TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX)-One of the few unpaved city streets in Twin Falls will not get paved anytime soon. City staff asked the Twin Falls City Council for direction on what to do about Floral Avenue. The street is located in the southeast part of the city that is just north of the railroad tracks and Kimberly Road and is about half a mile in length. Ultimately the city council as a whole chose not to take action on the request.

During the presentation to City Council on Monday, Deputy City Manager Mitch Humble said business owners along the street reached out in the last several years on ways to improve the road, specifically getting it paved. According to city staff report, business owners were especially vocal this past winter about wanting the street paved. The Council was presented with a proposal to fix the problem and ways to pay for it. This hasn't been the first time the issue has come up. A proposal was presented to the Council in 2002 and no action was taken. At the time the most expensive option to pave Floral would have been more than $3.4 million. The least expensive option wouldn't have been feasible in the long run. Currently the City Streets Department performs maintenance by grading the street several times a year, but according to the staff report, it costs more than what the city gets from property taxes from the area businesses. Part of the money that comes from the taxes are placed in a special Street Fund that helps maintain streets. According to the staff report, a debt funding option called a local improvement district (LID) was proposed to area businesses earlier this year as a possible means to fund the paving of street. However, Humble said few business owners attended a meeting that provided information on the proposal. An LID would set up a bond that would be paid back with a special assessment made on the properties with a lien up to 30 years. According to staff, several owners wanted a financial contribution from the city, which couldn't be agreed on.  There is no funds within the current budge or next year's budget to pave Floral Avenue. Deputy City Manager Mitch Humble noted that in the past there have been other streets that have had a greater need based on higher traffic volume than the relatively low usage on Floral Avenue. For now, Floral Avenue will remain gravel.

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