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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015/04/06 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Jft St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA APRIL 6, 2015 The meeting convened at 6:50 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, Tim Brausen, Steve Hallfin, Gregg Lindberg, Anne Mavity, Susan Sanger, and Jake Spano. Councilmembers absent. None. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Operations & Recreation Director (Ms. Walsh), Public Works Superintendent (Mr. Hanson), Utilities Superintendent (Mr. Hall), Controller (Mr. Swanson), Finance Supervisor (Mr. Heintz), Communications Specialist (Ms. Pnbbenow), and Recording Secretary(Ms. Staple). Guest: None. 1. 2015 Water Meter Replacement Mr. Hanson presented the staff report regarding the water meter replacement process. He stated that the City would be touching every single residential, business, and industnal water meter within the City. There are roughly 14,000 meters and the process would take 10 to 14 months. He advised that property owners would be able to schedule times between 8:00 a.m and 8 00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. He thanked all of the staff that worked on the project. He stated notices would be sent out in late Apnl or early May, and residents would be able to call into a call center or go online to setup their appointment. Once scheduled, the contractor would call pnor to the appointment to ensure that someone over 18 was at the home. He descnbed the installation process and advised that the contractor would ensure that the meter was working correctly and would educate the customer before leaving the property. Councilmember Spano questioned the length of time to install a meter and whether phased notices would be sent out. Mr. Hanson advised that installation of the meter would take 40 to 60 minutes. He advised that the notices would be sent out in phased groups and agreed to provide the Council with the list of phases. Councilmember Sanger noted that snowbirds may be gone when their area was replaced. Mr. Hanson stated there would be a communication plan in place so that snowbirds would be able to schedule their meter replacement before they leave for the winter. It was noted that the City was aware of most of the snowbirds. Mayor Jacobs stated that residents may be concerned that the installation person would be looking at other issues while they are at the property. He also asked what would happen if the residence either didn't have a shutoff valve or it wasn't operational. Mr. Hanson stated that the installer would only be doing the meter replacement and would not be looking at any other issues or performing any other services. He noted that the installers had experience doing this in other metro cities and had alternative options to shut off the water at the property. Study Session Minutes -2- Apnl 6, 2015 Councilmember Sanger questioned if there would be interpretation services available should the homeowner not speak English. Mr. Hanson confirmed that interpretation services would be available. Mr. Harmening stated that this situation was highly unusual and unique, as the City would be replacing meters at every property. He stated that the installer would have background checks and the truck and the installer would be clearly identified. He advised that staff was also working on a complete education packet for residents in order to make the process as smooth as possible. Mr. Hanson confirmed that water conservation and other educational information would be included in the packet. Councilmember Mavity questioned if a resident could request two people to install if they were uncomfortable having just one person enter their house. Mr. Hanson confirmed that there were additional options in which two installers could come to the property or City staff could complete the process. He stated the homeowner would also have the option to hire, at their own cost, a private licensed installer to complete the service He displayed a photograph with the antenna that would be located on the water tower and provided information on the size of the box that would be placed on homes. Councilmember Mavity stated that this was highly personal and asked that the Council be able to conduct a methodical review of how the installers were doing within the first couple of weeks and then after a few months. Councilmember Lindberg questioned if this should provide better data on actual uses. Mr. Hanson stated that the older the meter was, the slower it ran and there was potential for some homeowners to see a fluctuation. He stated that most of the homeowners would not see a large change. Mr. Hanson stated that there were two reasons for a non-responsive customer. The first was that the homeowner was not home, and the second was that the homeowner did not want to have the radio read meter installed. He stated that three options were available, including shutting off the water until the new meter was installed, installing the new meter at the furthest point (usually the garage), or letting the homeowner keep the existing meter at an additional charge. Councilmember Sanger questioned the scientific data regarding the possible long-term effects of the radio read meter. Mr. Hanson stated that there was no long-term effect, noting that cell phones used a stronger signal. Mayor Jacobs stated he would not be in favor of shutting off someone's water and would be okay with charging an additional fee for those that wanted to keep their current meter. Study Session Minutes -3- April 6, 2015 Councilmember Sanger stated she would not like to give homeowners an option to keep the existing meter. She stated that although it was harsh to shut off someone's water, the City did shut off the utility if bills were not paid Councilmember Lindberg stated that he understood the staff recommendation to shut the water off but stated he did have a negative reaction to that option. He also acknowledged that the City was providing a number of options for people to choose and stated he would not like to see the shut off option mentioned early in the process Mr. Hanson stated that there would be options listed in several letters before a possible shut off was mentioned. Councilmember Brausen stated that he would support the options available, including possible shut off. Councilmember Mavity stated her concern would be that some people would not understand the communication, for whatever reason, and could possibly have their water shut off. Mayor Jacobs stated he would have a hard time shutting off someone's water if they were paying their bill. Councilmember Mavity stated there were residents in the City that were not aware of water being shut off for a road construction project because they never use their front door and the notice had been put on the front door. She suggested that someone possibly door knock and/or try alternative doors. Councilmember Spano stated that a lot of people and staff time would need to be involved to complete that action. He stated that perhaps people could be calling the home. Mr. Hanson stated there was a difference between threatening to shut off the water and actually doing it, noting that the possibility of shutting off the water would be enough to get a large percentage of the non-responsive people to respond. It was noted that the City did not have telephone numbers for all residents. Councilmember Sanger suggested that an insert could be included in the water bill as additional notification for non-responders. Councilmember Hallfin stated that although it may be considered harsh, there was one way to get someone's attention for sure and that was shutting the water off He stated that there would be multiple attempts to resolve the situation before the shut off option was used. Councilmember Spano stated he would support the shut off option and would not want to see staff going out to read old meters. He questioned if this had been done in other communities and what results were achieved. Mr. Hanson stated other cities had followed the same process with the proposed contractor. He stated cities that did not use the shut off option had stated that they wished they would have implemented that option dunng the installation process Study Session Minutes -4- Apnl 6, 2015 Councilmember Sanger stated that staff should also pay attention to rental properties to ensure that the correct person was notified. Mr. Hanson stated that both renters and landlords would be notified. It was the consensus of the City Council to support the comprehensive water meter replacement project and direct staff to try to avoid shutting off someone's water. If the resident was completely unresponsive, the shut off option could be utilized after the fourth notice and a very active attempt to personally contact the resident. If the homeowner did not want to have City staff or the installer in their home they could hire a licensed contractor to complete the meter replacement at their own cost. There would also be an option for the antenna to be located in another location, such as the garage, at additional cost 2. Off-Sale Liquor License Application from Thien's Inc. for St. Louis Park Liquor No comments made. Communications/Meeting Check-In (Verbal) No comments made. The meeting adjourned at 7:30 . m. /11. / , 11 Atil Meliss. Kennedy, City Clerk Jeff Jace as, ',/ay%r