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CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM BRIEFING SHEET <br />Submittal Date: <br />Originating Department: <br />Presented By: <br />Agenda Item No.: <br />7/2/ 12 <br />Council Date: <br />City Manager <br />John Godwin <br />12. <br />7/23/12 <br />RECOMMENDED MOTION: <br />POLICY ISSUE(S): <br />Sewer Fees <br />BACKGROUND: <br />At the June 11 city council meeting, attorney Bill Flanary, representing the Stripland family, made a brief <br />presentation during citizens' input in which he requested that the city council formally address his clients' <br />concerns about the amount of their monthly sewer charges. Mayor Hashmi agreed to that request and as a result <br />this item was added to the July 9 council agenda. <br />The Striplands and a few other families connected onto the city's sewer system more than ten years ago in <br />response to the fact that the city had not made sewer service directly available to their homes. Since that time, <br />and right up until this month, there have been numerous misunderstandings over this issue. For example, at this <br />point it appears that the Striplands did at that time communicate with the city, and in fact the design and <br />connection were reviewed and approved by the then city engineer. The system functioned itne for many years <br />without incident or problem, to the best of my knowledge. <br />However, in March of this year, a letter was sent from the city to the Striplands advising them they would be <br />assessed a monthly sewer charge since they do in fact use the city's sewer service. They contend they should not <br />be assessed a full fee since they had to pay for some of their own infrastructure, and have indicated to Gene <br />Anderson that $25.00 per month might be more appropriate than the currently charged monthly average of <br />$3136. <br />Although I am empathetic with any citizen who has to take it upon himself to get city sewer service, the fact <br />remains that monthly sewer bills are not based on infrastructure investments, but on ongoing operating and <br />maintenance costs. Each year the city contracts with a rate setting firm that calculates what water and sewer rates <br />need to be to pay actual costs from the previous fiscal year. When the council approved the recent sewer rate <br />increase, for example, no portion of that rate increase was to pay for infrastructure costs associated with <br />individual service lines or connections. In other words, however we got here I have found no evidence to suggest <br />we should offer a lower monthly usage rate than assessed to all other residential users in the city. <br />BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: <br />EXHIBITS: <br />ACTION: <br />BUDGET INFO: <br />❑ Financial Report ~ Minute Order <br />Expense <br />$ <br />❑ Department Report ❑ Resolution <br />Budgeted Amt. <br />$ <br />❑ Presentation ❑ Ordinance <br />y'I'D Actual <br />$ <br />❑ P <br />bli <br />H <br />i <br />u <br />ear <br />c <br />ng ❑ Other <br />Acct. Name <br />Acct. Number <br />FISCAL NOTES: <br />City of Paris Revised 6/20/12 <br />51 <br />