Agenda - Council - 10/23/2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The City of Rogers Public Works Director plans to request City Council approval of the draft resolution on October 23rd. Dayton's City Engineer plans to request Council approval of the draft resolution on October 24th. The City of Corcoran's Public Works Director plans to request City Council approval of the draft resolution on October 25th. Each partner city will submit a copy of their executed resolution to the Ramsey City Engineer, who will then share all executed resolutions with Met Council Staff as a package with a request to fund the study in its entirety using Clean Water Funds. Notification: Notifications were not required for this case. Observations/Alternatives: Observations: The City of Ramsey is currently participating in the Metropolitan Council's Water Efficiency Potential Project. The Metropolitan Council selected Ramsey to participate in the project based on current water use data and projected population growth that showed Ramsey ranked 19th in water use per capita out of 94 metropolitan communities with groundwater supplies and a large residential sector. Staff will meet with Metropolitan Council Staff in November to review and discuss the study results, and will then share the results with the Environmental Policy Board, Public Works Committee, City Council, and the public. While discussing whether to participate in the Water Efficiency Potential Project, concerns were raised by the Environmental Policy Board, and echoed by the Public Works Committee, as to whether participating in the Water Efficiency Potential Project would benefit the City. In the end, the City Council voted to participate in the Water Efficiency Potential Project, though the vote was not unanimous. In summary, the concerns focused on whether the Metropolitan Council could use the results to force the City to implement water conservation practices that could then result in higher water rates and increased taxes for City businesses and residents. In response to the concerns raised, Staff shared the following response from Brian Davis with the Metropolitan Council; "The Metropolitan Council has no statutory authority regarding water use restrictions or water supply capital improvements for any municipalities. Our work is conducted under the auspices ofMinnesota Statute 473.1565 (a copy of this statute is attached to this case). We cannot impose any water use restrictions or water supply capital improvements on any municipality. Furthermore, this project is not intended to support any such restrictions. Many communities have raised the issue of revenue reductions resulting from water conservation. This project assesses the economic potential of whether an aggressive water conservation program could reduce the community's expansion ofwater supply wells to meet future residential needs. The focus on "economic potential" is a critical point. If the summer peaking factor is reduced, will the existing wells be sufficient to meet the future water demand as population increases? If so, how much money would be saved by not having to install and maintain additional water supply wells? Such savings could translate to lower water rates over the long run, which is a "win " for all parties. Conversely, if the costs of an aggressive water conservation program exceed the financial savings resulting from a reduction in the number of new wells needed, then it would not make financial sense for a community to pursue such a program. We recognize that communities are not all the same. Instead of a one -size -fits -all approach to water conservation, a more practical approach is to tailor such activities to the characteristics of each community. Our project will help growing communities make financially sound long-term decisions regarding water supply management. The information gained from this project could be useful for a utility when deciding whether or not to pursue an aggressive water conservation program." Staff wanted to share this response again to address similar concerns that may result from this request. Per the first paragraph of the above response, the Metropolitan Council has no statutory authority regarding water use restrictions or water supply capital improvements for any municipalities and therefore cannot impose any water use