5.4. ERMUSR 09-21-2004 Elk River
Municipal Utilities
13069 Orono Parkway phone: 763.441.2020
Elk River,MN 55330 Fax:763.441.8099
September 8, 2004
To: Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission
Jerry Takle
James Tralle
John Dietz
From: Bryan Adams
Subject: City Council Goal Setting Workshop
The first annual goal setting work sessions of the city council and its advisory
commissions and independent commission is scheduled for Monday, October 11, 2004 at
6:30 p.m. at the Lions Park Center. This commission should be in attendance. This goal
setting work session is a result of the work Jim Brimeyer did with the city council and
staff in regard to governance and goals.
The goal of this workshop is to coordinate all the commissions and city council to ensure
we are all going in the same direction and identify and resolve any underlying issues. In
preparation for this workshop, we should identify our major goals or current long term
issues we may have, probably limited to two or three. Also for our perspective, what is
Elk Rivers' largest issue and do we play a part in that issue. Because distribution utilities
are more reactionary than policy driven, this effort may be more applicable to other
commissions.
In an effort to identify some goals and issues, I offer the following. The 2004 goals
contained in our annual report to the city council in order of priority are:
A) Satisfy 2004 Budget requirements and complete the following projects started in
2003.
I) Construction of Well #8 with associated facilities.
2) Construction for Administration Building & City Hall Complex.
3) Complete numerous electric feeder expansion to accommodate existing and
future growth.
B) Continue to investigate and solve long term physical and financial growth needs.
This necessitates the need to keep current the Springstad financial model.
C) The wholesale electric rate from Great River Energy/Connexus is continuing to
raise in the next few years. Staff must continue to explore different strategies to
offset these increased costs thus minimizing electric rate increases.
D) Stay on top of the Electric Industry Restructuring and Service Territory issues.
E) Improve on marketing efforts in Security System sales, CIP Programs and Water
Conservation.
F) Continue to support Energy City activities.
G) Purchase land for proposed Well #10.
H) Finish replacing O.H. line at Co. Rd. 33 and Highway 169 interchange. Plan,
move, and reconstruct electrical lines to accommodate interchange at Highway
101 and Co. Rd 39 and Co. Rd. 42.
I) Construct necessary electrical feeders to support Otsego's Waterfront East
Project.
J) Continue studies for Global Information System (GIS) and System Control and
Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems.
These are more functional goals. From a strategic perspective, is the growth philosophy
of the Elk River Municipal Utilities/City Council the same? Should the Elk River
Municipal Utilities be more active in economic development, and if so how? Our recent
Elk River Municipal Utilities/City Council meeting had the following agenda items.
1) Maintenance and repair of street lights.
2) Enforcement of two year utility hook-up requirement.
3) SAC & WAC fees for the Downtown Redevelopment.
4) City mechanic program.
5) Future sites for water facilities.
6) City/Utilities cost sharing for administration building.
The city council/staff prioritized their issues as follows.
1) Steady consistent growth towards approving comprehensive plan transportation
plan, amenities and sewer expansion.
2) Agree to implement new/revised city organizational structure.
3) Council direction shared with commissions and staff.
4) Wastewater capacity—if where, when.
5) Maintenance and update of infrastructure (streets, sewer, water) with financing
mechanisms.
6) Devise plan to designate and preserve natural area.
7) Use necessary resources to reduce traffic congestion on corridors— action plan
for county and state.
We solicit your comments.