City Council Minutes 2014 05 06 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Council Meeting Minutes May 6, 2014 Page 21 of 27 Joel Hayes, 180 Harper Street, Louisville, CO thanked Council for appointing him to the Water Rate Study Committee. He voiced his disagreement with the water budgets. He had three concerns: Billing based on service and water rights. He believes it punishes single - family residents for what they feel is inappropriate use of water. It does not apply to any other category. Winter usage is when there is not a lot of water. The size of yard also discriminates and punishes small yard owners. The family size becomes problematic and bureaucratic. Michael Menaker, 1827 S. Choke Cherry Street, Louisville, CO voiced his concern over the homes north of South Boulder Road, which are the largest lots in the City and have very large trees. He felt it would be impossible to maintain his property with Tess than 20,000 gallons of water. He noted the homeowners are doing everything they can to be water efficient. He stated the average water bill in his neighborhood is $350.00 and the changes to the water structure will cause properties to decline. He wanted to pay the same rate for the second 10,000 gallons of water that he paid for the first 10,000 gallons of water. Drew Beckett, Court, Louisville, CO Task Force Member addressed the recommendation of water rates. The recommendation was for water a budget, because it manages the amount of water. Conservation is important for Council to consider. Rates should encourage water conservation. Public Works Director Kowar stated in late summer there is not a lot of water. Ned Williams, Louisville, CO Task Force Member discussed the existing structure for single - family rate structure — he preferred a rate structure that requires the homeowner pay for every thousand gallons used. He did not feel the current rate structure was broken. He stated in June, July and August the irrigation of properties is within the first block, larger homes will go into the next blocks. Using the size of properties might be an alternative. He believed someone who has 12,000 SF receives the same amount of water as someone who has 1,000 SF. He does not believe there is a correlation between indoor and outdoor consumption. COUNCIL COMMENTS Mayor Muckle was willing to discuss alternatives with the Water Committee. Council member Lipton supported sending this matter to the Water Committee. He agreed there can be increases over a period of years. He did not want to use the process to be a social engineer and make people's lives more complicated and stressful. He felt there should be better communication to the public to let them know what the goals are. Council member Stolzmann supported the Water Committee review. She felt the price of water should be tied to the cost to produce the water. She did not support any increase for this year. She cautioned the Water Committee that the weighing of the calculations could be off.