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LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES MARCH 1, 1988 PAGE 4 A. Continuation of Public Hearing to Amend Section 700 of Lake Elmo Municipal Code. M/S/P Moe/Armstrong - to remove from the table the continuation of the public hearing to amend Section 700 of the Lake Elmo Municipal Code. (Motion carried 4-0). Mayor Christ reopened the public hearing at 7:45 in the City Council Chambers. At the public hearing of February 16, the Council raised some questions on the proposed ordinances. City Engineer Bohrer clarified these questions in his letter to the City Council dated February 25, 1988. Councilwoman Armstrong asked that a clarification be made as to when the two years would start in regard to the last sentence of Section 701. It will now read "No new connections or flow increases will be permitted for the first two years following start up of each public sewage treatment system". Bohrer explained that this is a correct statement in accordance with MPCA required language. The reason for the two year delay on any new connections is to provide sufficient operating time on the new systems to fully evaluate their ability to accommodate new connections. The startup was December 31, 1987 so there could be some new connections beginning in 1990. Mike Severin, 8012 50th Street, asked "was the purpose of the 201 Project to help existing failing systems or was it to build septic systems for the future?" Bohrer responded that it was to resolve existing sewage problems. Severin asked why was this wording in there --were the systems :-.overdesigned intended for new connections. Bohrer answered that it was a specific prohibiton that we would intentionally oversize systems for future growth or future connections. However, especially on the large systems, their performance is not as well documented as individual systems. A large system for 10 homes is not the sum of 10 individual systems, side -by -side. There is no prohibition to prevent the City from allowing future connections if the system demonstrates that it can take that additional flow which would be an engineering determination based on periodic inspections of the drainfield. Ed Gorman stated that during court condemnation proceedings, Bohrer had stated that the systems were not for any additional people --no one else could hook up. Gorman had a problem with making these systems bigger. Bohrer answered he was not saying they were going to made larger --they were not designed for more than the flow for which they were designed for and the language states that you cannot add new connections the first two years following startup. Bohrer explained the purpose of Section 707, Waste Water Service charge Ordinance, was to establish certain requirements for approving funds or revenue so that the City has sufficient funds available to operate and maintain those off -site or collector systems that are under the city's jurisdiction to maintain. A second purpose of the