08-10-2004 ERMU MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Page 2 Regular meeting of the Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission August 10,2004 5.3 Review Electric Meter Accuracy Staff has been checking all the CT meter installations and has only found five meters affecting two customers that were billed in error. Bryan Adams informed the Commission on the law requirements for the refund and reviewed the records of the billing errors. His recommendation is as follows: In the case of overbilling a customer due to a meter error,the customer shall be reimbursed the overbilled amount for the time frame the overbilling occurred. This time period is not to exceed two years based upon ERMU customer history,or six years based upon the customer providing their own records of the utility bill,whichever is greater. Discussion followed regarding the refunds and the fairness to the customer. Motion by James Tralle to adopt the above recommendation. Jerry Takle seconded the motion. Motion carried 2-0. 5.4 Review Water Hook Up Areas The requirement for hooking up to the Municipal water system along with the City's criteria for the sewer hook up was discussed. Pat Klaers talked about the problems involved with forcing residence to hook up to sewer and water. He also added that when selling the house the realtors help by requiring the residence to be hooked up to sanitary sewer,thus alleviating the problem. Discussion followed regarding the possibility of assessing the property or charging fines equivalent to the connection fee. Jerry Takle thought the utilities should follow the City statutes regarding the connections. Pat Klaers will convey the information discussed to the City attorney, who will be at the future joint City Council/Utility Commission meeting,to recommend the possibilities that are available. No action taken. 5.5 Review Hwy 10 Lighting Agreement The deteriorating condition of the Hwy 10 street lights were discussed along with who would be responsible for the cost of replacement. The MNDOT agreement with the City was discussed along with the liability issues. Utility staff questioned,does the agreement between MNDOT and City necessarily transfer to the Utilities without Utility concurrence? Pat Klaers said the Utilities paid for the poles to be painted years ago,but now they need to be replaced and the City does not have it in their budget. Further discussion ensued on the issues and requirements for pole type and light size along with MNDOT's requirements. This will be further discussed at the future joint City Council/Utility Commission meeting. No action taken. 6.1 Review Advisory Board& Commission Policy The recommendations from consultant Jim Brimeyer were discussed. By having a City Council member involved in each of the boards,it would alleviate misunderstandings and prevent future communication problems between the City Council and other commissions. No action taken. 6.2 Review Schedule—2005 Budget The training and travel budget was reviewed. Commission was impressed with the continued training yet keeping costs comparative to previous years. Personnel projections were discussed along with the upcoming need for additional employees. Training and personnel budget will be incorporated into entire budget and adopted at a latter date.