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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20170320 UC Minutes UTILITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES March 20, 2017 CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof the regular Utility Commission meeting of the City of Rosemount was called to order on March 20, 2017, at 5:31 p.m. in the Conference Room of the City Hall, 2875 145th Street West, Rosemount. Commissioner McDonald called the meeting to order with Commissioner Nelson, Rosemount Mayor Droste, Public Works Interim Director John Morast, Public Works Coordinator Christine Watson, Recording Secretary Erin Fasbender, and Public Works Utilities Will Boyd. ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO AGENDA AUDIENCE INPUT APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Nelson Second by McDonald Motion to approve the minutes of the February 20, 2017 Utility Commission meeting Ayes: 2. Nays: 0. Absent: 0. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS 5.a. Irrigation Meters and Water Conservation Morast is requesting a recommendation from Utility Commission on how to proceed with the ongoing discussion about the use of separate meters for residential irrigation systems. The use of second meters would accurately measure the water usage for residents. This item got brought back up when discussions for setting the rates for 2017 came up. Per the November meeting, staff has met the request on all the action items as requested by the commission. The data shows that irrigation customers without a separate meter have a higher spike in third quarter usage than irrigation customer with a separate meter. This suggests that the main factor contributing to high water usage is not necessarily the irrigation meter, but rather the presence of the irrigation system itself. An irrigation meter provides the most accurate way to bill for water and sewer use. If we can separate the billing between first and second meter usage, we can then work on the water conservation piece because we can accurately see the water usage. Mayor Droste’s concern going forward is the cost of the second meter for residents along with the potential maintenance fees for these additional meters. Watson suggested we could recoup the cost of the meter through maintenance meter fees. Mayor Droste suggested when we reevaluate our rates; we need to base our rates to reflect where our future of the city is going. As a city we need to encourage residents to reevaluate their water usage. Staff will continue to create ways to promote and educate residents on water conservation. The commission would like more information on the sewer ramifications, how to standardize our readings, the possibility of not penalizing the lowest users, and more information on smart meters before making any further recommendations. Morast will look to connect with the City of Burnsville to get more information about their smart meters and work with staff to determine the impacts that staff would have with switching the billing system. 6. NEW BUSINESS 6.a. Backflow Prevention Program There have been recent changes in plumbing and state code about backflow prevention systems and how each municipality is responsible for notifying owners of backflow devices the need for annual testing. Managing backflow is a critical component to ensure that our water supply is protected from contamination. Currently our tracking system to monitor backflow preventer inspections is maintained by the building inspections department. Recently Morast had discussions with the Public Works Department as a few recently attended a class regarding the backflow prevention code changes. The class is stating the responsibility is now falling more onto the city. For example, the City of Forest Lake was recently contacted by the Department of Health informing them to get a better handle on their tracking and monitoring system. The Safe Water Commission along with several other companies provide services to help municipalities manage their backflow prevention program. The companies do not charge the city directly. They do require inspectors to register to gain access to and record inspection data into their system on an annual basis. The assumption is the cost would be passed to the property owner with the cost of the inspection. Some of our residents have already been contacted by these companies. With the recent changes in regulations, Morast is only looking to make the commission aware of these regulation changes and will continue to work with staff to research ways to implement a backflow prevention program. 7. PRESIDENT’S REPORT None 8. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT 8.a. City Projects Update • Well 16 is currently under design with the intentions of being fully online by the end of the year • Well 5 is ready to be sealed • Still having issues with the current work being done with Summit • More developments up and coming – east of Akron • Shannon Pkwy is our major recon this year • 42/52 open house March 27th 8.b. 2017 Well Pumping Report Slight decrease in usage compared to past years. 8c. Set Next Meeting Agenda for April 17, 2017 OTHER UPDATES None ADJOURNMENT McDonald adjourned the meeting at 6:21 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Erin Fasbender Public Works Secretary