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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20190225 UC Packet AGENDA Utility Commission Regular Meeting Monday, February 25, 2019 5:30 p.m. Upper Conference Room, City Hall 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO AGENDA 3. AUDIENCE INPUT 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. January 14, 2019 Meeting 5. PUBLIC HEARINGS 6. OLD BUSINESS 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Rain Garden Policy Recommendation b. Mayor’s Water Challenge c. Water Supply, Sewer & Surface Water Comprehensive Plan Discussion 8. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT a. City Projects Update b. Set Next Meeting Agenda for March 18, 2019 9. ADJOURNMENT UTILITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES January 14, 2019 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 January 14, 2019, at 5:32 p.m. in the Upper Conference Room, City Hall, 2875 145th Street West, Rosemount. Commissioner Demuth called meeting to order with Commissioners Cahn and Nelson, Mayor Droste, Finance Director May, Public Works Director/City Engineer Erickson, Public Works Coordinator Watson, Recording Secretary Barikmo, and President of KLM Engineering Shawn Mulhern. ADDITIONS OR CORRECTIONS TO AGENDA None AUDIENCE INPUT APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Nelson Second by Cahn Motion to approve the minutes of the November 19, 2018 Utility Commission meeting with a change to item 6.b. in the seventh paragraph. Demuth clarified that she was just educating the commission on what other cities were doing, she was not recommending having an additional truck drive behind the plow truck. Motion carried. PUBLIC HEARINGS OLD BUSINESS NEW BUSINESS 7.a. Update of Utility Billing Procedures Finance Director May went over changes in the Utility Billing Procedures. Now that Utility Billing is being outsourced changes were made to dates listed in original document. Cahn questioned how overpayments would be handled. May said that the City would only cut an overpayment check if it is on a terminated account, over $100 or under financial hardship circumstances. Demuth asked how the 6% late fee is derived or if it’s a standard rate. May said that the late fee charge has been 6% for a long time. Residents have not complained about the percentage. May wanted to note that the fixed charges are phasing out. In the second paragraph of the background, May wants to know if the language can just be removable when the applicable time comes. Motion by Cahn Second by Nelson. Motion to approve the updated Utility Billing Procedures. Motion carried 7.b. Chippendale Water Tower Recoating Award Contract Erickson provided an update to the Chippendale Water Tower project. The bid opening that occurred on December 19, 2018 came back with 5 bids. The lowest bidder was Classic Protective Coatings for $569,850.00. As part of KLM’s management, they reviewed the bids and recommend awarding the contract to Classic Protective Coatings. Shawn Mulhern, President of KLM Engineering, attended the meeting to answer any questions from the commissioners. Shawn reiterated that whatever color is chosen for the water tower, the monopole has to be painted the same color. American Tower, who is responsible for painting the monopole, contacted KLM to see what color had been chosen. The color of the water tower has not yet been chosen. Mayor Droste stated that the Chippendale Water Tower should match the color of the Connemara Water Tower. Shawn Mulhern recommended that the City stay uniform with all of the towers. Mayor Droste and Demuth discussed having lights on the tower to display the logo. Shawn Mulhern explained that there is not room on the tower for lights to be installed. The lights would either have to be on separate poles or installed on the handrail. If they were installed on the handrail, it may not light up the entire logo. Motion by Nelson Second by Demuth. Motion to recommend to Council the award of contract for the Chippendale Water Tower Reconditioning, City Project 2019-02. Motion carried 7.c. AT&T Lease Amendment AT&T is only updating their equipment on the Chippendale Water Tower. Erickson stated that this item was informational only, not action was required. 7.d. 2019 Meeting Calendar Erickson went over the proposed meeting dates. Some of the meeting dates were shifted due to holidays. Motion by Cahn Second by Nelson. Motion to set the 2019-2020 Utility Commission Meetings. Motion carried EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT 8.a. City Projects Update Erickson gave an overview of some of the ongoing projects within the city. Projects have finished up for the season. Developments looking to start up in the Spring:  Greystone 8th is the last phase of the Greystone Development.  Meadow Ridge 2nd  Extending sanitary sewer to the Minea/School District property, located at the southwest corner of Akron Ave and Bonaire Path.  