By Courtney Johnson

Mayor of Carver

It is said that in Minnesota there are two seasons: winter and road construction. And while not many love road construction, it is necessary so we can keep our roads in good condition.

With that, I’m going to focus this month’s column on sharing information about the planning for maintenance and upkeep of Carver’s roads.

First, in order to determine the condition of streets in Carver, they are rated by three of our Public Services staff. The ratings are then averaged to generate a rating on a scale of 1-10 based on the PASER Asphalt Roads Manual. These ratings, along with projects that are anticipated to take place from 2027 to 2036, and details about funding sources can be found in the Pavement Management Plan within the 10-Year Streets Plan, which guides the city when determining which streets will be reconstructed and when. The 10-Year Streets Plan also includes timelines for trail and city parking lot maintenance. The 10-Year Streets Plan is refreshed and updated to add another year annually.

In terms of the road construction you’ll see in Carver this year, the 2026 Street Maintenance Project includes the full depth reclamation of Mount Hope Road, Ridgecrest Drive, Carver Creek Place south of Ramsey Ave, along with the mill and overlay of Woodview Circle, Woodview Court, Ramsey Lane and Carver Creek Place north of Ramsey Avenue.

Fog seal maintenance will be performed on the trails along Jonathan Carver Parkway and White Pine Way west of Jonathan Carver Parkway. Additionally, a much-needed sidewalk connection will be added along Mount Hope Road between Lions Park and downtown. Weather permitting, the work will start in July/August and will be substantially complete by late October.

Next, let’s talk about how street maintenance is paid for in Carver.

First, some history: In 2020, the City Council debated potentially starting to use franchise fees as a way to finance street maintenance projects. Franchise fees are a method of collecting funds from utility companies who use city right-of-way. These funds are typically passed directly through to all commercial businesses, tax-exempt properties and residents. While not technically considered a “tax,” franchise fees serve as a revenue source for cities which are collected from utility users including cable, gas and electric.

After researching franchise fees and listening to feedback from residents whose sentiment against franchise fees was clear, the City Council and I decided against having franchise fees in the City of Carver. In Carver County, the City of Carver is one of only three communities that does not collect franchise fees.

In Carver, we pay for the street maintenance projects with a combination of state aid, which is money the city receives from the State of Minnesota to repair and maintain our roads, and funding from the Street Maintenance Fund, which is part of our annual budget and is funded through property taxes.

A smaller amount of funds comes from the Utility Enterprise Fund, because when completing these projects we also make improvements and repairs to water and sewer infrastructure, which includes valve replacement, storm sewer adjustments, manhole maintenance and other utility maintenance items. Carver residents contribute to the Utility Enterprise Fund through their monthly utility bills.

The cost of the 2026 Street Maintenance Project is anticipated to be $1.642 million, for which bids came in $288,000 under budget. Funding will come from the following sources:

• $970,000 from State Aid Funds 
• $543,000 from the Street Maintenance Fund
• $129,000 from Utility Enterprise Funds

Early next year, the process to keep our streets maintained and in good condition will repeat once again. We will review and update the 10-Year Streets Plan, finalize the 2027 Street Maintenance Project, and put it out to bid.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns about the Pavement Management Plan, the 10-Year Streets Plan, or anything that’s going on in our community, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I look forward to hearing from you!

Mayor Courtney Johnson; CJohnson@CityOfCarver.com; Cell: 612.702.7703