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The 60 property owners on the Old Town streets project contact list,  should watch for a letter describing the council’s non-action from last week.  In effect, continued questioning of the Old Town proposal, first introduced in 1995,  is placing a pause on doing safety, utilities and drainage projects in the older area of North Branch that have been on and off the radar for 30 years.

The tentatively scheduled public hearing for August 12—had the project been given a green light last week— is not happening.

Instead WSB engineering consultants were directed to sketch out a stripped down version of critical sewer and water repairs, and cost for an overlay of asphalt where road damages result and to calculate that bill.

Members of North Branch City Council were told there have been three watermain breaks along the undersized and ancient line within the potential work zone,  and spot repairs on sewer service are virtually guaranteed.  

Other issues are tied to these repairs such as improvements for use of the streets. The mayor expressed his concern for pedestrians with nowhere to walk and lack of traffic controls and for water main capacity in the event of fire suppression.  

Council member Robert Canada simply observed the more this plan is delayed, the costlier it becomes.  

Council member Goulet added maybe the city should go someplace else to spend money on work “...that residents want.”

A vocal minority of property owners, estimated at 10 or so out of 60 affected, have opposed this, reportedly because of costs.  The council has been convinced  the approach needs cheaper options and no council member supported adopting the plan as-is.

Private costs have been uniquely addressed by dedicating city resources to trim the portion of the property owner assessment  from 30 percent, which is city policy, to 15 percent, staff reminded the council.  The assessment plan which is administered under state law also allows for deferral of payments and considerations for citizens who are veterans and seniors as well, the city administrator mentioned.

Council can expect a report from WSB engineering on a down-sized plan for basic utility line replacement and an overlay of surface,  in coming weeks.

In other matters:

Council reviewed and adopted 5-0 a high utility user application moratorium. The halt gives the city breathing room to align code and regulations  on applications for projects like data centers, AI facilities, hydrogen production plants and crypto currency mining operations and similar projects. The halt is in effect for six months.  Staff will perform a study of impacts and recommend accommodations that North Branch may want to make mandatory in order to better process applications for high utility-users.

The moratorium defines high utility users as those sites that use 50,000 gallons of water daily or more, and consume 25 to 50 megawatts.

~ Council also approved on a 3-2 vote,  a Tax Increment Financing District to make a new apartment complex possible, west of the freeway. (See map.) 

Council members Ibinger and Goulet were opposed to using TIF to make this project financially feasible. 

The developer DSB Housing, has been working with city officials intensely on site plans and amenities and goals for subsidized units,  for months.  

The TIF system allows the developer to recoup eligible project costs over 20 years, in return for providing low income housing to be 20 percent of the units.  The “increment” available is based on what the parcel pays currently and the improved development tax revenues. This gets redirected back to DBS, and there is a share, for city administration of the TIF District. This differs from tax abatement in that the property generates the tax payment, but it is redirected back to pay the bills.

Mayor Kevin Schieber said he is willing to go 20 years (an extended TIF timeframe) because he feels this 107 unit project will attract more development in this area, west of Falcon and south of Hwy 95.  “We have a lot of partners...and everybody sees value in this,” he commented.

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