UMore/Vermillion Crossing – south/west of DCTC  Lift station Renovation  Bonaire Path – Pavement and water main will be extended Demuth stated that the Water Comp Plan should be the document to reference until 2040, but isn’t sure that it answers all of the necessary questions. Erickson has a meeting with SEH on January 15, 2019 to discuss the plan. Demuth wants the comp plan to outline how our current water supply and where the city is at. She would like it to resemble a “barometer” of the water supply in comparison to the growing population and the consumption. Demuth questioned what the purpose of the Water Supply Plan is. Erickson explained that part of it is to know where the well fields and future towers would be. Well sites are decided based on studies. For Well 16, Barr completed the location study in 2003. This study is included in the current Water Supply Plan and plan was approved in 2007. Well 17’s parcel is in the Prestwick Subdivision. The next possible well sites are: to the east of Akron on Bonaire, or on the McMenomy Parcel to the west of Akron and west of Bonaire. Both of the locations are shown on the report completed by Barr. Each site should be about a half-acre. 8.b. 2018 Well Pumping Report Erickson gave an overview of the Well Pumping Report. In 2018, we received slightly more rain than in 2017. Well Pumping was down 11.8% from 2017. 8.c. Set Next Meeting Agenda for February 25, 2019. The Water Supply, Sewer, & Surface Water Plans will be discussed at next meeting. OTHER UPDATES Demuth wants Commissioners to read the Comp Plans and report back at the March meeting. Demuth would also like Erickson to provide the comments from SEH so Commissioners are aware of any possible changes. Commissioners discussed phasing out the second meter. The second meter is not promoting conservation of water. The main purpose of the second meter is not to pay sewer fees on the water used to irrigate. No other cities offer the second meter. The City of Rosemount currently has about 800 residences that have the second meter. ADJOURNMENT Demuth adjourned the meeting at 7:21p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jessie Barikmo Public Works Secretary E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y Utility Commission Meeting: February 25, 2019 AGENDA ITEM: Rain Garden Policy Recommendation AGENDA SECTION: New Business PREPARED BY: Jes Braun, MN GreenCorps Member AGENDA NO. 7.a ATTACHMENTS: Examples of Similar Programs in Minnesota APPROVED BY: BLE RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discussion on Rebate Program for Residents who install a Qualifying Rain Garden, Rain Barrel, or Native Plantings On Their Property BACKGROUND: In Minnesota, multiple cities and counties offer cost share or rebate programs to residents, organizations, and businesses that install a qualifying rain garden, rain barrel, or native plantings on their property. These types of programs encourage water reuse, reduce the influx of stormwater on the city’s stormwater system, minimize pollutants in runoff, and replenish aquifers by allowing water to infiltrate into the ground, among many other financial and environmental benefits. Currently, the City of Rosemount provides water efficiency rebates for smart irrigation controllers. Previously, this program was funded through a water efficiency grant awarded by the Metropolitan Council. Currently, the funding for this program is wholly from the Water Utility Fund. This was approved by the City Council at their July 2, 2018 meeting and will run through the end of 2019. This program would be run in a similar manner where the rebates take the form of a credit on the property owner’s utility bill. The size of the rebate and details related to that is something that could be investigated for a future discussion with the Commission. SUMMARY: Staff is requesting that the Utility Commission provide direction regarding the establishment of a rain garden, rain barrel, and native planting rebate program for Rosemount residents. ATTACHMENT: COUNTIES WITH PROGRAMS: Anoka County Anoka Conservation District will award 75% of your expenses for a curb cut rain garden. The garden must direct stormwater into a central basin which should be filled with native plants and proper soil for infiltration. Preference is given to curb-cut rain gardens where there is drainage from the street or parking areas. Anoka Conservation District will award 50% of your expenses for the creation of areas that create habitats in areas where it is beneficial for wildlife. Examples include prairie plantings, pollinator gardens, invasive species removal or prescribed burning. Dakota County Dakota County and Dakota County Soil and Water offer grant assistance on the installation of new gardens that help promote clean soil and water. To receive the grant you need to attend the Landscaping for clean water and design classes. You will need to pre-register for the events through the Dakota County website. Once there, they will teach you the basics on how to landscape your yard to help promote clean water. Hennepin County Hennepin County has a grant program called the Good Steward Grant that is available to homeowners and, “are primarily for smaller projects that improve water quality, enhance natural areas and promote environmental stewardship to the community. A typical grant amount is $5,000 to $15,000, with a maximum amount of $25,000.” Their website states that applications were being taken through November 4th, 2016 but we contacted the city and they let us know that they are expected to open applications up again mid-September 2017 and runs for 6 weeks. Ramsey County Nature Program a program run by the Ramsey County Conservation District to help promote the urban living environment. They will offer free assistance for designing rain gardens and other restoration projects that