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Phoenix folk ponder tax boundary Council, city staff will discuss shape of improvement district By JONEL ALECCIA PHOENIX -- The City Council will consider how big or how small a proposed local improvement district should be to pay for streets and other public improvements east of Interstate 5. The study session is scheduled at 5:30 tonight in the council chambers at City Hall, 535 W. First St. It precedes the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. The session will guide the city staff in drawing up the boundaries for the proposed district. Property owners within it will be assessed for the cost of improvements. Money from other sources will help offset those costs, reducing the ultimate share for property owners. But city planner Denis Murray said in a memo that the exact amount is uncertain. "The property owners should be cautioned that the final outside funding amount might go up or down, which will affect their property assessments," he wrote. The city has about $275,000 collected from systems development charges for transportation, part or all of which could be used for the local improvements. The state also has committed $2.45 million in 2002 for interchange improvements at Fern Valley Road and Interstate 5; some money might be available for related improvements. The five alternatives that the council will review tonight assume that the improvements will get $1 million from other sources. The alternatives for the local improvement district: Include all of the eastside properties that are within the city's urban growth boundary, except for the Meadowview subdivision. Split the east side into two districts, the dividing line at Fern Valley Road. Most of the land north of Fern Valley Road is vacant. Create a district only for the area south of Fern Valley Road, except for the Meadowview subdivision, property owned by Southern Oregon University, and properties within the urban growth boundary but outside city limits. Create a district similar to the previous description, but including the Southern Oregon University property. Create a district similar to the previous description, but including properties outside city limits. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA