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Home My WebLink AboutFYI Newsletter~ i'[T1' UF ti'T. JtriN:PH City Contact Information Ma~r A1 Hxssier 115-9th Avenue SE St. J~Beph MN 5G374 320-3G3-4711 arassier@cabsj u.edu Councilor Dale Wick 1211 Dale Street East St. Joseph MN 56374 320-363-0221 contactdalewick@hotmail. com Cuuuoilm• Henee Svmanietz 354--41L Avenue SE St. Joseph MiV 56374 (32U)980-1461 symanietuenee @ clearw ire. ne t Councilor Steve Frank 606 BircL Street West St. Jusep6 MN SG374 (320) 493-0311 sfrank@e Lcloudstate. edu Cmmcilor Rick Schultz 326-7th ~ivenue SE St. Juseph 141N 56374 (320)363-4334 rsc6ultz~mywdo.cum Administrator .iudv \C7e,vrens PO Box 668 St. Jusepli MN 56374 (320)363-7201 j wcyrens@cityofs Ljosep h.cu~n Policc Chicf Yctc Janskv PO Box Efi8 5t. ,Ioseph _lIN 56374 (320)363-II250 pj ansky@cityofstjosep h. com Public Works Dir. Dick Taufen PO Box 668 S~. Josepli MN 56374 (320) 363-7201 dtau(en@cityoftjoseph.com In the Know in St. Jose h P Volume 2, Issue 2 March 20, 2008 Water Meter Conversion As you are aware the City is in the process of converting all the wa~er meters in the City from a manua] read system to an automated system. The new water meter system will allow the maintenance staff to read the meterb frum theu vehicle, eliminating the need to access your property. As of this time approximately 91°/u of the meters have been converted. lf your rrieter is not converted please call the City Of6ces at 320-363- 7201 to make arrangements. [n addikiun tu providinK an auWmated reading system, the new meters record water usage in gallons as opposed to the old meters which registered in cubic feet. This change required considerable conversion. '1'1ie accounts that have had a new meter installed (converted) will iiote a six di~it riurnber in t6e Yrevious Read column beginning with the number 9. The fol- lowin~ steps were used lo convert the meter data: 1. At the time the meter was converted, a manual read of the water meter was recurded. 2. The reading Gum step one was subtracted from the January meter reading, providing the ataff with the water usage since the last billing period. 3. The water uyage frorn step two was converted to gallons. 4. The met.r,ra can unly read to 999,999 gallons. When a meter reaches this nurnUer it tLen rolls over and starts at 0. Therefore, the previous reading on thc water bill where the meter has been converted is generated by taking 999,999 less tlic water usage as converted in step 3. 5. At the end of the billui~ r,ycle xll the new water meters were read, keeping in mind that they begin at 0, anJ the usage f'rom the date of conversion until the end of the billing period wes recorded in gallons. For example: If your bill shows a previous reading of 996,999 (999,999 - 996,999 = 3,000) and the current reading atates 2062 (ine~.er atarting at 0) the usage will be 5062 (3,000 + 2062 = 5062) 6. The two readings were combined to generate ~.he to~al u~e~e fur the billing period. in aJdition to converting the meter data, the water rate has been converted to gallons as well. The current N~ater ra~.e is ~ 1.60 per 100 cubic feet, which converts to .002133 per gal- lon. There are 7.5 galluna of water in cubic f'oot. If yuu httve any yues~ions ~buut yuur water bill please feel free to con- tact Mary at the City OfFice~. When calling please leave your name, ptioiie nuiriber and a Lrief description of the concern. '_Vlary will review the accuunt and call you Lack. ,----- -l ~---~ - - . v " Public Works Corner.......... S~.ree~ Sweep~e - With Spring here the maintenance st.aff will be~in street sweeping the middle of April. If posaible try and keep the street clear from vehicles until the streets are clean. Water H~drant Flushine - Shortly after the streets are swept the maintenance staff ~vill begin flnshing tlie water hydrants. Lluring hydrant flushing resi- dents may experience temporary discoloration . This should only be temporary. However, it if persists please contact the City Offices. Hazardous Waste Pickup Stearne County will be sponsoring a Household Waste pick-up at ~he 5t. Joseph Maintenance Facility. 