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of street sweeping funded through the stormwater utility fund, and cost <br />considerations of the Discharge Ordinance currently being drafted; and <br />possible revenues from a street light utility fee. <br />Chair DeBenedet opined that some costs are impossible to control based <br />on increased inflationary rates that served to cause issues with other <br />aspects of the budget that made it challenging for the City to keep taxes at <br />inflation or below. <br />Mr. Schwartz advised that it wasn't so much inflation driving the need for <br />increased taxes at this time, but major cost impacts due to spending <br />decisions made in the past, such as depletion of the Equipment <br />Replacement Fund over the last decade, with depreciation funds not being <br />funded, and new spending in 2010 due to the skating center geothermal <br />refrigeration replacement project coming onboard, as well as impacts <br />from the state's reduction in Market Value Homestead Credit funds <br />(MVHS) that alone is $450,000 for 2010. Mr. Schwartz noted that these <br />are just a few of the larger items creating competition for funds in the <br />2010 budget. <br />Commissioner Vanderwall requested that Mr. Schwartz provide the <br />PWET Commissioners with an electronic copy of the 2010 proposed <br />budget sorted by department; opining that comparison of the individual <br />and composite City Council rankings would be good discussion items <br />before the next joint City Council/PWET Commission annual meeting. <br />Mr. Schwartz advised that he would provide that breakdown via e-mail. <br />6. Additional Solid Waste Collection Information <br />Mr. Schwartz indicated that staff had prepared no additional information <br />for tonight's meeting, but sought direction on the next step. <br />Discussion among Commissioners and staff included whether the <br />Commission felt it had received sufficient research and comparison <br />information to-date from staff to facilitate their decision-making; <br />assumptions of the MPCA report referenced by the hauler at the October <br />PWET Commission meeting; "boogey" tires on trucks and distribution of <br />the load on the wheels and how much of a difference that made related to <br />damage to roads or if this was simply used to meet weight requirements <br />and stay below design capacity of a roadway; and similar torque effects to <br />pavement friction with braking to stop a mass being stopped whether <br />additional axles were used or not. <br />Commissioner Vanderwall opined that sufficient information-gathering <br />had occurred, and that now that information needed to be quantified with <br />the PWET Commission working on a proposal to improve conditions in <br />the community. <br />Page 6 of 11 <br />