Laserfiche WebLink
FF'_ <br />BOOK 64 FrU..174 <br />Several alternatives are available for the accomplishment of road <br />paving. The first option concerns the McLains paving to the <br />nearest paved road at their own expense. The McLains feel that <br />the expense of such paving in relationship to the size of the <br />property (0.2 acre) would be excessive. The Public Works Division <br />estimates that 22 foot wide roads may be constructed for approxi- <br />mately twenty five dollars ($25.00) per linear foot of pavement. <br />This cost includes surveying, engineering and any other routine <br />costs associated with development of a road. A roadway to serve <br />the subject lot would therefore cost approximately fifteen <br />thousand dollars ($15,000). <br />The next two options concern petition paving. The first option is <br />a voluntary petition whereby a majority (2/3) of the property <br />owners along a roadway must voluntarily consent to its paving, and <br />the County pays 25% of the paving cost while the property owners <br />pay the remaining 75%. The second alternative is a forced paving <br />assessment, a method initiated by the Board of County Commis- <br />sioners without the consent of the benefitting property owners. <br />With a forced petition, the County undertakes the paving and then <br />a¢oesses the benefitting property owners. The McLains are re- <br />questing that a forced paving petition be authorized by the Board <br />of County Commissioners. <br />Most paving petitions are initiated by neighboring property <br />owners. Seldom has the Board of County Commissioners implemented <br />a forced assessment for paving. Within the last few months, <br />however, the Commission has indicated that the forced paving <br />petition method may be appropriate in certain areas programmed for <br />higher intensity development and characterized by substandard <br />roadways where it would be unfair for one developer to upgrade the <br />roadways while other property owners who benefit from the improve- <br />ment do not share in the cost. <br />The voluntary paving assessment procedure generally conforms to <br />the following procedure: <br />1. The petitioner returns a petition signed by greater than <br />66.7% of the owners and/or the owners of greater than 66.7% <br />of the land abutting the road; <br />2. When signatures of greater than 66.7% have been confirmed, <br />the Indian River County Engineering Department will do a <br />survey and begin design work on the paving and drainage of <br />the requested road; <br />3. A Public Hearing will be advertised in a newspaper at least <br />15 days prior to when the Board will conduct the Hearing. <br />Also, individual notices will be sent to all lot owners <br />abutting the road(s) at least 15 days in advance of the <br />hearing advising them of the public hearing and the pre- <br />liminary assessment amount; <br />4. If the project is approved by the Board, the proposed paving <br />will go on the County Paving list until the paving improve- <br />ment can be scheduled; and <br />5. The cost paid by each property owner depends on how much <br />benefit each property owner receives from the improvement and <br />may be determined by factors such as front footage, the <br />distance of the property from the improvement, the area <br />benefited by the improvement or a combination of these <br />factors. <br />The forced assessment differs from the voluntary assessment in <br />that the County Commission authorizes road paving and property <br />assessment without the concurrence of the property owners. <br />38 <br />