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Finance - Special Assessments

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1. How often are special assessment street resurfacing projects done? What determines this?

On an average, Residential Streets are done every 15 to 20 years, Collector Streets like Divide Avenue and Rosser Avenue, every 7 to 10 years and Arterial Streets like 7th Street and 9th Street, 5 to 7 years. City Engineering staff make visual evaluations of the streets to help determine which streets are in a deteriorated condition and need to be repaired.

2. Why does the pavement resurfacing contractor start and stop construction so many times? Can’t they finish it all at once?

Completion of this work would be much more costly if the general or prime contractor was not allowed some flexibility to get the various types of work done. The general contractor has numerous subcontractors like construction signing, concrete slabjacking (lifting) or replacement, joint sealing, asphalt milling, trucking companies, chip sealing. The typical process is described below:

• City marks curb for lifting or replacement.
• Contractor or subcontractor install No Parking signs a minimum of 24 hours before construction starts. No Parking signs may be removed or left in place for any of the subsequent construction activities.
• Slabjacking (lifting) subcontractor moves in and lifts marked curbs and driveways.
• Concrete subcontractor removes and replaces marked concrete curb and driveway and replaces storm inlet castings as required. Intersection ramps and street valley gutter crossings replacements are coordinated with the paving crew and may be replaced either at this stage or later. Detours may be needed for valley gutters. Homeowner may request more work be done at same time such as a driveway widening.
• Paving contractor either places gravel or asphalt patches at the front of the curb replacement sites. After new concrete cures for at least 4 to 7 days, black dirt is placed behind the curb. Seeding and mulching usually take place much later in the process when many sites can be done at once.
• City marks streets for patching or milling (grinding off about 1 to 2 inches of old asphalt).
• Paving contractor completes the asphalt patching and crack seals open joints.
• Paving contractor places thin leveling course on patched or non-milled streets where dips, humps or other pavement irregularities are pronounced.
• Paving contractor mills pavements, sweeps loose material, and may come back later to remove pavement around manholes or valve box covers.
• Paving contractor adjusts tops of manhole and valve box castings to match the new pavement surface.
• Paving contractor places new pavement on milled streets.
• Paving contractor or subcontractor places seal oil and chips on pavements when temperatures are expected to be 70° F or warmer for several consecutive days.
• Chip seal is allowed about one week of cure time before loose chips are swept off street.

Coordinating all these different types of construction activities would be difficult to maintain workforce efficiencies. Scheduling and moving each specialized work crew from one project to another can be impacted by unforeseen circumstances like, weather, poor soil conditions or added work. Delays related to weather or construction difficulties may cause the time interval between any of these tasks to be considerable.

3. Why is the City reconstructing some asphalt streets (i.e. removing all pavement, recompacting the subgrade soil, and placing new asphalt)?

The supportive subgrade soils beneath the pavement have become soft as a result of repeatedly being saturated over a period of time. There is significant evidence of pavement failure even in areas where no potholes currently exist. The Public Works Department has done some temporary patching to insure that the streets are usable and safe, but these surface patches do not address the wet subgrade conditions underneath the asphalt pavement. In these areas of this project we plan to install perforated pipe underdrains along the curb and construct a drainable aggregate subbase for the roadway. Both of these will help to channel the underground water away from underneath the pavement, providing a firmer foundation for the asphalt pavement.

4. Why do parking signs have to be up when there is no work occurring?

The city ordinance requires a minimum of 24 hours’ notification prior to beginning work. The contractor must document daily which streets are signed and during what time period. If a vehicle is parked after the 24 hour time period is up, the police can be notified to help us find the owner to move the vehicle or to arrange towing.

5. How long of a time period will the special assessments be on my annual tax statement?

Street resurfacing assessments are spread over 7 years. Street lighting, sidewalk, curb and gutter assessments are spread over 10 years. Reconstructed and new pavement assessments are spread over 15 years. Water mains, sanitary sewer mains, and storm water assessments are also spread over 15 years. In districts where there are a large number of properties incurring an assessment of $200 or less, the assessment will be collected in one year rather than spread over multiple years.

