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<br />r I ~\.) <br />( ){ <br />~1J{' <br /> <br />ITEMS 7.1. - 7.3. <br /> <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL <br /> <br />FROM: <br /> <br />PAT KLAERS, CITY ADMINISTRATOR <br /> <br />DATE: <br /> <br />JULY 7, 1994 <br /> <br />SUBJECT: SURFACE WATER MANAGEMENT <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The City Council may not be able to reach a final decision on the Surface <br />Water Management Program at this one hour 7/11/94 special City Council <br />meeting, but staff needs to present information to the City Council and, at a <br />minimum, receive direction from the Council on how to proceed. The Utilities <br />department will be doing the monthly billing part of this program for the <br />City. The Utilities department had been requested to have the system ready <br />so that the billing could have been implemented on July 1. This obviously <br />has not happened, but the Utilities should be ready whenever we get our <br />figures and dollar amounts approved by the Council. Each month that this <br />monthly billing system is delayed is a loss of about $25,000 in revenues and <br />we need this revenue as a City to payoff our bonds that we have already <br />issued for surface water management projects. <br /> <br />The list of surface water management projects is large and seems to be <br />growing with every rain storm. The list will also continue to grow as we take <br />over responsibility for the County ditch system. Already in 1994 we have <br />issued approximately $1 million in debt for the east Highway 169 watershed <br />area. In later 1994 we will probably be issuing close to another $1 million in <br />debt for the Western Area Phase II trunk surface water system. <br />Additionally, in either 1994 or 1995, we will need to do the Main/Evans <br />Avenue project, and in 1995 and beyond we will continue to spend money on <br />the County ditch system, the Western Area Phase III project, and the east <br />Highway 169 project. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />The numbers are large and it is very obvious that the City needs funding <br />from the benefited property owners to finance the surface water management <br />projects. Someone has to pay for the system as the City Council has already <br />committed bond funds for improvements. The someone that has to pay for <br />the system is the benefited property owners, and that is the entire City. One <br />of our concerns at the staff level is determining the fair ratio of "who should <br />pay what" to finance the system. The vast majority of the lands in Elk River <br />are vacant and these vacant lands do generate surface water that needs to be <br />managed. However, it seems unlikely that we will be able to obtain any <br /> <br />P.O. Box 490 . 13065 Orono Parkway · Elk River, MN 55330 · (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425 <br />