March 2, 2023 at 9:08 a.m.
Sorenson presents council with draft ordinance regarding Ohlson Lane assessment issue
By By Trevor Greene-
"The City regularly installs public infrastructure improvements, such as streets, water mains and sewers at City cost," a document stating the ordinance's purpose says. "In some instances, none of such costs should be recouped by either special assessment or connection charges. In some instances, to recover an appropriate share of such costs, special assessment procedures should be used. In other situations, an appropriate cost share should be recovered through the imposition of connection charges."
Controversy involving residents on Ohlson Lane and the common council first transpired during a Jan. 23 meeting.
There, residents voiced opposition to a proposed special assessment totalling approximately $24,000, in addition to the approximately $10,000 cost of connecting to city utilities.
As a result of the residents' opposition, as well as concern and confusion among council members as to the history of the Ohlson Lane project, council members directed Sorenson to research the matter further.
Sorenson, then, at the council's Feb. 13 meeting, reported one option would be to amend city ordinances so Ohlson Lane residents do not have to immediately connect to city utilities - which under current code, he noted, requires residents to connect immediately if sewer and water is provided.
The council, at that meeting, signaled it would like to resolve the dispute involving the proposed special assessment by amending city ordinances so that Ohlson Lane residents aren't required to immediately connect to city water and sewer - which was expanded in 2021 - and can defer the special assessment until they do connect.
Monday, residents again expressed their concerns prior to council discussion.
Jesse Urquhart, during the public comment portion of the meeting, noted "this project all started because one homeowner needed water and sewer hookup."
"So take that cost and bill the other five residents of Ohlson Lane shows a complete lack of empathy on the city's part," he said.
Urquhart, like residents who spoke after him, voiced displeasure towards a "lack of communication" on the city's behalf with regard to the situation.
It's "embarrassing," he said.
Urquhart said it was mentioned at the Jan. 23 meeting residents would receive mail with regard to the project. "To this date," however, he hasn't received "one piece of mail ... not one," he said.
"The last item I want to bring up is if this assessment is passed, it means that we (Ohlson Lane residents) will be paying for this project for 25 years," Urquhart said. "I will be 61 when I make the final payment on that. You will be reaching into people's nest eggs, rainy day funds or their family's inheritance money. Please consider that when you make your decisions in the discussion later tonight."
During the council's discussion, Sorenson said notice of the project to residents was given. He said that can be confirmed with city clerk Austyn Zarda.
"I think there's a little bit of a misunderstanding of what kind of notices you have to get," Sorenson said. "I mean you don't have to go and knock on the door and say here's a letter. Notices in the paper are formal communication, you're expected to know what's going on in your community, you're expected to read. That's why we have a requirement by law of legal publication and legal notices."
Sorenson continued, saying the city did have a public hearing and information was made public. He did, though, admit to the possibility of there being a "lack of communication."
"Maybe there is a lack of communication because nobody went door-to-door or nobody called these people up or made a special effort," he said. "But the bottom line is that's what you're trying to do right now is to rectify if there was a communications issue. It still doesn't stop the fact that you put sewer and water in the street, and sewer and water is available, and sewer and water doesn't come free."
Everyone has had to pay for sewer and water in the city, Sorenson said, adding the project still hasn't been assessed.
"You still have an opportunity to pick whichever solution you want, but first you would have to pass this ordinance because you don't have an ordinance until you do that," he said. "And then you have an ordinance that gives you an opportunity and then you could do that and figure it out from there."
City alderman Steven Jopek offered his interpretation on the situation.
"So we did send a letter out ... I confirmed that that's what happened and so there's some confusion of what the statute is mandating the city of Rhinelander to do," he said. "Now, do I agree that we shouldn't necessarily do door-to-door or anything? I mean we can talk about that. But from what I'm understanding is we did notify according to (the) statute and what's confused right now is should we have notified, and we're not statutorily required to, should we have notified before the project started so that people were aware and could raise concerns."
Jopek also said, in certain instances, maybe residents should be contacted by someone going door-to-door.
"I think someone paying them a visit letting them know what's going on would be nice," he said. "Maybe it's not normal, but if we want to be better than normal then we gotta do better than normal things."
Speaking to the Northwoods River News on Tuesday, mayor Kris Hanus said the council wasn't at the point to make a decision.
"It sounded like the council was OK with what was presented (by Sorenson), which was the three options of either we choose not to charge, we charge a special assessment or we charge a connection fee," he said. "So, our thought would be the first meeting in March that it will be adopted and then we will have to look at Ohlson and see which route they want to go and what the terms of, if they do the assessment or connection fee, what terms they want to put on."
Hanus clarified the matter currently is about updating the city's ordinances regarding sewer and water connection and not of the specific situation for Ohlson Lane.
"The one thing I found out with city government is there's a lot of things that haven't been reviewed for 20 plus years," he said. "So it's kind of like a pandora's box of how do we fix the ordinances to make sense and how do we then address the current issue which would be Ohlson Lane."
Trevor Greene may be reached via email at [email protected].
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