Even though it’s been a snowy winter, downtown streets in Zeeland have remained clear because of the city’s snowmelt system. The City Council has scheduled a Feb. 16 public hearing on how much it will charge downtown property owners to be part of the system.
By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
Downtown property owners who are part of the city of Zeeland’s snowmelt system won’t see an increase in what they pay to help maintain the system this year, under a recommendation from city officials.
Assistant City Manager Kevin Plockmeyer has recommended keeping the commodity charge that the city has charged for snowmelt since 2023 at 92 cents per square foot. The City Council Monday voted to schedule a public hearing for Feb. 16 to gather input from the public about the proposed special assessment.
Plockmeyer also recommended the city continue to cover the capital costs of maintaining the system, although he says at some point, the city will have to look at incorporating those costs into the assessment it charges to those properties that are part of the system.
“The ultimate goal in this is to create a system that’s financially sustainable, that when we need to replace a boiler 20 years from now, we have the cash available, that we don’t get into a spot where we have a system that we can’t afford to operate,” Plockmeyer said at a Jan. 20 council meeting.
The city set aside $600,000 several years ago in an endowment to cover long-term maintenance and replacement costs associated with snowmelt. The endowment continues to maintain a balance of close to $600,000, Plockmeyer said.
If the city were to assess property owners for the capital or readiness-to-serve costs for snowmelt, it would be about $1.10 per square foot. Plockmeyer projects that the maintenance endowment will likely be used up between 2032 and 2037, “depending on how much we add to the system.”
Plockmeyer recommended no change in the commodity charge because the city is still trying to pin down the actual cost of operating snowmelt. He said actual heating costs for the system have varied widely, ranging from 33 cents per square foot in some seasons to $1.30 per square foot in others.
“We’re hoping within two years, we’ll have really good cost data (to base a future rate recommendation on),” Plockmeyer said.
• Main Avenue from State Street east to Community Restaurant at 421 E. Main
• Elm Street from Main to Cherry Avenue
• Church Street from Central Avenue to Washington Avenue
• The north side of Cherry from Elm to Church.
The city will cover the assessments of property owned by Zeeland Public Schools at 320, 405 and 410 E. Main, well as the United States Postal Service properties at 155 E. Main and 20 N. Church, Plockmeyer said.
“We can’t specially assess the school or the post office without their consent. Neither have consented to a special assessment," Plockmeyer said.
Owner-occupied single-family homes are also exempt from the assessment. The city will cover the assessment for the homes at 43 E. Main and 311 E. Main, Plockmeyer said.
In addition, several churches with which the city has a shared-use parking agreement – North Street Christian Reformed Church, First Christian Reformed Church and Second Reformed Church – will get a break on their assessments, reflecting that sidewalks with snowmelt that abut a leased parking lot will be paid for by the city, Plockmeyer said.
The cost for operating and maintaining snowmelt during this new special assessment cycle has been estimated at $245,921 per year, with the city proposing to pay 82 percent of those costs, or $202,760. That includes $49,396 for the capital charge that will be covered by the endowment within the snowmelt operations fund, $24,282 for the assessments of the properties owned by ZPS and USPS and $34,623 for the special assessment on city of Zeeland parcels and passageways not included in the special assessment, Plockmeyer said.
Zeeland Record
Downtown property owners who are part of the city of Zeeland’s snowmelt system won’t see an increase in what they pay to help maintain the system this year, under a recommendation from city officials.
Assistant City Manager Kevin Plockmeyer has recommended keeping the commodity charge that the city has charged for snowmelt since 2023 at 92 cents per square foot. The City Council Monday voted to schedule a public hearing for Feb. 16 to gather input from the public about the proposed special assessment.
Plockmeyer also recommended the city continue to cover the capital costs of maintaining the system, although he says at some point, the city will have to look at incorporating those costs into the assessment it charges to those properties that are part of the system.
“The ultimate goal in this is to create a system that’s financially sustainable, that when we need to replace a boiler 20 years from now, we have the cash available, that we don’t get into a spot where we have a system that we can’t afford to operate,” Plockmeyer said at a Jan. 20 council meeting.
The city set aside $600,000 several years ago in an endowment to cover long-term maintenance and replacement costs associated with snowmelt. The endowment continues to maintain a balance of close to $600,000, Plockmeyer said.
If the city were to assess property owners for the capital or readiness-to-serve costs for snowmelt, it would be about $1.10 per square foot. Plockmeyer projects that the maintenance endowment will likely be used up between 2032 and 2037, “depending on how much we add to the system.”
Plockmeyer recommended no change in the commodity charge because the city is still trying to pin down the actual cost of operating snowmelt. He said actual heating costs for the system have varied widely, ranging from 33 cents per square foot in some seasons to $1.30 per square foot in others.
“We’re hoping within two years, we’ll have really good cost data (to base a future rate recommendation on),” Plockmeyer said.
• Main Avenue from State Street east to Community Restaurant at 421 E. Main
• Elm Street from Main to Cherry Avenue
• Church Street from Central Avenue to Washington Avenue
• The north side of Cherry from Elm to Church.
The city will cover the assessments of property owned by Zeeland Public Schools at 320, 405 and 410 E. Main, well as the United States Postal Service properties at 155 E. Main and 20 N. Church, Plockmeyer said.
“We can’t specially assess the school or the post office without their consent. Neither have consented to a special assessment," Plockmeyer said.
Owner-occupied single-family homes are also exempt from the assessment. The city will cover the assessment for the homes at 43 E. Main and 311 E. Main, Plockmeyer said.
In addition, several churches with which the city has a shared-use parking agreement – North Street Christian Reformed Church, First Christian Reformed Church and Second Reformed Church – will get a break on their assessments, reflecting that sidewalks with snowmelt that abut a leased parking lot will be paid for by the city, Plockmeyer said.
The cost for operating and maintaining snowmelt during this new special assessment cycle has been estimated at $245,921 per year, with the city proposing to pay 82 percent of those costs, or $202,760. That includes $49,396 for the capital charge that will be covered by the endowment within the snowmelt operations fund, $24,282 for the assessments of the properties owned by ZPS and USPS and $34,623 for the special assessment on city of Zeeland parcels and passageways not included in the special assessment, Plockmeyer said.
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