6. Do I have the option to pay off my special assessments early?

Yes, you may pay off your special assessments in full at any time. Please note that payments in full must be received by the City prior to October 30th to prevent a special assessment installment from appearing on your annual tax statement. Partial payments are also accepted on special assessment balances.

7. If I decide not to pay off special assessments immediately, what is the interest rate I am being charged for?

The interest rate is based on the rate the City receives when we sell bonds. This varies with every bond issue. Interest would start accruing on the unpaid principal balance after the first installment is due.

8. How does the City select the contractor for improvement projects? Is there a public bidding process?

There is a public bidding process that determines which contractor is awarded each project. The general steps of that process are as follow: create the project, advertise, receive bids, review bids and award bid to the lowest qualified bidder.

9. Is there a warranty after the improvement project is completed, if so, how long?

Yes, there is usually a warranty for one year after either the final payment is made to the contractor or the final acceptance date.

10. If I have a question or a problem during the construction, should I ask the contractor’s representative in the field for his advice?

You should either talk to the contractor’s representative (Foreman) in the field or the project manager (Bismarck Engineering) involved in that project. The contractor’s laborer is usually not involved in the daily planning activities so they would only be able to give you the name of the Foreman or Project Manager that you would need to talk to.

11. Is the contractor allowed to work at any time? Are there set construction hours specified in the plans?

Working hours are not specified on the plans. The contractor may work seven days a week if desired, but construction activities cannot begin prior to 7:00 AM or continue past 11:00 PM, due to a noise curfew. Under special circumstances, this rule may be waived if prior approval is received.

12. What is the purpose of the small rock that is placed on the new pavement?

The small rocks (aggregate) on the pavement are the wearing surface which protects the seal oil. The main reason for the aggregate placement is to protect the new pavement from wearing due to traffic. The rocks wear instead of the new pavement surface. Another reason is to prevent oxidation of the asphalt pavement. Without the seal coat, the asphalt would get brittle and create voids and surface failures. A third reason is to provide skid resistance. Smooth surfaces without the rocks may get very slippery in wet or icy conditions.

13. My vehicle/property got damaged during the construction, who do I contact to resolve this issue?

You should contact the City of Bismarck’s Engineering Department (701) 355-1505 concerning the problem, with your name, address, location of incident and extent of the damage. If deemed the contractor's responsibility, the City will then notify the contractor of the situation and the contractor will then contact you to resolve the problem.

14. Who determines what concrete needs to be removed and replaced? On what basis is that determination made?

After the street reconstruction area is identified, driveways and curbs & gutters are inspected. Those that have either settled or are broken may warrant removal and replacement.

15. My driveway/curb & gutter is just settled, not broken; why not just lift it instead of removing and replacing?

If the settled concrete is not broken, it can be lifted (slabjacked). The concrete is removed and replaced only if the condition warrants or if the lifting is not successful.

16. I’ve often thought about widening our existing driveway for a camper pad next to the garage. Would it be a good time to do so during an improvement project?

Yes, this widening would then be scheduled along with the other work being done in that area. A form (petition) is required to be filled out prior to any work being done. Call the City of Bismarck’s Engineering Department (701) 355-1505 to get information on the proper procedure to follow or go to Engineering Department or click on the following link: Engineering Department

17. Why were the areas next to my concrete repair, seeded instead of sodded?

Sodding requires more watering to assure growth and to keep it alive. If the contractor had to water the sod until the growth was established, the price for that sod would be very high relative to the seeding costs. Typically 500 or more concrete repairs are completed each year under a project like this. Most residents would water the sod in lieu of the contractor, but since some don’t, we seed. The resident can do the sodding after the concrete section is backfilled. The project manager in the field will keep track of all the self sodded areas, so the resident will not get charged for that work.