A public hearing on special assessments was quickly scuttled Wednesday when it turned out documents intended to be open to public inspection had not been available to the public.
The city of Shawano proposes levying the special assessments on properties affected by the installation of concrete sidewalks that are part of road improvement projects slated to get under way shortly.
A report showing the final plans and specifications, the estimated cost of improvements and the proposed assessments was to be placed on file in the City Clerk-Treasurer’s office at City Hall, where the public could inspect them during business hours.
The first person to speak at the public hearing — Fifth Street resident Mary Bandsma — asked why the report wasn’t available to her when she came to City Hall to review it. She asked whether the report was going to be available for the hearing.
City Clerk Karla Duchac said she had not received the report from the Department of Public Works.
City Attorney Tim Schmid said the report was probably on file at the DPW offices.
However, public notices regarding Wednesday’s hearing had stated the report would be available at City Hall in compliance with special assessment statutes.
“We have not met the requirements we were to meet, apparently, and we’ll have to delay this,” Mayor Lorna Marquardt said.
The council was also forced to postpone action on agenda items that would have approved the special assessments.
A new hearing was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 7 before the council’s next meeting.
In the meantime, the road improvements, which have already been contracted, can go forward, according to Schmid.
The city plans to levy the special assessments on properties on the south side of the 1300, 1400, and 1500 blocks of East Lieg Avenue; on the north side of the 900 block of East Fifth Street; on 204 Fairview Way; and on 1005 and 1017 East Green Bay Street.
Six people turned out for Wednesday’s hearing, mostly from the Fifth Street area, where a sidewalk originally proposed on the south side of the street was moved to the north. That sidewalk project has been the most controversial of those planned for this year.
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