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Meeting
Minutes
Tuesday, September 23, 2008,
at 6:30 p.m.
1. Introductions/Roll
Call
Commission
members present: Joan Felice, Ernie Willenbring, and Jim DeBenedet
Commission
members absent: Jan Vanderwall and Dwayne Stenlund
Staff
present: Duane Schwartz, Public Works Director
Others
present:
2. Public
Comments
None
3. Approval
of August 26, 2008, Meeting Minutes
Member
Willenbring moved to approve the minutes of the August 26, 2008, meeting of
the Public Works, Environment and Transportation Commission. Member Felice
seconded.
Ayes: 3
Nays: 0
Motion
carried
Member
Willenbring questioned how PWETC’s recommendation regarding funding
maintenance of city infrastructure was received by the City Council. Duane Schwartz responded that the recommendation had been presented to the Council but
discussion of the budget was scheduled for October 13, 2008.
4. Communication
Items
TH 280
Meeting
Duane Schwartz updated the Commission on the TH 280 plans and announced the open house to be
held tomorrow at Roseville City Hall by Mn/DOT regarding TH 280.
Member
Felice said that when there was a stop light at TH 280 and County Road B
there was an easy way for pedestrians and bicycles to cross the highway, now
there’s only the crossing at Larpenteur; and she’d like Mn/DOT to be made
aware of that. Mr. Schwartz said this issue was discussed during the Pathway
Master Plan meetings, and that the bridge at Larpenteur is due to be
reconstructed next year, which will provide a wider, safer was across the
highway. Mr. Schwartz said he would mention this issue to the Mn/DOT
representatives at the open house.
5. 2009
Utility Rate Recommendation
Utility
rate structures are proposed to change significantly in 2009. As proposed,
the base rate will increase to cover fixed costs; and the usage charge will
decrease to cover variable costs.
Member
Felice said that since billing cycles are different for some residents, the
usage fee may not be fair to those who get one bill for over the summer
months when they would be watering their lawns. Chair DeBenedet agreed and
wondered if the billing could be based on monthly usage. Mr. Schwartz said
that wouldn’t be possible unless the City started reading meters monthly
instead of quarterly.
Member
Willenbring said he thought we should promote conserving water as much as
possible and that if people chose to water their lawns and waste water in
other ways they should have to pay a higher fee, more than the 10% that is
currently being charged. Member Willenbring also suggested having a
multi-tiered system, where people would be charged a higher percentage the
more they use. Chair DeBenedet said he thought the figures presented were reasonable.
Member
Felice requested more information on how the rates increase over the summer
because of watering and how that affects those whose invoice includes the
three highest usage months.
Member
Willenbring moved to recommend the water rates be approved by the City
Council. Member Felice seconded but requested that the additional
information on summer usage be provided at the next meeting.
Ayes: 3
Nays: 0
Motion
carried
6. 2009 Public Works Work Plan
Review
Mr. Schwartz
presented the 2009 work plan for Public Works.
7. Additional
Discussion on Public Works Strategic Plan
This
item was brought back again from the May meeting. Chair DeBenedet said he
wanted further discussion on this because he sees more distress in the
infrastructure and it is concerning. He wonders if the Public Works
Department should have an inspector on staff that tours the city looking for
problems and possible problems and catching things before they become major
situations.
Member
Willenbring asked if there was currently an inspector monitoring construction
or maintenance projects. Mr. Schwartz said there are currently two project
coordinators on staff that do field inspections and quality control on city
projects such as street reconstructions and mill and overlay projects. Other
than that, any inspections of infrastructure are under the jurisdiction of
the street and utility supervisors; but staffing isn’t at a level to do major
amounts of preventative inspections. Member Felice said there does seem to
be accountability here and thinks it is a good idea to be proactive and catch
things before they become problems.
Chair
DeBenedet requested something be added to the vision statement addressing
quality when constructing projects.
8. Discussion
of Additional Cleanup Days
Mr.
Schwartz said he asked the city recycling coordinator about additional days,
and the current contract with the waste hauler does allow for one additional
day; but it’s too late to schedule one for this year. Other cities were
contacted that have a fall cleanup day and it seems the number of
participants drops off in the fall.
Member
Willenbring moved to recommend to City Council that there be two cleanup days
in 2009, one in the spring and one in the fall, with a report back to the
PWETC on how the fall event goes. Member Felice seconded.
Ayes: 3
Nays: 0
Motion
carried
9. Agenda
for Next Meeting – October 28, 2008
·
Tim Pratt, Recycling Coordinator, could talk more about
organized waste collection
·
Storm Water Pond Cleaning
·
Discussion of Collecting Compostable Food Waste
·
Twin Lakes, if preliminary plans are ready
·
Roselawn Street Reconstruction
·
Utility Billing Information on Summer Months
10. Adjournment
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