CC_Minutes_2016_0711 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Regular City Council Meeting Monday, July 11, 2016 Page 12 Councilmember McGehee noted for those homes identified as having sump pump discharges into the sanitary sewer system, "reasonable time" may mean a long wait especially if requiring services of a firm with an existing waiting list. Coun- cilmember McGehee opined it may not be unusual for a homeowner to experience an 8-9 month waiting period to resolve an issue, especially with Minnesota's sea- sonable weather. Councilmember McGehee questioned collection of fees from property owners in relationship to the time required to resolve a situation, and the intent of and/or timing of a waiver in those cases once they notified by the city of the problem. Councilmember McGehee stated she was not comfortable with the property owner having to pay a fee throughout that entire time period when they were making efforts to get the work done. Mayor Roe clarified his understanding of the language related to waivers to not discharge into the sanitary sewer system. Mr. Freihammer advised that the intent with this language was that a property owner would be charged a one-time $50 fee if found in violation of the ordinance, and once the situation had been fixed, there was no more waiver in effect and no longer any surcharge fee applied. Councilmember McGehee questioned if that was clear in the current language. Councilmember McGehee stated it was her impression that if found in violation and having applied for a waiver and making payment of $50, if the ground was frozen, the property owner was out of luck. Councilmember McGehee stated it was her concern that this ordinance be reasonable and used to incent residents to make the required changes. Mayor Roe noted that not all changes to discontinue discharging into the sanitary sewer system required exterior wark. Public Works Director Marc Culver noted this discussion brought up good points. However, Mr. Culver noted that each case would be handled individually; and clarified the difference in the "fee" and the "surcharge," noting they were two dis- tinct things. As noted by Mr. Freihammer, Mr. Culver advised that the waiver was established at $50 and intended on a temporary basis only for those situations involving a safety hazard or some other hardship if the sump pump discharge was routed outside the building. Specific to the surcharge, Mr. Culver advised that was to address how the city en- forced its existing ordinance to prevent discharge into the sanitary sewer system. Mr. Culver advised that the city was aware of those properties currently discharg- ing into the sanitary sewer system; and as existing city code clearly states, that is a violation. However, Mr. Culver admitted the city didn't have a current recourse available to enforce those violations. Under the modified ordinance language, Mr. Culver advised that once a property owner is notified by the city that they're