Emotional Hearing Sees Centerville Citizens Turn Out In Force

Residents Cite Assessments, Economy As Factors In Project Opposition

By Louise Edwards

And for over three hours, resident after resident took to the microphone to tell of the impact that assessments for the project, costing from several thousand dollars up to $20,000 per home, would have on their lives and the hardships they would cause families already struggling in an uncertain economic climate.

Emotions ran high at the meeting. At one point, Centerville Mayor Mary Capra requested that two Centennial Lakes Police officers remove a resident from the microphone if he did not stop speaking.

Cheering, clapping and whistling followed many of the speeches made by the almost 40 people who spoke during the evening. Not a single person spoke in favor of proceeding with the project as proposed, although some conceded that efforts needed to be made in Centerville to develop a road maintenance program, and proposed more scaled-down versions of the plan.

During the past few months, council members have repeatedly said that the city's roads need to be repaired and are failing in places. Council members also say the road and access to city water and sewer will add value to people's homes.

At a previous meeting, Council Member Linda Broussard Vickers stated that homeowners benefit from a discount on their homeowners' insurance as a result of living in a protected town class, meaning the city has municipal water available for fighting fires and a fire department, among other things.

Council Member Tom Lee added that financial support of the municipal water system is disproportionate, although there are benefits for everyone in town. "Currently, we have 60 percent of the city paying for 100 percent of the benefit," he said.

Residents cannot be assessed for costs greater than the value added to their home by the improvements, under Minnesota statute.

Expressing frustration that they felt their elected representatives were not listening to them, at the public hearing a couple of residents spoke about consolidating with the city of Lino Lakes, an idea that was first mooted in 1991 although it later failed to garner enough support to succeed. Yet others demanded that the citizens be given a chance to vote on whether to proceed with the project.

"If even just one person's house goes into foreclosure, I believe that it shouldn't be done," parks and recreation committee member Lori Harris told the council as she took her turn at the front, adding that she wanted to see the roads improved in the city, just not at the expense of struggling families.

"It's just too big of a scale, bad timing, and we can't afford it," added Tina Scheller, a resident of Mill Road.

She was one of many Mill Road representatives at the hearing who opposed the $7.8 million project, which will impact 470 homes, see almost six miles of roads reconstructed and all remaining homes without municipal services given access to city water and sewer. Centerville City Code Chapter 51.08 requires that all homes hook up to city water service by December 31, 2012 or - for homes that have had water made available to them after January 1, 2006 - within 12 months.

Melody Meath, a fellow Mill Road homeowner, handed over a 520-signature petition requesting the council postpone action on the project and reassess the project scope. According to Meath, the signatures represented 67 percent of the homes affected by the project.

Even Centerville citizens who will not be assessed for the cost of the project spoke out in solidarity with those who will.

"Even though I'm not being assessed, does this affect me?" Partridge Place resident Wes Schoeberlein asked listening city council members. "Yes, it does. If you don't have the money, don't spend it, because you are taking it away from us."

Mayor Capra closed the meeting at 9:25 p.m. and told the remaining residents that no decision would be made until late May/early June on whether to proceed with the project or to scale it back in scope.

If the council does decide to order the project, construction would begin next spring and be completed by fall.