ELLSWORTH – A public hearing on special assessments including sidewalk, gutter, curb and driveway apron construction will be held June 3 after the resolution was heard by the Ellsworth Village Board during a May 16 special meeting.

Grant, Piety, Strickland and Woodworth streets would be the four streets seeing the assessments, which were recommended by the Street and Sidewalk Committee.

“On May 2, 2024 the Street and Sidewalk Committee recommended Special Assessments of 50% of the cost for the construction of curb and gutter, sidewalk, multi-use trail and water and sewer laterals and 100% of the cost of construction of driveway aprons,” village documents state.

The board made an amendment to allow the assessments to be paid back in no more than five consecutive annual installments with an interest rate of unpaid assessment being 6% per annum. The original resolution held a three-year pay period which was drafted into the resolution, but staff recommended five years in order to provide property owners more time, according to village documents.

“Historically, it was three years at 8%. I took it upon myself to put it at six [percent], [Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer Brad Roy] agreed because you are not trying to make money on the deal,” Village Attorney Bob Loberg said. “And then Brad suggested we change it from three to five [years].”

While the number of years for annual payments was increased to five, property owners can still pay it off sooner.

Trustee Lance Austin advocated for the five-year pay period, saying it would be preferred by some homeowners, and the resolution was unanimously amended. The board can still make amendments to the resolution during the June 3 meeting.

“Payments wouldn’t start until the project is complete,” Roy said. “So even though this would get approved this year, it’s not going to be completed until the end of construction season [2025].”

Roy said while Grant Street construction has the approval to take place in 2024, under the requirement that it is completed by Oct. 15, the annual payments would not begin because the entirety of the project needs to be completed prior to the payments starting.

The following are the described areas for special assessments by village documents:

• East and west sides of North Grant Street from intersection of Cairns Street to Main Street.
• East and west sides of South Piety Street from intersection of Main Street to West Humble Avenue.
• North and south sides of Woodworth Street from Grant Street to Chestnut Street.
• North and south sides of Strickland Street from Piety to Grant Street.