The city of International Falls is moving ahead with a small paving project, but not before having to explain how it was being paid for.
The work is to take place on 9th Avenue East.
Residents had petitioned for the work.
More than $86 thousand of the $96 thousand project will come from property owners through a special assessment.
Julie Melstrom doesn’t live on the street but questions why the city isn’t using dedicated tax dollars for road improvements on the project.
“You raise everybody’s taxes 14 per cent. You got the sales tax, and now you’re charging the people to pay more money. Why aren’t you using those taxes?,” asks Melstrom.
The city’s Administrator Betty Bergstrom says they are simply following a city ordinance pertaining to such projects.
“The city ordinance outlines the procedure and process for that to be done, and they clearly understand that by them petitioning to have this improvement in this assessment that they would be paying a portion of this construction,” says Bergstrom.
Bergstrom says the policy has been used many times on other projects requested by residents.
