City Council Meetings

CITY OF GREEN RIVER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP PROCEEDINGS March 11, 2014 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: Mark Peterson, Tom McCullough, Brett Stokes, Gary Killpack, and Lisa Maes. The following were present representing the City: City Administrator Marty Black, Director of Public Works Mike Nelson, City Engineer/Utility Manager Mark Westenskow, and Utility Superintendent Jason Palmer. Utility Line Responsibilities Council Member McCullough asked how many other organizations participate in the insurance program. Mr. Palmer said around 95% of the cities in Wyoming participate in the same type of program. There are six other cities that have the same program that we do. The City of Riverton is offering a program of their own. Council Member Peterson asked why we don’t cover to the property line like Rock Springs does. Mr. Palmer said the City of Rock Springs only maintains the sewer main just like we do. The property owner is responsible for the line from their home to the main. Council Member Peterson said he is concerned that the homeowners are responsible for lines in the street and sometimes the lines are damaged by construction or not even connected to the main. Mr. Palmer said the city maintains the city sewer main and from the main to the house is the property owner’s responsibility. Sewer Service Line Responsibilities:  City is responsible for 58 miles of sewer mains  Homeowners are responsible for service lines from the building to the main including that portion of the service line that is under the street  Current policy was adopted by council in 2012  Most sewer service problems are plugging, due to what goes down the pipe rather than structural problems. The city cannot control what is put down the drain.  Generally repairable by jet cleaning rather than digging Water Service Line Responsibilities:  City is responsible for mains and service lines to the property line, roughly 90 miles of lines  Homeowners are responsible for service lines from the property line to the house  Current policy adopted by council in 2008  The city will maintain that portion within its control. The city delivers the water and they are in control of the water. Mr. Palmer said typically, they would like to have the curb stop on the city side but in some instances it is on the homeowner’s side. Roughly 70% of the curb stops are on the city side. A curb stop is a shut off that sets six foot below grade so they can shut water service off there. Mr. Westenskow said anyone wishing to dig within a city street must obtain an excavation permit and be bonded prior to beginning work. The permits are available through the Community Development Department unless the permit is on a right-of-way, then they have to go to Public Works. There are three levels of review for work done in the street: inspection of service connection, verification of compaction test results, and approval of asphalt patch. City Council Workshop Proceedings March 11, 2014 Page 1 of 4 Homeowner’s insurance may cover the issue but it is very rare and limited. They may self perform the work by renting a sewer snake and running it down the pipe to see if there is a problem. Typically, homeowners will hire a contractor if it has to go out into the street since there is a bond required. The last option is to participate in the service line warranty insurance that is offered. Council Member Peterson said citizens are saying they can’t get any information from the service line warranty insurance company. He asked if the city could use the GREEN Program to help cover people who don’t have the ability to pay. Mr. Black said the GREEN program is a donation driven program and it does not have a large amount of funds in it. Legally, the city cannot go on to private property to do any work for a private property owner. Mr. Palmer said the Service Line Warranties of America is a private company. The city makes residents aware of this company’s product, but has no financial stake in their business. Enrollment is 100% voluntary and between the homeowner and the company. The city uses this product as a way to educate homeowners on the responsibilities for their own sewer and water service lines. The program covers up to $4,000 per incident, with an additional allowance if cutting in the street in required. Mr. Black said when the city decided to inform people of this program there was an option for the city to receive a certain percentage of revenue in return, but the council opted to pass the savings on to the consumers. Council Member Peterson said there are a mess of lines underground that do not make sense. Mr. Westenskow said a large portion of the city’s infrastructure was built in the 70’s and they are finding that things done then are not done now. There are different and better ways of doing things. Council Member Peterson said he feels sorry for the people who buy a home that is older with no idea on what is underneath their homes. Mr. Westenskow said if the city takes on the maintenance responsibilities of more lines the rates would have to increase somewhere to cover the extra costs. Council Member Peterson asked if there was any way they could take care of the lines that have tree roots in them. Mr. Palmer said there are mains in town that are on a routine root cutting schedule to help prevent problems. Mr. Black said if the city did any work beyond the property line the city would have to obtain easements and dedications for those improvements. This was not something that was planned from the beginning so it would make it