City Council Meetings

CITY OF GREEN RIVER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS August 14, 2012 The Governing Body of the City of Green River met in workshop session at 6:30 pm in the City Hall Council Chambers. Mayor Castillon called the meeting to order. The following Council Members were present: Gene Smith, Adam Coppolo, Jim Boan, Gary Killpack and Lisa Maes. The following were present representing the City: Acting City Administrator Bill Thompson, Director of Public Works Mike Nelson, Director of Finance Jeff Nieters, Director of Community Development Laura Leigh, and Public Information Coordinator Stephen Pyles. Council Member McCullough was not present. Service Line Warranties of America Update Jeff Olson, Northwest and Canada Regional Account Manager said they are exclusive partners with the National League of Cities and have been since 2010. They provide coverage for sewer and water lines for residents. There is no deductable and no restrictions on the number of repairs performed. He said the campaign pricing is $5.00 a day with $52 annually. The standard pricing is $5.50 a day and $57 annually. If anyone would like to enroll they can at any time. The city had great results during the spring campaign. There was 2,562 mailings sent out and 989 residents chose to take part in the program which is a 38.6% enrollment rate. The Mayor asked when coverage starts. Mr. Olson said it starts immediately. Council Member Coppolo asked if the warranty covers pre-existing conditions. Mr. Olson said no. The Mayor asked who determines if it is a pre-existing condition. Mr. Olson said the contractor that will do the work. Council Member Smith said on one of the flyers it states that coverage starts after 30 days of enrollment. Mr. Olson said there is no waiting period. Coverage starts immediately. Council Member Maes asked how the warranty works for a Planned Neighborhood (PUD). She lives in a home and she pays for city sewer and water, so is she able to take part in the program? Mr. Olson said if the water lines and the sewer lines go into the city’s main line then yes they can be covered. If the lines go into a private main and from there into the city’s main then they cannot be covered. Mr. Pyles said during the next campaign for the water warranty they will be changing some things to make it less confusing. The letter will be sent out in the middle of the month instead of the beginning. Residents who are interested in the program need to pay for the warranty by itself instead of including it with their city bill. Council Member Killpack said the residents need to know that this is being offered to residents. It is not required. The city is not pushing the program they are giving the option. Mr. Pyles said the city passes the information on about the program but the city does not have anything to do with the program as far as billing and receiving payment. Discussion of Community Sewer Line Related Issues City Council Workshop Proceedings August 14, 2012 Page 1 of 4 The Mayor said there are some questions with the policies and the procedures of the sewer and water lines. He would like to clarify who is responsible and for what. Mr. Nelson said the city is responsible for the main to the shut off near the property line. The residents are responsible from the shut off to the home. The Mayor asked why the water line responsibility is to the property line and the sewer line is not. Mr. Nelson said the individuals are in control of what comes from the sewer lines to the main and often they find things they know did not fall through a man hole, so they know it came froman individual’s sewer service lateral somewhere. The city can control the water main better for what comes in and goes out. He said they conducted a survey of ten cities in Wyoming and all of them are the same with the water line maintenance. With the sewer line maintenance, eight out of ten did it the same and two did not. He said the ordinance was not changed it was clarified. Council Member Smith said he would rather offer residents an option of participating in awarranty than raising the sewer and water rates. Council Member Coppolo asked if a city plants a tree and the roots go into a line how is that handled. Can a resident take the tree down? Mr. Nelson said in his opinion, if it goes into the service line it is the resident’s responsibility and if it goes into the main it is the city’s. He said it is the same as if the resident plants a tree and the roots get into the main; the city has to pay for it. Council Member Boan said the policy is a good policy and it should stay the same. The issue he has is if someone cannot afford to pay for the repairs, is the city going to step in and help them get back into their home? Council Member Coppolo said there are programs that are out there that can help people in these situations. He does not think it is something that the city should get into. Council Member Maes agreed. She thinks the city should stick with the policies as they are. Council Member Killpack said they should leave the policy as it is now. If it is truly a health issue for residents, then the city should step in and help. That decision is up to the staff. The city has employee’s that are trained professionals in that field that can make the decision. Council Member Smith said if the problem is contained in the line and is not outside of the line then it is not a health issue. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to take care of it. The Mayor said he agrees on the responsibilities of the lines. He does not agree with putting money aside to cover resident’s issues. City Administrator’s Report Mr. Thompson said this sewer issue was based on sincerity and has been handled. He commended the council on how they handled the issue. Mayor and Council Reports Council Member Killpack had nothing to report. Council Member Boan asked what the status is with the vacation of Lincoln Park. Ms. Leigh said staff is currently working on the bid packet for that project. They have some interest in a Business Park lot so they are planning to do a bid packet for both. It has not stopped , it is a slow process. Council Member Boan asked when Colorado Street was going to be put back together. City Council Workshop Proceedings August 14, 2012 Page 2 of 4 Mr. Nelson said it will be done by August 25, 2012. Council Member Boan said it needs to be completed. It is a dangerous area for vehicles so it needs to be taken care of. If it is going to take another week then they need to get some barricades and markings up so people are aware of it. He said citizens have expressed concerns with vehicles parking on sidewalks on Flaming Gorge Way and Shoshone. He would like to know the timeframe that they have to clean it up. Council Members Maes and Coppolo had nothing to report. Council Member Smith asked when the bid packets will be ready to go out. Mr. Leigh said sometime in September. Council Member Smith reminded everyone that the River Festival is going on this weekend. The Mayor said the County has decided to bond the full amount for the 6th Cent projects. They made this decision on their own. The city will have a resolution from the county for the next meeting on how everything will be funded. Council Member Smith said he heard the engineering costs for the water line to the west were significantly higher than estimated. He asked if a new number was going to be put into the package. The Mayor said no. The County pulled the water line to the west so they will not be moving forward with that project. The numbers were changed by $2 million. They added the removal of water tanks in the Rio Vista area that were not in the original plans. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 7:57 pm. City Council Workshop Proceedings August 14, 2012 Page 3 of 4  City Council Workshop Proceedings August 14, 2012 Page 4 of 4