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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, July 20, 2009 Page 9 process. Mr. Miller anticipated that this study would be completed and presented to the City Council at their August 10, 2009 meeting, and would coincide with the upcoming community meetings to provide the City Council and staff with direc- tion to allocate recourses in the City Manager-recommended budget and City Council priorities. Mr. Miller asked that Councilmembers set aside several times to meet, either for- mally in a City Council setting or more informally in a work session setting, ex- clusively for a discussion of program costs and analyses and to consider public comments. Mr. Miller noted that the City Council would be asked, at their Sep- tember 14, 2009 regular meeting, to set a preliminary budget and levy for 2010. After a brief discussion, it was Council consensus that individual Councilmem- bers provide the City's Administrative Assistant with available dates and times to coordinate those meetings; with the City's Department Heads available for that meeting as well. Councilmembers expressed a preference for weekday evening versus weekend meetings. b. Discussion of Environmental Cost Recovery within the Twin Lakes Area Community Development Director Patrick Trudgeon provided a written memo- randum from Attorney Larry Espel dated December 17, 2007, describing federal and state laws allowing for third parties to seek reimbursement for environmental assessment and remediation activities from responsible parties causing the con- tamination; and staff's analysis dated July 20, 2009. Mr. Trudgeon advised that he had reviewed City files and available materials for City Council discussion. Mr. Trudgeon noted the problem in assessment and remediation since the City did not have ownership of much property other than that acquired, or to be acquired, for rights-of--way purposes, without seeking property owner permission to assess their properties, and the lack of support of those owners in allowing the City to perform such an assessment. Discussion among staff and .Councilmembers included additional costs to pursue factual information once a chain of title for each specific property had been de- termined; difficulties in identifying past property owners creating the rationale for MPCA funding and grant programs for property clean-up based on public benefit in removing contaminants; the City's creation of the Hazardous Substance Sub- District for use of TIF funds for environmental contamination clean up; and the need for outside expertise to provide further analysis. Further discussion included Statute of Limitations for recovery of funds for clean -up (addressed in Attorney Espel's letter, page five). Councilmember Ihlan opined that additional information, identification of the type, and determination of the extent of contaminants was obviously needed. Councilmember Ihlan noted that, to-date, the City had been prepared to use public