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Member Hodder asked what the quote for 2023 sewer televising was regarding. <br />Mr. Freihammer explained what sewer televising is and how the City uses the <br />information to find potential problems. <br />Vice Chair Mueller wanted to highlight in the sustainability update there are a few <br />things regarding opportunities with the County and Met Transit. <br />5. Utility Rates <br />Public Works Director Jesse Freihammer presented the 2024 proposed utility rates <br />and asked for feedback or a formal recommendation to the City Council. <br />Member Fergus asked if the City gets many complaints about utility rates and the <br />residents' costs. <br />Mr. Freihammer explained the Finance Department does get some but there are <br />ways that the residents can control the costs. He reviewed some of the ways to <br />reduce costs. <br />Member Fergus understood that the City needs to get some money in reserves for <br />the storm drain but he did not know if it made sense to do five percent per year <br />instead of thirty-three percent now and two and a half percent later. <br />Mr. Freihammer reviewed the discussion from last year and the reason for the <br />increase. <br />Vice Chair Mueller asked if staff had any information available from 2022 about <br />what the average cost per year was coming into 2023. She was thinking about what <br />people are spending and how it keeps stacking up year after year and how <br />everybody is spending more on everything. She understood the City needs to build <br />its reserves, but she was trying to get a gut check for what the average family is <br />having to foot the bill for on top of this. <br />Mr. Freihammer indicated the City has that historic data and he could get it for the <br />Commission, but he did not have it at the meeting. <br />Member Hodder asked if Ehlers revisited the class rates as far as residential, <br />apartments, commercial usage, and effect on the system. <br />Mr. Freihammer explained when Ehlers did the last major study the City revamped <br />how it charged the rates between commercial and residential and the tiers were also <br />changed. He reviewed the current tiers in residential and commercial. <br />Member Hodder indicated when he looked at the rates and information for <br />commercial versus residential, he thought the commercial could bear a little more <br />Page 2 of 5 <br />