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Regular City Council Meeting <br />Monday, July 11, 2016 <br />Page 14 <br />Councilmember McGehee expressed her hope that, going forward, staff would <br />pay careful attention to new construction projects and development (e.g. new sub- <br />divisions) and ensure similar water issues are not repeated. <br />Councilmember Etten agreed with that point; opining that he wanted the waiver <br />used only to allow residents time to resolve the current situation as soon as hu- <br />manly possible, with few exceptions. As noted in the remaining ordinance lan- <br />guage, Councilmember Etten noted the intent to keep that water on each property. <br />Mayor Roe noted a technical correction to Attachment C, line 174 to read as fol- <br />lows: "...property [�'e�J which the sump pump serves...." <br />Private hYdrants — Section 801 (Municipal Water Svstem) <br />Referencing Attachment F, Councilmember Etten asked if staff found the pro- <br />posed hydrant inspection fee by city staff sufficient. Councilmember Etten noted <br />private contractor fees were significantly higher. <br />Mr. Freihammer responded that staff felt it was reasonable especially since many <br />were located within a small area. Mr. Freihammer confirmed that many private <br />contractor fees were higher, but in comparing fees with other communities (e.g. <br />Apple Valley), they were comparable, between $50 and $75. Since these fees will <br />be part of the city's annually fee schedule review, Mr. Freihammer advised that <br />staff would continue to evaluate them moving forward. <br />Councilmember Etten expressed concerns with staff performing these inspections <br />and potential loss of staff time in doing so; stating he didn't want to expend too <br />much staff time in providing this great hourly rate compared to private contrac- <br />tors. <br />As an example with smaller townhome developments, Mr. Freihammer noted <br />staff's intent to balance having those private hydrants inspected to ensure they're <br />working without it becoming a hardship for those property owners and thereby <br />forcing them not to have the inspections done. Mr. Freihammer noted staff was <br />considering hiring additional labor as part of its seasonal crew used for flushing <br />hydrants to accomplish the task. Mr. Freihammer advised that the city's prefer- <br />ence was to have city staff make the inspections by making it more financially <br />feasible for those developments versus hiring a private contractor to perform the <br />inspections. <br />Mayor Roe offered an opportunity for public comment on this ordinance and poli- <br />cy, with no one appearing to speak. <br />