Ramsey Resident - 1992 - January

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8 What's Happening At City Hall continued City Staff has been working on a list of goals and priorities for 1992 which have been reviewed by all the Commissions and City Council. A workshop was scheduled for Saturday, January 11, 1992 to discuss the goals and priorities. Recently at a Budget Committee meeting City Staff suggested the option of levying a franchise fee or a gross earnings tax against public utilities, namely Midwest Gas and Anoka Electric Cooperative, as a means of compensating the City for increased cost accruing as a result of the utility operations or as a means of raising revenue such as other cities do in Minnesota. Council directed that the Budget Committee consider a public utility gross earnings tax. Council adopted the 1992 Schedule of Rates and Charges.. Council recommended Staff draft a recommendation on water and sewer charges and forward suggested increases to the Budget Committee for review as soon as possible as they have not been increased since 1984. City Attorney Goodrich stated that pursuant to City Ordinance #91-14, the City's Health Authority has served an order on the owner/operator of an adult use located at 6710 Highway #10 in Ramsey. The owner has demanded a hearing before the City's Health Authority or his appointee. Dr. William Rodman, the City's Health Authority, prefers that an independent reviewer hear the testimony and make findings of fact. Mr. Goodrich reviewed the charges for this type of hearing. Council authorized the City Administrator to enter into an agreement with the State of Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings for the purpose of having an Administrative Law Judge conduct the hearing. Pursuant to recent Council direction, City Staff has submitted requests for proposals for general legal, prosecution and development legal services. Several fairly lengthy proposals have been received to date. Council instructed Staff to forward the entire proposals for legal services to the Budget Committee for their review and recommendation to the City Council. The Council received a letter of resignation from Councilmember Richard Cich at their November 26, 1991 meeting. Council adopted a resolution accepting the resignation of Council member Cich and declaring a vacancy as of January 14, 1992. An article will be placed in the December Ramsey Resident newsletter asking for interested persons wishing to be considered for the Council position. POORLY INSULATED, POORLY VENTILATED HOME C~ HAVE IC~. DAM PR~BLEM 0 The push to bUild more energy-efficient homes and to Insulate homes built before the 1930s has had one unfortunate side effect.. an increase in ice dam problems. This would not be the case if the attics of these homes were both well-insulated and well-ventilated, but sadly, this is often not the case. Ice dams form melted roof-snow runs to the cooler edge of the roof and freezes. Although ice dams may appear to form over ice-filled gutters, gutters do not contribute to ice dams; ice dams are just as likely to form on the roof of an unguttered home whose attic is poorly ventilated and poorly insulated. Ice dams are especially likely to form when wet snow falls on a warm roof during the freezing temperatures. Subsequent melting and refreezing of roof-snow worsens the situation. If any roof-snow or ice dams remain after a warm period and it snows again (as has happened this winter in most of Minnesota), ice dams can become quite a problem. Ice dams can be very costly. The melted roof-snow usually eventually backs up under the shingles and causes major damage in the plate line area. This can cause soaked (and therefore, inefficient) insulation; stained, cracked and flaking plaster or sheet rock; damp, odorous and rotting wall cavities; and stained, blistered and peeling paint, on both inside and outside walls. If you find you have an ice dam problem or the beginning of one, take steps immediately to remove as much snow from the roof and as much of the ice dam as possible. Often, much of the roof-snow can be removed with a roof rake while standing on the ground. However, if you decide to climb onto an icy or snow-covered roof, be VERY careful, lest you injure yourself or damage the roof. Never chop through the ice down to the shingles with an ax, hatchet, shovel, or ice pick, and never use a blowtorch to melt the ice. It's MUCH safer to use a roof rake to remove as much of the roof-snow as possible while standing on the ground, and then watch out for possible formation of a secondary ice dam at the edge of the roof-snow you were unable to reach. 0 There are two other temporary remedies for ice dams: hosing the roof with tap water on a warm day or having the roof steamed. Unfortunately, both of these remedies have drawbacks. Runoff tap water can damage shrubbery in foundation plantings, and steaming is not only expensive, there's the risk that the roofdeck will expand and contract. If you decide to hire a roofing company or person to remove roof-snow and ice dams, make sure they're bonded, licensed and insured. If they are not insured and they are injured on the job, you can be liable. So for the time being, do what you can to prevent ice dams from forming; but act as soon as possible to tackle the real causes of the problem. While insulating an attic and installing attic vents is not cheap, these steps can prevent even costlier ice dam problems. For more information, refer to the fact sheet FS-1068, "Preventing Ice Dams on Houses," available for 50 cents (postage and handling) from the Minnesota Extension Service, Anoka County, or phone 755-1280. /" Ramsey Resident Ramsey Municipal Center 15153 Nowthen Blvd. NW Ramsey, MN 55303 CAR-RTSRT BULK RATE u.s. 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