Item Coversheet

Agenda Item - 1.


Staff Report



City Council Study Session Meeting
January  28, 2021

Visionary Leadership, Effective Governance and Proactive Regional Collaboration
Financially Sustainable Government Providing Excellence in City Services
Subject:  
City Council Workshops Related to Water/Wastewater Infrastructure, Costs and Rates

Prepared By: 

Christine Gray, Business Operations Administrator, Public Works and Utilities

Max Kirschbaum, Director of Public Works and Utilities

Tammy Hitchens, Director of Finance

Chris Lindsey, Director of Policy and Budget

Larry Dorr, Chief Financial Officer, Deputy City Manager

 
Recommended City Council Action:
 
Conduct the fifth and final special study session with City Council and Staff. 
Summary Statement:

 

  • City Council has been scheduled to meet with Staff a total of five times during the months of October, November, December, and January to discuss water/wastewater infrastructure, costs, and rates.

  • These meetings are being held in advance of discussions about the 2022 water/wastewater (w-ww) rates. Thursday, October 8, was the first of these special study sessions, the second was held on Tuesday, October 20, the third was held on Thursday, November 5, and the fourth was held on Tuesday, December 15.

  • All of the previous meeting summaries and presentations can be found on the project website:  
    https://www.cityofwestminster.us/Residents/Water/Rates/2022WaterandSewerRates.

  • The January 28th session will include a discussion about which items Staff believes are prudent and imprudent to pursue for the 2022 rate setting process, and a review of the 2022 rate setting timeline. Staff will also request direction from City Council about which of the items are recommended to fund a safe and reliable Utility.  

  • A series of attachments to this document includes the presentation for this meeting and the final meeting summary and annotated slide deck from the December 15 meeting. No public comment about this process has been received through January 19. Any additional public comment received prior to the meeting will be included in the presentation.

  • The community has been notified about these meetings via a press release, postings on the City's website, articles in The Weekly, Facebook, Twitter, and NextDoor. Public questions and comments can be directed to Staff either by phone or by comment form. This information can be found on the City's website at:  
    https://www.cityofwestminster.us/Residents/Water/Rates/2022WaterandSewerRates.

  • Following the January 28 meeting, Staff will engage with the community regarding plans to take care of the Utility's infrastructure, return to City Council in the spring with a 2022 water/sewer rate recommendation, and engage with the community about the 2022 water/sewer rate recommendation.  
Fiscal Impact:

None identified.
Source of Funds:

Not applicable.

 

Policy Issue(s):

 

Does City Council wish to conduct this final special study session to discuss water/wastewater infrastructure, costs, rates, and community engagement on Thursday, January 28?
Alternative(s):

 

Do not conduct this special study session as planned. Staff does not recommend this option as these special study sessions have been prepared to allow time for City Council to discuss and deliberate the state of the water and wastewater system infrastructure and provide direction on future rates.
Background Information:

 

City Council has been scheduled to meet with Staff a total of five times to discuss water/wastewater infrastructure, costs, rates, and community engagement. These meetings are being held in advance of discussions about the 2022 water/wastewater rates. Thursday, January 28 is the final of these special study sessions.

 

The community has been notified about these meetings via a press release, a posting on the City's website, articles in The Weekly, and on Facebook, Twitter, and NextDoor. Public questions and comments can be directed to Staff either by phone or by comment form. This information can be found on the City's website at: https://www.cityofwestminster.us/Residents/Water/Rates/2022WaterandSewerRates. All previous presentations, Staff Reports, meeting recordings, final meeting summaries, and current presentations can also be found at this site.

 

During this meeting, Staff will discuss with City Council the following topics:

  • Which items Staff believes are prudent to pursue for the 2022 rate setting process    
  • Which items Staff believes are imprudent to pursue for the 2022 rate setting process
  • A review of the 2022 rate setting timeline

 

Staff will also request direction from City Council about which of the items are recommended to fund a safe and reliable Utility.  

 

A series of attachments to this document includes the PowerPoint presentation for this meeting, along with the final meeting summary and annotated slide deck from the December 15 meeting. No public comment about this process has been received through January 19. Any public comment received prior to the meeting will be included in the presentation.

 

Attachment A: PowerPoint presentation for this meeting

Attachment B: Meeting summary from December 15, 2020

Attachment C: Annotated slide deck from December 15, 2020

 

Following the January 28 meeting, Staff will engage with the community regarding plans to take care of the Utility's infrastructure, return to City Council in the spring with a 2022 water/sewer rate recommendation, and engage with the community about the 2022 rate recommendation.  

Conducting this final Special Study Session about water/wastewater infrastructure, costs, rates, and community engagement in advance of the 2022 water/wastewater rate process meets the City's Strategic Plan goal of Visionary Leadership, Effective Governance and Proactive Regional Collaboration by providing City Council with an opportunity to hold in-depth conversations with each other and with Staff. Reviewing the infrastructure and discussing the costs and rates also supports the City's Strategic Plan goal of Financially Sustainable Government Providing Excellence in City Services by working to ensure a long term financially sustainable utility providing important water and wastewater services to the community.
Respectfully submitted,


Donald M. Tripp
City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
DescriptionUpload DateType
City Council Workshops Related to Water/Wastewater Infrastructure, Costs and Rates - ATTACHMENT A: 1/28/21 Presentation Slides1/20/2021Attachment
City Council Workshops Related to Water/Wastewater Infrastructure, Costs and Rates - ATTACHMENT B:12/15/20 Final Meeting Summary1/20/2021Attachment
City Council Workshops Related to Water/Wastewater Infrastructure, Costs and Rates - ATTACHMENT C: 12/15/20 Annotated Slide Deck1/20/2021Attachment