1855 ~~ Elm Street E. ~HEN Saturday August 23, 2008 a x TiMF 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM .Ilems include: pdints, cleaners, poisons, f'uels, automo- tive chemicals, garden and pool chernicals, Iluurescent 6ulbs, ndhr.sives, aerosols, mothballs and mercury. Thr, rnoLilr, collectiun unit. cennol. take products such as used motor oil, medical waste, appliances, anti- freeze, explosives, furniture, businesa weste, tires, unknowns or regular household garbage. Compost Area to Open Soon The Compost area will open in April with the date de- pending on the weather. Compost stickers will be available at the City Offices Leginning April 15, 2008. The Council adopted the following fee schedule: City/Township of St. Joseph Resident Annual Permit Fee $ 15.00 2nd Yermit for second vehicle $ 5.00 Heplacement Permit $ 5.00 Township of St. Wendel Resident (only thuse served by the 5t. Joseph Fire District) Annual Yermit Fee $ 25.00 2nd Permit for second vehicle $ 10.00 Annual Spring Clean-up It is that time again, ~irr~e tu air uirt the house and do a little spring cleaning. Did you ask how will the City help? Well, this is how The City will provide xll residents on the City reFuse programs two weeks to place extra gar- bage curbsidc. Here are the specifica: WHO: Participants in the City refuse prograrn WHAT: Anythuig with tlie following exceptions: Aypliances, tires, batteries, pollutants, & yard waste., computer nionitors an.d televisions. WH~R~: Curbside at your residenec WHEN: Thursdays,'.Yiay 31st and June 7th PLEASE PUT OUT ITEMS BEFORE 6 AM Appliance Pickup Saturday, June 9th, 2007 ONLY from 79bI to 12 noon in the parking lot of the City Offices Limit of two appliances per household. Be prepared to presenf identification as proof of residency Rememt~er that tLis service ia fur residenta unly, the Police Departcnent will ticket people hau-ing refuse into the City Comprehensive Plan The City and Plamiing Commission initiated the 2008 Comprehen;ive Plan update process in February. The Coinprehensive Plan is tFie umbrella document guiding overall growth and re- development of St. Joseph. Tl~e City's zuning ordinance, the subdivision ordinance and the capi~.al i~nprovement plan are uaed tu implement the Comprehensive Plan. 5t. Jo~eph will continue t.o grow and change. However, the pattern, location, and to a certain extent, che timin~ of that developrnen~ can be influenced by the community. Therefore, every- one living, working or rccrcating in the St Josepli area is invited and encouraged to partici- pate in the comprehensive planning proces~. Additional information is availahle at the C.ity's webaite, including drafts of portions of the plan. If you'd like to be placed on a mailing List (eruail or postal) 4'or the project please contact City Ha1L If you'd like to attend public meetings hosted by the Ylanning Commission regard- ing the plan, they will be held on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 6 p.in. in i.he Cou~cil Chambers ANNOUNCING . . . The St. Joseph Econumic llevelopment Authority and the City Council are pleased to announce the creation of the St. Joseph Business District I'agade Arcliitectural Design Granr Prograin. Tlie program's purpose is ~u aticnulate visible reinvestment u~ St. Jueeph businesses. The program pro- vides a matching grant for actual design wsts, up to $1,000 per property address, tu cummercial property owners and/or ~nerchanta planning exterior building and landscape improvements. Ap- proved projects will be funded on a fust-come/first-served basis until aIl funds are expended. in aJdition, the opportunity exists that the 5t.. Joseph Ecor~oir~ic lleveloprr~ent Auttiority's revolvin~n loan program or other local incentives could be available to assist with construction costs associated with the implementation of fac,ade designs. For rnure information con- tact City Hall, log onto ~r~s~v.ci~~l_~~,jg~eul~i.c~om, or yhone lhe City's EllA Consultant Cynthia Smith-Strack at 888-763- 4462. How much is that doggie in the window? ACH Just a reminder that the City requires all dogs to be licensed Licenses expire l~Iay l,t of' each calendar year and are available at the St. Joseph City Offices. In ap- plying fur x do~ license, the owner shall provide the name, sex, breed, age, color and marking of ~he Jog for which the license is to be procured and a certificate from a qualified veterinarian ehowing that ttie dog has been given a vaccination against ra- bies. License fee: $ 10.00 91so reme~nlier chat It shall be unlawful for the owner of any animal to permit the same to run at large anywhere in the City of St. Joseph ott~er than the property of the owner thereof. Every dog so Iicenaed, must. wear a collar around its neck, to which shall be attached a ine~ al ~ag, distincdy ~narked with tFie yeer iu which the same is issued. It shall be unlawful for any pe,reon I.o r.ause or permit a