Laserfiche WebLink
City Planner Anderson asked how the comparison information is displayed. <br />Board Member Hiatt stated that it is a graphic displaying your consumption and that of your <br />immediate neighbor who is not specifically identified. <br />City Planner Anderson stated that he has had conversations with the City's finance staff. A <br />finance staff member is meeting with the City's utility billing contractor and will explore the <br />feasibility of a water consumption comparison. He stated that this comparison would most likely <br />require intense database building to have it provide the information the Board is looking for. <br />Board Member Valentine stated it would be interesting to learn what Connexus uses as its <br />criteria. He stated it is amazing how much competition the comparison stimulates because <br />people want to do better. <br />Board Member Hiatt stated that it drives changes because you do not want to be the one <br />consuming above the neighbors. He suggested possibly comparing individual consumption to a <br />city average and asked if there were statistics on how water consumption has changed over the <br />last 5-10 years. He suggested that this would be good information to put in the newsletter to get <br />people to look at percentage of consumption. His assumption is that the City is consuming a <br />greater percentage of water than its population growth. <br />City Planner Anderson stated that the City may be able to get data on water usage and can track <br />the general growth of the City based on new construction home permits. It may not be <br />completely accurate because of when the home is actually occupied, but the permits could <br />provide some good analysis. He stated that there is no way of tracking water usage on private <br />wells. He will update the Board on information he obtains after finance staff meets with the <br />City's utility billing contractor. <br />Board Member Bentz stated that the comparison information from Connexus does not go to <br />everyone and not sending a water comparison to every resident would make it a more <br />manageable task. <br />Board Member Valentine stated that the comparison is a separate mailing. <br />Chairperson Stodola suggested that Connexus may be sending the comparisons out on a rotating <br />basis because he has not gotten one for a couple of years. <br />Board Member Hiatt stated that he was not aware they weren't doing it for everyone. <br />Board Member Valentine stated that this is a different program. He stated that this is a visual <br />graphic with a line for your use and a line for use of homes similar to yours and then a general <br />sample size line. It is different than comparing usage from one year to the next. <br />Board Member Bentz stated he would be curious if the City's website would post their <br />consumption statistics once a month to lead the way. He stated that the DNR does have the <br />numbers for the water permits for at least 10 years and that the City is number one over the <br />permit. <br />Environmental Policy Board / June 15, 2015 <br />Page 5 of 9 <br />