qualify. Those interested in cost sharing must go through an application process and sign a share contract that agrees to maintain the area for a minimum of 5 years. CITIES WITH PROGRAMS: Apple Valley Has a Water Quality Cost Share Program that provides cost share for raingarden, buffer, and shoreline stabilization projects. They may consider funding other types of projects that use one of the following treatment mechanisms: infiltration, bio-filtration, bio-retention, rainwater/runoff harvest/reuse, and other runoff reduction mechanisms. Austin Offers a $10 rebate for purchasing and using a Rain Barrel Chanhassen The City of Chanhassen offers landscape rebates to residents, organizations, and businesses in Chanhassen who replace a minimum of 200 square feet of irrigated/watered lawn or landscape with a WaterWise landscape. Creating a WaterWise landscape means using plants, shrubs, trees or grasses that are drought-tolerant, native to the area or hardy to planting Zone 4, and will not be irrigated. WaterWise landscapes require very little watering and maintenance when compared to turf grass. Stormwater runoff from your roof can also be re- directed to water these planting areas instead of using irrigation (i.e. creating a rain garden). Rebate will be distributed as funds allow. Cottage Grove Has a Rain Barrel Rebate Program that offers a $20 rebate. They also have a Blue and Green Environmental Challenge program that provides an opportunity to win a $50 credit on a water bill by following some simple water conservation tips. Eden Prairie Eden Prairie will offer rebates for residents who landscape their lawns and yards to help improve water quality. These areas include shoreland buffers planted at lake, wetland or creek shorelines, rain gardens, infiltration basins or pollinator gardens designed, constructed and planted to capture stormwater runoff. The maximum rebate is up to $1,500 and the City must inspect the project before and after installation. 75% or more of the plants that are used must be native plants and be approved. They also have a pervious pavement installation rebate program. Fridley Fridley will award residents with a rebate up to $200 if they have an audit by a WaterSense audit-certified professional. The rebate covers controller replacement with a WaterSense labeled controller, or the replacement of broken or inefficient sprinkler heads. Maplewood They are a 30,000 person city with almost 450 rain gardens built over the past 13 years. Rain gardens have been designed into all new roadway improvement projects. This decreases the cost of infrastructure including curb and gutter and stormwater pipes. Their main goal for the city is to improve water quality Citizens volunteer for a free rain garden during construction. They sign an agreement to maintain that garden. 95% of the homeowners maintain their gardens, even after the sale of the homes. Minneapolis Their Stormwater Credit Program incentives include a 50% Reduction of Water Quality Fee, and a 50 to 100% Reduction of Water Quantity Fee Northfield They have three different incentive programs:  Rain Barrel o Property owners who buy and install a rain barrel can receive a $20 credit on their utility bill after sending in a completed rebate form along with a receipt of purchase and a staff visit to verify installation.  Rain Garden o Participants receive a 50% reimbursement on the cost of rain garden materials and equipment rental up to a $250 maximum reimbursement  Native Planting o Participants who qualify for the Native Plant Rebate can receive a utility bill credit for 33% of the cost of the seeds, up to $75. The rebate will be distributed in the amounts of $25, $50, or $75. Rochester Has cost-share grants that award individuals that meet the criteria with a one- time award that pays 50% of their raingarden costs, up to a maximum of $750 St. Louis Park Partners with Metro Blooms for rain garden installations for up to 10 homeowners per year. The homeowners pay for their consultation, plus the cost of plants and mulch. The city will then reimburse up to 75 percent of the direct costs, including the consultation fee. South St. Paul Participates in 4 grant programs with citizens, 3 out of the 4 are 100% funded (two types of Rain Garden programs and a Conservation Initiative Funding for churches and schools). Rain Barrels are 50% funded. G:\MEETINGS\UTILITY COMMISSION\UC Items and Packets\2019\20190225\7.b. - 20190225 Mayor's Water Challenge.docx E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y Utility Commission Meeting: February 25, 2019 AGENDA ITEM: Mayor’s Water Challenge AGENDA SECTION: New Business PREPARED BY: Brian Erickson, PE, Director of Public Works/City Engineer AGENDA NO. 7.b. ATTACHMENTS: 8th Annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge APPROVED BY: BLE RECOMMENDED ACTION: No action required, discussion only. BACKGROUND: Attached is a copy of the 8th Annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation that was received by Mayor Droste. The Mayor has requested ways to increase the publicity of this challenge in order to get this information out to the residents of Rosemount. As can be seen on the attachment, this challenge takes place in April and allows residents to make pledges to conserve natural resources. This is a program that is intended to be inspirational for the residents and encourage them to try and find ways to protect