To build or not to build. That's the question Austin City Council officials are now facing.

Council members took part in a meeting Tuesday at the J.C. Hormel Nature Center to discuss various items, one being the continued expansion at the Cook Farm site.

The site is located north of Kmart and stretches from U.S. Highway 218 to Fourth Street NW and is bordered by the Soo Line Railroad to the northwest.

Much of the project's first phase is complete. However, City Engineer Jon Erichson asked the council if it was ready to move toward the second phase, which, among other items, would bring more physical improvements to the site. One of those would be the construction of a 1,000-foot road, known as 27th Street NW, from U.S. 218.

Erichson stressed that more of the costs for the project will be on the front end because of the pricetag to develop the site. However, Erichson noted that completing the 152-acre site project in phases is the best way to go, saying prospective tenants would reside in smaller lots rather than someone coming in and "buying 70 acres."

"This is a fairly dense development," Erichson said. "From our standpoint, it makes sense to develop in phases."

But with continued questions on how much local government aid the city will receive from the state this coming year, some expressed hesitancy to moving too quickly along with the project.

"It's not that it's not important," said Austin Mayor Bonnie Rietz. "But we need to look what the pricetag will be on other projects."

Erichson added that potential companies may take more of a liking to the site if they see physical improvements being made.

"Just from a marketing standpoint, seeing curbs, gutters and street lights will help," Erichson said.

The council did not take any immediate action and said it will further discuss the issue.

Other items that were discussed included:

n Talk of a stormwater utility fee. The fee would be used to pay for stormwater system maintenance and improvements that may not be covered by funds generated from general taxes.

If implemented, single-family residences would be charged $2.50 a month, manufactured homes would be $1.25 a unit per month and commercial and industrial properties would be charge $15 per acre a month.

Council members agreed to host informational meetings in each of the city's three wards to gauge public opinion on the issue. Rietz said there will also be a meeting on the issue at city hall.

State officials are mandating communities across Minnesota to make the necessary corrections to their stormwater systems. "It's not unique, as other cities across the state are also having to do it," Rietz said.

n The council also discussed the possibility of installing a warning siren near the Oakland Park mobile home complex.

Erichson said some residents of the complex had earlier voiced concerns to the council about not being able to hear the sirens.

However, Erichson said by law, the closest siren is within the allotted distance from the complex. He said the nearest siren is located near a cluster of automobile dealerships directly east of Oakland Park.

Council members weighed safety issues versus installing the siren, saying that other parts of the city may also want a siren just because they can't hear the siren indoors.

"This is absolutely not intended to warn people inside their houses," said council member At-Large Wayne Goodnature.

However, Goodnature clarified that statement, saying he would personally look into the matter by being at the Oakland Park complex when the city conducts its monthly siren testing.

"If we are going to make an exception, we should make sure we are making a sound decision," Goodnature said.

n James Brimeyer, a consultant hired by the city to help fill the expected city administrator vacancy, presented information on the Carver governance model. Among other things, the model is designed to streamline discussion as to cut down on numerous meetings that city committees have previously conducted.

Rietz said the city will likely implement some ideas from the model, but without doing a complete transformation.

"It's really exciting and the council is really open for something new and to see if there's a better way," Rietz said

Dan Fields can be reached at 434-2230 or by e-mail at dan.fields@austindailyherald.com