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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 [02] Feb 11 I I I I February 11, 2004 , Page 1 of2 I Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in Special Session on Wednesday, February 11, 2004 at 5:00 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall. i i Members Present: Mayor Larry Hosch. Members of the Council Gary Utsch, AI Rassier, Ross Rieke, I Dale Wick. City Administrator Judy Weyrens. I Others Present: City Engineer Joe Bettendorf, Public Works Director Dick Tauf~n. . . Mayor Hosch stated the purpose of the meeting is to continue discussing the implementation of a Storr(l Water Utiiity. Shannon Smith of SEH presented the Council with a revised rate structure and property I inventory for the College and Monastery of St. Benedict. Joe Bettendorf stated that he along with Smith met with representatives of the Coilege to discuss the amount of water that is drained from College I property into the City storm sewer system, Based on that discussion revised storm water fees were I prepared. Bettendorf stated that the Coilege/Monastery have an internal system which provides for i drainage to a private holding pond. Therefore, the only property that is being proposed to be charged a fee are those that drain to the City system. i . , Smith also presented the Council with a proposed budget including the propose~ revenues and I expenditures. The expenditure budget primarily included those fees which are mandated by legislation regarding the implementation of NPDES 11. The financial projection for the utility covered a five year I period and based on the expenditures, the minimum fee for the first year is $ 2.00 per residential I structure. The fees for commercial and industrial properties are based on total number of acres using the residential rate as the multiplying factor. The Council was in general agreement that a five year rate I structure should be established based on needs. i I Smith stated that the Council must also discuss whether or not commercial/industrial properties will be: provided a credit if property contains a retention or detention pond. Smith stated that the proposal before the Council provides properties a 25% credit for managing their storm water. The property owner would be required to complete an application requesting the credit. The Council discussed that a Storm Water Utility is similar to that of water and sewer and all property owners must share equally in the maintenance and expansion of such. Bettendorf clarified that the City is also charging developers a Storm Water fee at the time of development. The development fees should cover the expansion and replacement of the I ~~ ' Before the utiiity can be collected, the Council must adopt an Ordinance governing the Utility and' I estabiish a rate schedule including any credits that will apply. Since the Ordinance will not be a part of the Zoning Ordinance a public hearing will not be required. However, before the Council considers ani , Ordinance, Staff is recommending that an informational meeting be established allowing properly owners to discuss the proposed charge. The informational meeting will be conducted by staff members of SEH. It is anticipated that one meeting will be conducted and it will be heid late afternoon to early evening. All the information from the meeting will be compiled and presented to the Council and then a final decisiÖn must be made and the Ordinance must be adopted. I , The Council was in general agreement that the formula must be simple and applied equally. The I proposed rate is based on the Stearns County Tax classification. The Council also discussed that I property owners may be requesting special rates due to unique circumstances.' It was agreed that it i~ easy to over analyze the rate and it must be kept simple and it must be emphasized that the fee is part of a utility that needs to be managed and funded. The Councii agreed to track individual requests and I review the rates only if a trend can be established. The final Ordinance will include a provision for I contesting the rate, similar to that of existing utilities. I , Utsch made a motion to establish the Storm Water Utility rate at $ 2.25 per residential property. This rate will be the basis for calculating commerial and Industrial fees. Properties that manage , February 11, 2004 Page 2 of 2 storm water eitherby retention or detention will be provided a credit of 25%. It will be the responsibility of the property owner to apply for the credit. Further, this rate is proposed and can be modified based on the public input received or additional information received. The motion was seconded by Utsch and passed unanimously. OTHER MATTERS Water Vulnerability ReDort: Weyrens reported that she has had the opportunity to review the mandate that requires all public water sources serving a population over 3000 to submit a Water Vulnerability Report. The report must be submitted to the State of Minnesota no later than June 30, 2004. The purpose of the report is to assure that water sources are protected from terrorism threats. The City Staff should be able to complete the form with assistance from the City Engineer. LeaQue Bulletin: Rieke questioned if the City would consider paying for a portion of the League of Minnesota Cities Bulletin for Councilors who request such. Rieke stated it was his understanding that the Council ceased paying for the Bulletins as it is available online. Rieke stated that he prefers to receive the paper version of the Bulletin and would be willing to pay for a portion of the subscription. The Council was in agreement to pay for the annual subscription to the League of Minnesota Cities Bulletin for any Councilor requesting such. Utsch and Rieke both requested to receive paper versions of the Bulletin. Personnel Reviews: Weyrens questioned the Council as to when they were going to consider the performance reviews of the Administrator and Police Chief. The Council agreed to discuss the matter on February 18, 2004 at 7:30 AM, before the Council/Staff workshop. Adiourn: Wick made a motion to adjourn at 6:30 PM; seconded by Hosch. Ayes: Hosch, Utsch, Wick, Rieke Nays: Rassier Motion Carried 4:1:0 ~d7~ Jud Weyrens A inistrator I I I