for the Cahill Trunk Drainage Improvements.
A study from 2015 that identified drainage issues leading to the current project.
The report for the Cahill Trunk Drainage Improvements, received November 9th, with an amendment going to council December 14th.
The specific report being discussed at this open house for feedback, with an upcoming amendment.