City questioned on possible infrastructure levy

Publisher’s note: Benson’s City Council and the District 777 Board of Education both met at 5:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 19, causing us to decide which meeting to cover. With the school’s operating levy on the Nov. 3 ballot, we chose to cover the school board.
However, the city records its meetings, so we listen to the discussions and report on them. At last week’s council meeting, the possible assessment of residential properties for infrastructure projects came up.
During that discussion, Mayor Jack Evenson made statements about the Monitor-News that this story reports, but we will not comment on them here. We have, however, commented on them in an editorial on Page 4A.

At the Monday, Oct. 19, Benson City Council meeting, three people stood up during the citizens’ comment period to raise concerns that the city could levy their homes to help pay for infrastructure costs.
The city is considering comprehensive infrastructure replacement projects next year on 12th Street South from Oakwood Avenue to Wisconsin Avenue, and McKinney Avenue from 19th Street to 21st Street. These projects could mark the start of a 10-year plan to address long-overdue infrastructure replacements and upgrades...

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