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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, April 7,2014 Page 22 Public Works Director Duane Schwartz updated Councilmembers since previous discussions as detailed in the RCA dated April 7, 2014, with one additional sur- vey addition from the City of Bloomington and their experience this winter with 184 water line freeze-ups out of 25,000 services, and similar ownership responsi- bilities to that of Roseville. Mr. Schwartz advised that the City of Bloomington was thawing everything with city forces, with a welder and another rental welder provided to their customers. Based on the information provided, Mr. Schwartz advised that it appears many cities are covering the cost of thawing lines if their policy establishes ownership to the property line, with three exceptions as out- lined, and others providing help as detailed in the survey. Reimbursement for Thawing Councilmember Etten noted that other cities appeared to offer up to a $500 reim- bursement for welding services, which would cover the majority of property own- ers, and offered his support for a similar reimbursement in Roseville. Coun- cilmember Etten spoke in support of a further base rate credit for those without water for over two weeks, and questioned how the City could charge a base rate if their customer was not getting water services. Mayor Roe clarified that intent of Councilmember Etten to prorate annual costs based on the amount of time without service. Councilmember Willmus spoke in support of a base rate credit, agreeing com- pletely that it was unfair to ask a customer to pay for service when those services were not available during the time the line was frozen. As discussion ensued about usage, base rates and documentation of those lines frozen and how long they were froze to enable prorating credits, Mr. Schwartz clarified that staff may not have accurate information on when the lines were fro- zen and when they were thawed, unless the customer was able to provide an in- voice for reimbursement of welding services. Further discussion ensued regarding the time period to reimburse customers; es- timated $40 per quarter water base rate for a typical single-family home; and comparisons with the Cities of Little Canada and Shoreview. Councilmember McGehee agreed with the public testimony previously heard, that water service was a basic service the City should provide; and recognized her knowledge of at least two homeowners in Roseville having paid in excess of $10,000 for water line repair. At the request of Mayor Roe, Mr. Schwartz estimated that the average cost to thaw a line was between$400 to $500.