Flounder Bay slip and waterfront property owners will receive ballots asking them simply if they want to go forward with the $500,000 second phase of a dredging project, Public Works Director Fred Buckenmeyer told City Council members May 12.
Buckenmeyer also recommended the formation of a formal citizens advisory committee to establish more effective communications between the city and slip owners.
This cost of this phase, if approved, would be split evenly between slips, Buckenmeyer said. Because of this, the ballot is limited to the one question and ballots are distributed according to ownership.
“If you own more than one moorage unit you will get more than one ballot,” he said.
The $500,000 will pay for biological surveys, detailed sediment sampling, permitting, consulting fees, mailing, attorney fees, plans and everything else needed to prepare a bid-ready package.
Once this is done, the city will have detailed information about the cost of the final phase — the actual dredging. The city will then send out a questionnaire listing various options and asking owners how they wish to proceed, said city Planning Director Ian Munce.
“We don’t have the information to ask those detailed questions,” he said.
At that point the owners will also be asked how they want to divide the cost. The first two phases have been shared equally.
“It may not be that way for phase three,” Munce said.
The council has said that it wants to see a 60 percent approval rate before moving forward with the project. Buckenmeyer said this means 60 percent of the ballots returned to the city, not 60 percent of the total number of slips.
