06-06-2018 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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(6) The City is 1 of 45 jurisdictions that contracts with Roseville for information technology (IT) services. This arrangement creates an “economy of scale” that enables us to obtain excellent services that would be far more expensive for comparable quality. Water is purchased from St. Paul Regional Water Service (SPRWS). This was is treated and softened before delivery to our customers. Little Canada provides building inspection services to Falcon Heights. This arrangement allows both communities to provide a responsive and professional service at lower costs than if we each staff our own inspection program. Water and Sewer Infrastructure: The City operates and maintains both a water distribution and sanitary sewer collection system. As noted earlier, water is purchased from SPRWS. The City is responsible for maintenance of the water system and all customer relations. The City’s sanitary sewer collection system discharges into several Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) interceptor sewers for treatment by MCES at the Metro Wastewater treatment plant. The City pays MCES for sanitary sewer treatment charges on a quarterly basis, and these MCES treatment costs are included in the City’s sewer billing to residents. The City continues to strive to eliminate significant sources of inflow and infiltration of ground water into the City’s sanitary sewer system. Past efforts have included a sump pump inspection program, televising of city sewer mains and repairs of system leaks, and lining of sewer services in high water table areas. We are also starting to televise sewer service lines. Because the MCES charges are based on measured flow, any reduction of inflow and infiltration results in lower charges to the City and our customers. The City has one water tower to serve the needs of the community. The water tower also generates significant revenue through leases to telecommunications providers to meet their antenna needs. The antenna revenue generated by the water tower in 2017 was $72,814. Quiet Zones: In 2014, the City received an allocation of State bonding funds to assist us in paying for the costs to upgrade six at-grade railroad crossings in the community. By doing so, we were able to establish a 24- hour Quiet Zone pursuant to Federal Railroad Administration requirements resulting in the discontinuance of train horns being sounded at every crossing. This became a major concern for our residents in 2013 with a dramatic increase in train activity in Little Canada. That increase in activity lead to many complaints about train horns sounded all day and night that resulted in a decrease in the quality of life for our community. We will receive up to $1,250,000 of bond funds to aid in this project. The City’s final “out-of-pocket” costs were $20,976.53 versus the $100,000+ amount expected. Rice Street Bridge over Intestate 694: This project was funded by the Minnesota Legislature in 2017. They appropriated $20,500,000. Federal funds totaling $7,000,000 have also been secured. The project will be bid in the fall of 2018 with construction to be substantially completed by the end of 2019. The overall project budget is $27,100,000.