do~; to Le on any property, public or private, not owned or poesessed by such person, unless such person has in his or her immediate possession a device for the removal of the excrement and a depository for the transmission of excrement to a propcr receptacle located upon property owned or possessed by such person. The City now offers aulo~nxtic bill payment for utility bills. This ser- vice is at no cl~arge to the customer and applications are availablc on the City website, www.cityofstjoseph.com, or at City Hall. Applications must be received by the City prior to the lw~ day of the odd months to be set up for the next calculated utility bill. I'or example, applications £or the Vovember 20~7 utility bill must have been received by the City by November 1, 2007. Si~n up forms can Le sent ir~ at any time, but will only be execul.ed for the next bill- ing if received on time. 3 Congratulations Dick Taufen !!! On September 8, 1969 Dick Taufen becarrie employed by the / \ Y City of St. Joseph as a Main~enance Worker. Suice that time llick ~ ~ ~_~ ~ -f/ became the Pubic Works Director and it. is now tirne fur him to ~J~ retire. Dick has served the Ci~y for over 37 yeara ar~d on April 1, 2003 he will retue. In liis honor ~I~e Cily will be hosting en open house from 2:00 PM to 4:00 P'~I at the 5t. Jaseph Cit.y Offices. We encourage you to stop by the officc and wish Dick well on hiy retirement. The good news for the City is we know where he lives. Dick has a lot of expertise and knowledge that cannot be replaced, he will be missed. N s New Medical Facility , ' The St. Joseph Plannin~ Commission will Le considcring the development plan of Centracare to construct a new medical facility in St. Joseph. The new facility will bc located at the intersec- tion of CR 75 and 12th Avenue (CR 133), located in the Northeast intersection corner. It is anticipated that the new facility will begin construction carly this year and ready for patients in 2008. Congratulations Centra- Care. HERE COMES THE JUDGE ........... Election judgea are needed to help serve in the primary election on September 9 and the general election on November 4. The position reyuirey working from early morning (6:00 am) until late evening on elect.ion days and a few hours of election training. Judges will be compensated for their work. If you are interestcd in servin~v as an election judge please cortact Mary at 320-363-7201. Grease, not just a movie The City of St. Joseph's Public Works Department is asking for help with the disposal of fats, oils and grease from food waste. Utility workers are experi- encing grease and fat build-up and even blockagex in the sewer system duc to waste bein~ put down sinks and drains. City staff ask that you scrapr, material f'rom plates and pots and other utensils into tlie garbagc to avoid greasy material entering the seti~er system. Dlaintenance costs for treating and cleaning pipes, both in the house aiid ir~ t.6e city sewer system can be signiCicant when problems occur. The sanitary sewer system is designed to transport wastewater to a trex~inenL facility not to serve as a garbage disposal system. Proper disposal of' grease and fats saves not only money but the environ- ment. Welcome Terry Thene The City has hired '1'erry Thene as the new Public Works Direclor. Terry grew up north of St. Joseph and lias been workin~n fur the City of Savage for over 20 years overseeine the water utility. His £irst day was March 4, 2U08. Be sure and introducc yourself w6en you see him. ~i,~ a.r \~ i ~ ! ~~~' Did You Know? Fre.yuently the State of '~finnesota adopts up- dxted Building Code regulations. This occurs appruximately every three years. On July 7, 2007 a revised Alinnesota State Code was adopted. In Decernber the Ylumbin~ Code was amended . In Au~ust 200R a carLun Munoxide detector is required to be inetalled ir~ a single family dwell- ings. All multi-family dwellings ~nuet fiave the detectors installed by August o£ 2009. The de- tector must be located within 10 feet of every bedroom and receive its power from battery ur house power. Smoke detectors are required to bc installed in every bedroom, in the hallways leading m the bedrooms and on every level of the house when a permit is issued requiring the inspector to en- ~er the dwelling to perform the inspec- tioi~. These detecior can be powered by battery when the frarr~ing is not opened to provide ac- cess to the house wiring. I'or yuestions or apeciGc detail of changes please eall the Building lnapector at 320-363-7201 ~~