our natural resources. SUMMARY: Discussion only. 2/22/2019 Sign Your City Up! Participate in the 8th annual National Mayor's Challenge for Conservation! https://mailchi.mp/wylandfoundation/08wb9gwe1h-245381?e=1c3e08116d 1/6 View this email in your browser Take part in the 8th Annual Wyland National Mayor ’s Challenge for Water Conservation and inspire your residents to protect the future of your city’s water supply, infrastructure and natural resources. Best of all, you're supporting the health and economic vitality of our nation's waterways and ecosystems. Subscribe Past Issues Translate 2/22/2019 Sign Your City Up! Participate in the 8th annual National Mayor's Challenge for Conservation! https://mailchi.mp/wylandfoundation/08wb9gwe1h-245381?e=1c3e08116d 2/6 Hundreds of mayors and city leaders take part every April! Every year during the month of April, this non-profit, no-cost, community service campaign encourages communities to work together for clean water and a healthy ocean. It's as simple as: 1) Mayors and city officials communicate the challenge to their residents; 2) Residents make online pledges to conserve our natural resources; 3) Residents of the cities with the most pledges are eligible to win a Toyota Highlander Hybrid and thousands of dollars of other eco-friendly prizes thanks to our presenting partner Toyota and our program partners The Toro Company, and Earth Friendly Products (ECOS). Simply make a statement of support for conservation, the Mayor’s Challenge, and/ or what your city is doing for conservation. This statement will be shared on your city’s customized landing page for everyone taking the pledge in your city. Subscribe Past Issues Translate 2/22/2019 Sign Your City Up! Participate in the 8th annual National Mayor's Challenge for Conservation! https://mailchi.mp/wylandfoundation/08wb9gwe1h-245381?e=1c3e08116d 3/6 PLATFORM TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY TO YOUR RESIDENTS Communicate the Challenge to your citizens on your city website, newsletter, inserts in utility bill mailers, social media, events, whatever works for your city. An electronic toolkit is provided that provides all needed to communicate the Challenge to residents. Let your citizens know you support their conservation efforts. Your residents simply go to mywaterpledge.com, select your city, view your statement on conservation, and make a series of simple online pledges to conserve water and other natural resources. After making their pledges, residents will see the positive impacts from their commitment over the coming year, including how much water and money they will save. Best of all, winning city residents are eligible to win up to $3,000 toward home utilities, a Toyota Highlander Hybrid for a local charity, and hundreds of other eco friendly prizes. Subscribe Past Issues Translate 2/22/2019 Sign Your City Up! Participate in the 8th annual National Mayor's Challenge for Conservation! https://mailchi.mp/wylandfoundation/08wb9gwe1h-245381?e=1c3e08116d 4/6 CLICK HERE For more information call 949-643-7070, ext. 261 Our residents are area leaders in recycling, but we all need to improve our efforts at conserving water. Andover High School students will work with me to challenge improved conservation of water and other resources in our community. - Julie Trude, Mayor Statements and videos can be emailed to mayorschallenge@wylandfoundation.org Please provide videos as a youtube link Subscribe Past Issues Translate 2/22/2019 Sign Your City Up! Participate in the 8th annual National Mayor's Challenge for Conservation! https://mailchi.mp/wylandfoundation/08wb9gwe1h-245381?e=1c3e08116d 5/6 Encourage your residents to do their part to save water in your city. Simply have them go to mywaterpledge.com from April 1st through April 30th. Winning city residents are eligible to win up to $3,000 toward home utilities, a Toyota Highlander Hybrid for a local charity to serve your community, and hundreds of other eco friendly prizes. 22.2 Million gallons of oil saved 191.9 million pounds of KWH hours saved 12.6 billion pounds of CO2 reduced $38.4 million in consumer savings 3 billion gallons of water saved TAKE THE CHALLENGE TAKE THE CHALLENGE TAKE THE CHALLENGE Subscribe Past Issues Translate 2/22/2019 Sign Your City Up! Participate in the 8th annual National Mayor's Challenge for Conservation! https://mailchi.mp/wylandfoundation/08wb9gwe1h-245381?e=1c3e08116d 6/6 Copyright © 2019 Wyland Foundation, All rights reserved. unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences Subscribe Past Issues Translate G:\MEETINGS\UTILITY COMMISSION\UC Items and Packets\2019\20190225\7.c. - 20190225 Comprehensive Plan Discussion.docx E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y Utility Commission Meeting: February 25, 2019 AGENDA ITEM: Water Supply, Sewer and Surface Water Comprehensive Plan Discussion AGENDA SECTION: New Business PREPARED BY: Brian Erickson, PE, Director of Public Works/City Engineer AGENDA NO. 7.c. ATTACHMENTS: None APPROVED BY: BLE RECOMMENDED ACTION: Discussion regarding the comprehensive plans for water, sanitary sewer and surface water. BACKGROUND: The Commission requested time for discussion regarding the comprehensive system plans for Rosemount at their January 2019 meeting. These plans were provided previously and will be available for review at the meeting. SUMMARY: This is a discussion item for the Commission.