MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson is addressing concerns sparked by a letter sent out by the city in recent weeks.

According to Hanson, Mitchell officials are trying to address one of the largest complaints residents have about the city, the state of its alleys, in a robust way that is funded responsibly. Hanson says when he became mayor he was surprised by how much the issue came up. He says he gets hundreds of messages on the subject.

Hanson writes on Facebook that if crews just paved every alley no questions asked, the effort would be extremely expensive. Instead, they are prioritizing the alleys they hear the most about. Hanson admits they knew going in that there are people living on those blocks that would not be able to afford paying to have the alley paved, but some sort of assessment will be necessary for those who benefit the most from the job to complete the project.

The letter sent in the mail is just a proposal, according to Hanson, to gauge interest in the work. Right now, people want the benefit of a well-maintained alley that is transformed from a gravel to cement surface without paying for it. Hanson argues the situation leaves one of two options. The first is the city decides where to pave with the available budget it has or it paves where people are willing to share in the cost. The second choice makes it easy for city employees and elected officials in that it keeps them from being accused of playing politics with where the work is done.

Hanson ends his Facebook note by saying he is open to proposals from residents. He notes, “The best way to come up with a solution, is be the first to propose one.”