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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4.a. October 16, 2017 Minutes UTILITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES October 16, 2017 CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof the regular Utility Commission meeting of the City of Rosemount th was called to order on October 16, 2017, at 5:30 p.m. in the Conference Room of the City Hall, 2875 145 Street West, Rosemount. Commissioner Connolly called the meeting to order with Commissioner Demuth and Nelson, City Administrator Martin, Mayor Droste, Public Works Director/City Engineer Brian Erickson, and Recording Secretary Erin Fasbender. ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO AGENDA Demuth would like to add the discussion of the splash pad grant application. Connolly stated we will add this topic to ‘old business’ which will be moved to after ‘new business’. AUDIENCE INPUT APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Demuth Second by Nelson Motion to approve the minutes of the August 14, 2017 Utility Commission meeting. NEW BUSINESS 6.a. Service Line Insurance Program Brian Erickson had a meeting with Utility Service Partners (USP) to discuss a program that is a service line warranty program. The property owner shall be liable for all repairs (including frozen water lines) required to any water line from the curb stop to the premises or sewer line from the main to the premises. USP offers a voluntary program which will require a monthly fee from the property owner that will insure their water and sanitary sewer service laterals. USP will pay up to $8,500 and anything over would be the resident’s responsibility. USP would provide the service through the homeowners. The services that homeowners should need may depend on what is covered on a resident’s homeowners insurance. The rates would be approximately $7-$8 monthly. USP also mentioned they would provide a rebate once a customer reaches a certain amount or reduce the rate for homeowners. Erickson is suggesting going back to the homeowners versus having it appear as if the city is recommending or suggesting use of this. USP would do a mailing to all homeowners which the city staff would review and approve prior to it being sent out as USP would be using the city logo. Erickson mentions that some other cities have added a small fee (approximately $4/quarter) to water bills to cover any water service breaks. Based on the number of breaks some of these cities have had, Erickson assumes they may have to increase this rate in 2018. The fee would cover the upstream side of the meter, although it would not cover any restoration. Connolly questioned how the fee is being collected and Martin confirms USP would be billing the residents directly. Mayor commented that most of the cities the USP is gearing towards are older cities. Connolly brought up the concern of the city endorsing the letter as there may be general confusion for residents thinking that the city is recommending this. USP may be unique to its competitors by it being endorsed by the League of Cities. Erickson has not yet connected with other cities to see what their thoughts are on using USP. Demuth would like to hear more from other cities on their services from USP. One of the commissioners’ main concerns is over the letter that is to be sent out and being liable for any issues that may occur. Nelson and Connolly agree that it may cause confusion to residents if we are tying USP with the City. Martin questioned how much control does the city have over the letter that is to be sent out? Martin plans to connect with other city managers who use these services to get their feedback on the program and its mailing process. Connolly suggests the letter that is to be sent out, may be a good discussion for the city attorney. Mayor Droste had the following questions; What is the estimated number of homes in Rosemount that this could possibly impact? Where are the higher risk areas? Also, does the city reiterate in city code/newsletter etc. where the responsibility lies? Mayor and Council Member Weisensel heard USP speak at NLC conferences and then USP connected with the City as a follow up call is how staff heard about this company. Questions commission would like addressed: Percentage of clay piping throughout Rosemount? What issue are we fixing by getting this service? Is there a different way with the data we have to educate the residents who are at risk the most, i.e. newsletter? What does our code actually state and to make sure that this code is clear to the resident going forward. Commissioners would like us to invest in more research and address the key item points. OLD BUSINESS Splash Pad Grant Application Demuth would like to discuss the grant that we did not receive for the splash pad water reuse. Demuth would like to discuss the opportunity of adding the splash pad water reuse funding to the CIP. Demuth suggests saving water versus continuing to add wells. Demuth questions if we are running our wells at optimizing level and suggests it may be good question to ask Hawkins. The splash pad continues to be a main water source. Demuth believes the ethical thing to do would be to reuse the water. Connolly agrees if there is a way to cost effectively reuse the water today it would be the way to go, but unfortunately Connolly believes it would be very costly – if we don’t receive the grants. Connolly believes our voice has been heard regarding our thoughts on this issue. Connolly believes it is now a council issue and we don’t have the ability to add it to the CIP. The CIP is going to council in November and the Water Treatment Plan is going back into the CIP at that work session. Martin is suggesting throwing in this topic of the splash pad for discussion at the CIP work session in November as that may be the best option at this point. PRESIDENT’S REPORT None EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT 8.a. City Projects Update  Well House 16 awarded earlier this month. The anticipated construction is to start at some point this month. nd  132 Street West – We are still waiting on a MnDot permit in order to begin work.  Well 5 Abandonment – Preconstruction meeting was last week and the construction is to begin in October and be completed in December. 8.b. 2017 Well Pumping Report Erickson provided an overview of the monthly water usage report. Demuth mentioned that Woodbury extends their water restrictions to go longer. The City of Woodbury has staff go out at 3AM to enforce the restriction and cite residents who water during off times. Demuth attended a Met Council session and shared that a presenter showed two Kentucky Bluegrass grass samples. One which watered regularly versus a sample that only receives rainwater and you couldn’t tell the difference between the two samples. 8c. Set Next Meeting Agenda for November 20, 2017 OTHER UPDATES ADJOURNMENT Connolly adjourned the meeting at 6:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Erin Fasbender Public Works Secretary