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Item No. 3A Meeting Date: June 6, 2005 Type of Business: WK WK: Work Session; PH: Public Hearing; CA: Consent Agenda; CB: Council Business City Administrator Review _______ City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: Greg Lee, Director of Public Works Item Title/Subject: Easement Use and Restoration Policy Background: The City owns and maintains numerous infrastructure items throughout the City, including: water, sanitary, and storm sewer pipes, manholes, catch basins, data and electrical transmission lines, signage, lighting, ponds, and drainage ways. Most of these items are located within City-owned property. However, some are located on private property over which the City has an easement. An easement allows for various rights to be granted to entities other than the property owner. Examples would be perimeter drainage and utility easement around most recently platted properties, a utility easement for a pipe located along a common property line, a drainage easement for a drainage swale (drainage ditch) located along a rear property line, and a pond or wetland easement for a storm water pond (there are numerous more examples of the City having easement rights). Discussion: With regard to the utilization of these easements in order to maintain the City facilities, it is important that that the City is consistent in how it uses and restores the easement areas once maintenance activities have been completed. Staff has developed a draft Easement Use and Restoration Policy. Attached is a copy of this draft policy for Council’s review and consideration. The goal of this policy is to define consistent restoration action in cases where the City must utilize its easement rights to maintain its infrastructure; and to do so in a manner that respects the best interests of the City as a whole and does not create an additional tax burden to other property owners in Mounds View.