Agenda Packets - 1999/08/23 - Laserfiche WebLink

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He explained for example,that the next time his sewer line gave way,he would ask the City to come in and pay for that. He stated they had just heard a resident request the Council to be very prudent with its budget. He stated, in light of this, to start intervening with what is deemed by the Code to be a residential situation,would highly impact the budget at some level. He stated he did not think it appropriate for the City to underwrite these situations. He stated he agreed that this was a lot of money, and a horrible situation to have to face,however,it was no different than if the transmission went out on your car. He stated the City does not have the authority or responsibility to deal with private property.. City Attorney Riggs stated that Director of Public Works Ulrich's statement was correct, and the Code does indicate the homeowner is responsible for the line between the water main, and the structure located on the property. Mayor Coughlin stated in light of the time,he would request further discussion of the matter be held privately between Mrs. Vigen and staff. He stated with the consent of the Council he would recommend they maintain present City policy, and request that staff attempt to accommodate the financial issues, as best they can. He requested that staff additionally explore any possible county or state resources that might be available to assist Mrs. Vigen in this regard. City Administrator Whiting offered to meet with Mrs.Vigen and Director of Public Works Director Ulrich,to discuss options that may assist in making the situation less painful for Mrs. Vigen, at her convenience. Council Member Quick asked City Attorney Riggs if the seller of the house had some responsibility, as this is a newly purchased residence. City Attorney Riggs stated this was highly possible, depending upon the contract entered into. He stated that many times private real estate transactions include provisions indicating that the property is accepted"as is".He stated these concerns were out of the purview of the Council, however,this would be worthwhile for Mrs. Vigen to investigate, in terms of the contract and any warranties provided to her. He stated this might provide an avenue by which to recover the costs of the repair. Director of Public Works Ulrich stated that prior Friday, they had a repair very similar to this on Silver Lake Road, which had been inspected by the Public Works Department. He stated, at that time,they invited this contractor to stop by Mrs. Vigen's property and provide a bid for the repair, in light of the difficulties Mrs. Vigen was experiencing in locating a contractor. He stated he was currently awaiting this information. He stated they should attempt to complete this repair as soon as possible, as the line has been leaking for three weeks. He stated the hole is getting bigger, and they are possibly losing thousands of gallons per day. Mayor Coughlin expressed his appreciation to Director of Public Works Ulrich for going above and beyond what was required of him, in his efforts to coordinate and obtain bids for Mrs. Vigen. He added that these matters were out of the purview of his job. He stated he appreciated his going the extra mile to assist this resident. There were no further requests or comments from the floor. 13 C:\ADMIN\MINUTES\CC\8-9-99.CC