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Case #5 Consider Water Conservation Policy <br /> <br />Background: <br /> <br />Staff explained the City is required to file a Water Emergency and Conservation Plan every 10 <br />years, the first plan was filed in 1996. The plan renewal requires that conservation measures <br />be in place or a detailed outline for implementing conservation be included. The City will be <br />filing a new plan, the due date may be later than 2006 because the DNR is staggering the due <br />date for plans to allow their staff time to review the plans. State law requires that conservation <br />measures be implemented before seeking approvals for new well construction. <br /> <br />Staff has learned that the DNR will be increasing the rate for water pumped in excess of the <br />winter average rate. This fee will be applied to the peak pumping months; this fee is part of <br />the State efforts to encourage conservation. <br /> <br />Staff recommends Chapter 9 of the City Code be revised to require 6" of topsoil in all new <br />developments. Rain sensors should be required on ali new residential irrigation systems. <br />Educational materials should be developed and disseminated through the website, the Ramsey <br />Resident and brochures at City Hall and the new resident package. Revising the rate structure <br />to encourage conservation should be evaluated and implemented through the Finance <br />Committee and City Council. <br /> <br />The consensus of the Committee was to recommend that the City Council direct the following <br />regarding a Water Conservation Policy: <br /> <br />· Define topsoil to be a sandy lome with 40% organic matter <br />· Forward the policy for input from the Environmental Policy Board <br />· Education, including a booth at the environmental expo and a QCTV program <br />· Incentive program for existing homeowners to install rain sensors <br /> <br />Action: <br /> <br />Ratify the recommendation of the Public Works Committee. <br /> <br />Case//6 Temporary Signs in the Public Right of Way <br /> <br />Background: <br /> <br />Within the past year City staff was instructed to remove temporary signs from power poles, <br />street signs etc. This was to be the first wave of enforcement and this went very well with no <br />complaint from anyone who had erected signs in this manner. The second tier of enforcement <br />was to remove signs from vision triangle, and anything in this triangle was removed. The <br />most common violator of this area was real estate agents, but after some discussion they <br />changed the location of their signs without too much negative feed back. <br /> <br />-322- <br /> <br /> <br />