By ANDY GOODELL
OSKALOOSA — A meeting to discuss possible annexation of properties near the Lacey Recreation Complex was held this past Thursday at the Mahaska County Recreation Foundation building.
Mahaska County residents facing annexation into the city of Oskaloosa were invited to the informational meeting.
Hosted by Oskaloosa City Manager Michael Schrock Jr., the meeting focused on several key issues related to annexation.
Perhaps the hottest topic related to annexation is property taxes.
Schrock explained that the city of Oskaloosa will offer tax abatement over a five-year period to those who agree to be annexed into the city.
“They will reduce the property tax for their property over five years,” said Schrock. “If you have a house, your property tax will go up a bit, but if you have this abatement, it will lessen that impact for the first five years. Commercial property would be the same thing.”
Schrock said he will be offering an online property tax comparison on the city’s Web site soon. This way, individual residents can look at what their specific property tax change would be after annexation.
City Council member Doug Yates further explained the abatement process by saying it would be on the difference residents’ taxes would be going up, rather than all the taxes.
On a related note, there was some concern over who would pay for this summer’s upcoming Green Street/Lavene Avenue road project. The project aims to improve access to the Lacey Complex.
Several in attendance brought up the issue of who would pay for the road work on Green/Lavene. Schrock explained that city bond funds would pay for the project including sidewalks. However, no formal plans to put in sidewalks have been made.
When it comes to hooking up to the city’s sewer lines, Schrock explained that those with septic tanks can continue to use them, but that if they should fail, residents would need to hook up to city lines.
Mahaska County Engineer Jerry Nusbaum explained that the Green/Lavene project is quite the undertaking and includes moving gas lines. He said there would need to be a temporary road to get in and out of the Lacey Complex for two years.
Musco CEO Joe Crookham was also at Thursday’s meeting. He explained that the city/county collaboration to repair Green Street/Lavene Avenue was a separate issue from annexation. He said there needs to be access to the Lacey Recreation Complex, despite the possibility of annexation. Crookham added, the city of Oskaloosa and Mahaska County agreed this access was needed, as well.
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Herald City Editor Andy Goodell can be reached at news2@oskyherald.com