very hard. Council Member Peterson said his main concern is the property owners are responsible for the line under the street and they don’t have any control of what goes on out in the street. Mr. Westenskow said they do not know what is under the street so they should do their best to find out what is there before they dig. Council Member Stokes said when something happens in the street, it is a bonded company that digs into the street so you don’t have people digging wherever they want to. He thanked them for their presentation. Council Member McCullough said the city was asked by a resident to find out if there is insurance that could be offered to the residents and that is how it was started. He said tree root intrusion, ground shifting and weather is covered under the service line warranty insurance. He wants to know what happens when a street is fixed by a contractor but lines are not connected to the main line. City Council Workshop Proceedings March 11, 2014 Page 2 of 4 Mr. Palmer said if there is a development that was started, but not completed at the same time, they recommend they run dye down the line to make sure the line is connected to the main. Mr. Nelson said the responsibilities of the service line were adopted in 2012, but that is the way they have traditionally done it since 1998. Council Member Killpack thanked them for their presentation. He asked if putting our logo on the insurance information going out to the residents would create a legal liability for the city. Mr. Black said he believes that it was looked into by legal council at the beginning and it was found not to be a problem, but he will verify to make sure. Council Member McCullough said there is a high percentage of people participating in the insurance program. He said how things are setup now, is how they should stay. The Mayor asked if Rock Springs was participating in the program. Mr. Palmer said yes, and White Mountain Water and Sewer is as well. The Mayor asked if Casper was participating. Mr. Palmer said Casper is and Evanston is reviewing the program now. Council Member Peterson asked what is being done to prevent the old meters that have reached the end of their life span from breaking. Mr. Westenskow said the old meters are becoming inefficient and are not counting every gallon that goes through. There is a small amount of lead in them and it is now a requirement that they are replaced with ones without lead. Council Member Peterson said he would like to see the meters put out to the sidewalk. Mr. Westenskow said because of freezing issues they are put inside the house. Mr. Palmer said they are looking at a radio read system in the near future so there won’t be a touchpad at the house. Mr. Black said they are planning to replace the meters within a five year period, so there is not a huge amount of meters that have to be replaced at one time. Council Member Maes thanked them for their presentation. She clarified those residents who live in a PUD or trailer park, that take care of their own lines, cannot get this insurance that is offered . Mr. Palmer said that is correct because the insurance company is taking advantage of the city providing the maintenance on the lines. City Administrator’s Report Mr. Black reminded everyone they will be hosting a community meeting on the East Teton reconstruction work, Thursday, March 13, 2014, from 6 pm to 7 pm, at the Fire Station #2. He has met with the city attorney and they are continuing to work on the lease with SWRAP. The plan is to have it before council for approval on April 1, 2014. Mayor and Council Reports Council Member Stokes thanked everyone who was involved in the tour of the courts and the new PD building. Council Member Killpack said the new PD building will be very nice. City Council Workshop Proceedings March 11, 2014 Page 3 of 4 Council Member Maes had nothing to report. Council Member McCullough asked Mr. Black to find out what the city pays for warranty work on the elevators in city hall. Council Member Peterson thanked the local legislature representatives working to get the funds for the cities and towns. The Mayor said he met with the county commissioners and Mayor Demshar on the future of Wyoming industry. He was wondering why Sweetwater County and the two municipalities were not invited. He asked who pays for the lights in town. Mr. Nelson said the city pays for them. The lights on the overpass are WyDOT lights and they pay for and maintain them. The city pays for all of the wooden poles and our share of the power bill comes out of the streets budget. The decorative lights are ours also, and those are paid for out of the Parks budget. He said it is about $150,000 per year. The Mayor said the airport did a study on a voluntary airport parking fee and they have received a donation of $150. He said FMC Corporation is reorganizing but it should not affect the city. The soda ash and lithium production should stay here. Council Member Killpack asked what they should do if they see a street light that is out. Mr. Black said contact the city so they can fix it or let someone at the power company know. Council Member Peterson asked about the frost levels. Mr. Palmer said it is out of the ground, but there is a cautionary number of 24 to 36 inches. Council Member Peterson thanked Mr. Palmer for watching the frost levels and keeping the public informed. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 7:16 pm. ______________________________ H. Castillon, Mayor ATTEST: _____________________________ Jeffrey V. Nieters, City Clerk City Council Workshop Proceedings March 11, 2014 Page 4 of 4