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<br />PW CASE # 4
<br />
<br />UPDATE ON STORM DRAINAGE UTILITY IMPLEMENTATION
<br /> By: Steve Jankowski, City Engineer
<br />
<br />Background:
<br />
<br />On November 23, 1999, the City Council introduced an ordinance creating a storm drainage
<br />utility. The adoption of this ordinance should have been scheduled for the December 14 Council
<br />r,~eeting, but was omitted frem the agenda due to an oversight. The adoption of the ordinance
<br />will be placed on the Decer:~ber 21, 1999, Council meefi.r:g agenda. The funds generated by this
<br />utili~j, are anticipated to fund a number of construction projects in 2000 includir~.g (1) cleaning of
<br />~om~:y Ditch 43, (2) the Ju,~iper Ridge Drive storm sewer, (3) the 149th Avenue storm sewer,
<br />~.i.~t (4) the 164th Lane storm z~;wer. It is therefore 5mportant that the City in::!:!~-:t~ collection of
<br />,he -.~ti. lity charges as soon ~s pCssible. The purpose of this case is to province an overview of
<br />,.." ./: +~sks need to be com'~!ei, ed before charges c~:~, ~e placed on quarteri).,' '~;~.~ty bills, and
<br />i~ov.:c a schedule for corx< ..~..tmg those tasks. A se :o~-'~ary goal is to solicit co~x,':~'~!.~ee input on
<br />_? r,,ing the public of the i '-- -:nding charges and t['~ ;ascfion of the storm dra' ~.age utility.
<br />
<br />~ ~., firzt opportunity for b;~'.~ng will occm:, in the A,- 2 2~90 utility billing, i'he s:orm drainage
<br />,'~ ~..":.' charge will be addc~l to five other City chargc~ that appear on local uriC2- billings. These
<br />,:h~.~cs include sanitary s,,"¢, .,', raunicipal water, s,.%:.'-.[vision streetlights, p.~.~c, fity streetlights,
<br />m, ~' recycling.
<br />
<br />,.~- ,:~ajor task facing st~:.£_? ~."~.! be to determine the ,~.:'e¢.s of commercial prol:. Ytyes subject to the
<br />~,;r~,n drainage utility char.~e~ We have a listing of a,~,~r.oximately 350 utility customers who are
<br />c,~."~[fied as commercial ~.ccc,mts. We believe the v.c.:aa! number of comrnerc~q accounts that
<br />si- ,~!d be subject to the st~.~,n drainage utility rate to be about half of this m~:~.~l~cr. One reason
<br />fo,' ~l'~c difference stems fi'om the fact that there may b~, multiple meters on the same property.
<br />A,u[her factor is that stri:: malls and multi-tena.xx facilities have many i~:dividual utility
<br />acc¢unts. A second task will be to identify those parcels having on-site pondix~g, which should
<br />r::ceive consideration for a reduction in their charges. Staff is estimating that with the assistance
<br />of ;~ part-time employee, perlmps the environmental specialist, these tasks could be completed by
<br />mid.-March. Once the proper information is supplied to Cormexus, only two to three weeks is
<br />estimated to be required to update their billing system. Finally, staff believes some information
<br />should be provided to the public before the implem¢:~.tation of the charge. An article in the
<br />Ramsey Resident would be appropriate; however, additional advertisement may be desirable
<br />such as a special mailing or a cable TV program.
<br />
<br />Committee Action:
<br />
<br />None required.
<br />
<br />Reviewed by:
<br />City Administrator
<br />Director of Public Works
<br />Finance Officer
<br />
<br />PW: 12/21/99
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