Jessica Foster
Staff WriterForest Lake resident Jerome Balsimoówith some of his neighbors in towócame to the Forest Lake City Council meeting Monday night to discuss what he deems unfair billing practices.
A new resident in the city, Balsimo purports the method the city bills for sewer and water usage is unfair. For every gallon of water a resident uses, they are charged for a gallon of sewer usage.
Balsimo said residents who water their lawns are being unfairly charged since the water goes into the soil, not the sewer system.
City Administrator Chip Robinson said the method is part of an effort to practice and encourage conservation of natural resources.
Residents like Balsimo who donít rely on rain for a green lawn have the option of installing a second water meter solely for watering and gardening purposes. The second meter costs about $300-$400.
The city also is in the process of a rate study, which should be completed by midsummer.
But that, Balsimo said, is too late. He said the city should work with developers to put conservation methods in place.
ìWeíre ready to help you guys but the sewer charge isnít necessary,î Balsimo said. ìThereís no expenditure for the city when the water goes into the grass. Itís only water.î
Councilman Rick Ashbach agreed he would like to see some other options and said it was good to examine the situation.
ìIím glad that weíre going to take a look at this issue. We are different from other cities and it deserves a review,î Ashbach said.
While Balsimo was hoping for a moratorium or rate suspension until the rate study is complete, Robinson said that was not a feasible option.
ìItís impossible to suspend the rates unless you change the entire rate structure,î Robinson said.
Mayor Ray Daninger, who said he has installed a second meter for watering, agreed, saying the city could not make a decision on rates until the study is complete.
ìWe have a study in process and the council needs that study to make an educated decision,î he said.
Councilman Tom Lynch stressed fairness, reminding Balsimo and other residents that not all residents in Forest Lake are connected to city water and sewer. Too, he said year round residents should not have to pick up a tab for individuals who live here only during the warmer months.
The council took no official action on the water request, other than to study the matter.
Boat ramp
The council considered another option for relocation of the boat ramp at First Lake.
This option, presented by City Engineer Paul Hornby, calls for relocating the ramp from Lakeside Memorial Park to the north at NE 2nd Ave.
The proposal would call for the removal of six structures behind the Holiday Station on the corner of Lake Street and NE 2nd Ave. The structures would be removed to make way for 20 parking spaces. No decision has been made.
Hornby said he also is looking at the feasibility of local businesses providing parking on evenings and weekends.
Councilman Bruce Carlson suggested it might be a cheaper alternative to have parking for trucks and boat trailers further away from the ramp.
Retaining a public access in that relative location, he said, is of utmost importance.
ìIt might be cheaper to have parking away from that,î he said. ìI just donít want this end of town to be without a ramp. Thatís my biggest concern.î
Staff issues
The council considered several issues related to city staff Monday night.
The building, planning and zoning department, which has been overworked as the city continues to grow, has been transformed into two departments.
Keith Wille will head the Department of Building and Inspections. Doug Borglund was promoted to head of the newly formed Department of Community Development-Planning-Zoning. While he no longer will earn overtime compensation, his promotion comes with a pay increase to $67,000 annuallyóabout a $5000 increase over Borglundís previous salary.
The city also approved the hiring of a new city planner, at $45,000 annually.
Councilwoman Susan Young expressed concerns about the city adding staff.
ìI have a severe concern with the appointment of a city planner,î she said. ìIím not sure it is a good strategy or a good policy.î
But her colleagues on the council pointed to similar cities with much larger staffs and audit reports which say Forest Lake has too few employees to accommodate the workload.
Ashbach pointed to rules and regulations within the city that are not being enforced due to lack of time and a small staff.
Wille, who stressed the business of his department, agreed. Enforcement, he said, is often tied to complaints. And staff can rarely respond to complaints in a timely manner due to staffing shortages.
Too, Borglund has been logging several overtime hours, he said.
Carlson agreed. ìThereís no point in having a fistful of laws if weíre not going to do anything about it.î
The finance department also will see changes. Last week, Assistant Finance Director Toni Rehbine announced she will be leaving her post on April 29. Rehbine has been averaging 10-15 hours of overtime every pay period, Robinson added.
To streamline the department, Robinson proposed hiring a fulltime accounts payable/payroll clerk as soon as possible. He also proposed the creation of a finance director position. The finance director would be responsible to the city administrator.
ìI think we are all in agreement that with the combination of two entities the workload has become overwhelming,î he said. ìIf youíre looking at communities our size their staffs are about double our size,î he said.
While the council approved seeking an individual for the accounts payable position, no action was taken on the finance director position.
ìIíd like to see a finance director come in here,î Ashbach said. ìI just want to make sure we can pay for it.î
Other business
In other business at the Forest Lake City Council meeting:
ï Pete Paidar, owner of the Forest Laker, presented a check to the Forest Lake Police Sergeant Greg Weiss, who heads up the Explorers unit here. Paidarís $2200 check was the proceeds from the radar run earlier this year on First Lake.
ï Approved ordering new population signage. The signs will reflect the 2000 census population of 14,400 residents. Robinson said the signs should be up in four to six weeks.
ï The top three winners in the Forest Lake Human Rights Commission essay contest were announced. Brittny Anderson took first place; Ben Tolzmann earned second place and Christina Nowicki earned third place. (To read the winning entries, see Page 6 of this issue.)
Meetings
The Forest Lake City Council regularly meets at 6:30 p.m. the second and fourth Monday of each month in city council chambers. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 26.
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