Lubbock property owners seeking paved alleys would have to fund the full project before the city begins work, under a proposal outlined in a City Council staff report.
The report, prepared for the council’s Nov. 3 meeting, describes a petition process for improving unpaved alleys. The item was listed for first reading. The report describes the proposal rather than the council’s action at the meeting.
How the proposed process would work
A resident serving as the petitioner would communicate with the city and provide the information the city engineer requests. Each proposed project would have to cover at least one street block.
Petition fee: A nonrefundable fee of at least $1,000 would help cover the city’s review costs. The city would set the fee through its annual budget ordinance.
Engineering review: The city would determine whether the project is feasible and prepare an estimate covering surveying, design, inspection, utility relocation and related expenses.
Payment deadline: The city would have to collect the entire estimated project cost within 90 days after notifying the petitioner of the amount.
Option to withdraw: The petitioner could withdraw the petition after receiving the cost estimate.
Construction: Design and construction would begin after the city collected the full amount. City engineering staff would manage design, bidding and construction.
Who would pay?
The staff report describes dividing project costs among property owners next to the alley in proportion to each property’s alley frontage.
If the actual project cost came in more than 5% below the estimate, the report says the city would refund the difference to the petitioner.
The report does not provide a typical alley paving price. It lists no fiscal impact for the city.
