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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday,February 24, 2014 <br /> Page 24 <br /> With Councilmember McGehee expressing concern that those homeowners hav- <br /> ing already gone with a more expensive solution were now going to be told that <br /> they were responsible for the cost, Mr. Schwartz clarified that the contractor was <br /> suggested to the property owner by the City, with the City only providing the co- <br /> ordination. Mr. Schwartz clarified that there were situations where the contractor <br /> had billed the City and some who had billed the property owner. Mr. Schwartz <br /> reiterated his previous comment that staff had been upfront with all affected resi- <br /> dents that, no matter whom to or how the bill was submitted, they may be ulti- <br /> mately responsible for those costs, so it should not come as a surprise to them. <br /> Willmus moved, Etten seconded, extension of the meeting beyond curfew to fin- <br /> ish the next agenda item entitled, "Approve Contract for City Manager Position," <br /> Item 14.e. <br /> Roll Call <br /> Ayes: Willmus; Laliberte; Etten; McGehee; and Roe. <br /> Nays: None. <br /> Councilmember Etten requested, with concurrence by Mayor Roe as a future <br /> agenda item, that staff bring back a policy discussion, with Ramsey County's in- <br /> volvement as well and research on other cities, related to this issue. Coun- <br /> cilmember Etten suggested that one part of that discussion was whether the City <br /> continue using plastic pipe hook-ups based on the potential for long-term liability <br /> issues. <br /> In conclusion, Mr. Schwartz noted that in addition to the storm event a few nights <br /> ago, the City experienced three water main breaks immediately after the snow <br /> fall; in addition to another one earlier today, with crews needing to get through <br /> seven feet of frost on Snelling Curve while avoiding communication and other <br /> lines in that area of frozen soil in order to make repairs. Mr. Schwartz reiterated <br /> that, as frost goes deeper, it became more and more expensive to make these re- <br /> pairs, in addition to many hours to repair. <br /> Given these unusual circumstances, Mr. Schwartz alerted the City Council and <br /> Roseville residents that staff is just as frustrated as they are with the various <br /> weather related issues. Mr. Schwartz noted that staff has put in some long hours <br /> and they were reaching a point where tempers were flaring due to lack of sleep, <br /> continuous on-call situations, and needing to respond seven days a week to work. <br /> Mr. Schwartz expressed his personal appreciation to the crew and recognized <br /> them for their continued alertness and dedication. <br /> Mayor Roe thanked Mr. Schwartz, and offered his own appreciation to the staff in <br /> attempting to work through these issues, while remaining very professional and <br /> dedicated. Mayor Roe asked, under the circumstances, that if residents had a bad <br /> experience due to current stress levels,that they recognize it as such. <br />