The city plans to ask voters permission this fall to authorize $6 million in general obligation bonds to pay for repairing key streets through town.
The City Council told city attorney Charles Radovich this week to prepare a resolution placing the issue on the Nov. 8 election ballot.
“It’s a major expenditure, and therefore the citizens should have input,” said Ald. Paul Descoteaux, chairman of the council’s Finance and Administration Committee. “It’s such a large commitment to pay this money back over time, the people should have a voice.”
Altruism aside, cities without home rule such as Geneva are prohibited from issuing general obligation bonds without voter approval, according to the state’s 3-year-old tax-cap law.
Public Works Director Tom Talsma said city engineers are working to develop a list of streets to be improved if the referendum proposal passes.
“We need much more than $6 million to do everything,” Talsma said. About 30 percent of the local streets identified in a recent study as needing repairs could be upgraded under the proposed program, he said.
The city annually budgets an average of $1.2 million for street repairs. The $6 million would be in addition to the annual budgeted amount.