Agenda - Council - 12/20/1983 - Laserfiche WebLink

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TO: Mayor and Councilmembers FROM: City Staff SUBJ: Enforcement of City Code Chapter 150.01 Entitled "Sewage Disposal Systems" ENCL: 1) Amendment to City Code Chapter 150.01 Entitled "Sewage Disposal Systems" Enclosure 1 is hereby submitted for your review and action. The following background information is submitted in regards to the above proposed amendment: From the offset, City Staff felt that there were two approaches the City could take in regards to the above City Code. These are as follows: 1) The City could enforce its present code which is well-written and very restrictive in that it provides close monitoring of all on-site septic systems in the City of Ramsey. However, it would be very costly and would consume an imense amount of time to accomplish it. Z) City Staff also considered and is recommending after meeting with the Metro Council, that our ordinance be amended as shown in enclosure 1 to allow for the citizen to assume the responsibility in monitoring their own systems. The City's involvement would be to provide an educational mailing consisting of ordinance requirements and forms explaining what the citizen will have to accomplish. The City will have to maintain accountability of all mailouts and returns and will have to compile all data returned. City Staff will also be involved where citizens seek their help because they don't understand what they are to accomplish. It can be assumed that there will be a number of these cases. The latter approach is the cheaper by far of the two, but will not provide a close monitoring of on-site septic systems in Ramsey because the burden will be on the citizen and not on the City. In discussing this total issue, the Metro Council has stated this proposal would fall within the requirements for compliance with the Comprehensive Plan. They haven't reviewed the proposed ordinance but will receive a copy of it. We will request their comments between now and your January 10th Council meeting when we will expect Council to take action on the adoption of this ordinance. We have estimated that a budgetary cost of approximately $6,000 will have to be set up from the Council Sinking Fund in your 1984 Budget. This will cover the following additional costs in developing this on-site septic system maintenance program: - cost of mailout - cost of ordinance printing - Administrative time in setting up and mailing out forms and recording of data mailed back to City from citizens. This does not include any Staff time spent on the phone or in the office requesting information which would assist them in locating their systems.