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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION <br />DRAFT <br /> 1 <br />CITY OF LINO LAKES 1 <br />MINUTES 2 <br /> 3 <br />DATE : February 22, 2021 4 <br />TIME STARTED : 6:00 p.m. 5 <br />TIME ENDED : 6:30 p.m. 6 <br />MEMBERS PRESENT : Council Member Stoesz, Lyden, Ruhland, 7 <br /> Cavegn and Mayor Rafferty 8 <br />MEMBERS ABSENT : None 9 <br />Staff members present: City Administrator Sarah Cotton; Director of Public Safety John 10 <br />Swenson; Finance Director Hannah Lynch; City Clerk Julie Bartell 11 <br /> 12 <br />1. Review Regular Agenda of February 22, 2021 13 <br /> 14 <br />Item 2A – Preparation of Utility Rate Study – Finance Officer Lynch recalled July of 15 <br />2020 when the council reviewed a water treatment feasibility study and directed staff to 16 <br />explore funding sources. Staff received eight proposals for a utility rate study and is 17 <br />recommending that the council authorize Baker Tilly to prepare said study. She noted 18 <br />that the Baker Tilly organization prepared that last two rate studies for the City. 19 <br /> 20 <br />Councilmember Stoesz expressed interest in including study of a flat utility rate and Ms. 21 <br />Lynch responded that options to be studied beyond the two indicated would result in 22 <br />additional costs so would be done only based on direction from council. Councilmember 23 <br />Stoesz added that he sees that customers in a quarterly billing system don’t get quick 24 <br />feedback on their use (such as for consideration of conservation) so a flat rate may be 25 <br />more appropriate. 26 <br /> 27 <br />Administrator Cotton noted that the matter of reading meters more frequently is currently 28 <br />being planned. 29 <br /> 30 <br />Mayor Rafferty remarked that utility billing postage isn’t cheap so he would be concerned 31 <br />about any inclination to not continue quarterly billing. 32 <br /> 33 <br />Administrator Cotton explained further details about technology in the area of meter 34 <br />reading and billing that is available. That’s not to say that quarterly billing doesn’t 35 <br />continues to be the best practice for the City. 36 <br /> 37 <br />Councilmember Ruhland asked about the possibility of charging for those that choose not 38 <br />to go paperless. Ms. Cotton added that as new residents move in, the City is seeing 39 <br />more automatic billing and payment as their choice. 40 <br /> 41 <br />Staff added, regarding the discussion about flat rates, that the vast majority (98%) of 42 <br />residents fit into the same lower tier. Staff can have Baker Tilly look at a uniform 43 <br />system (non-tiered) if the council wishes. 44