8.g Administrator's report
Staff Report
Date of Meeting: February 19, 2019
To: City Council
From: Neil Soltis, Administrator
Re: Administrator’s report
Codification – Copies of the ordinance were forwarded to American Legal Publishing on 2/4.
They have been turned over to their editing department. The editing department will be
reviewing to create a consistent style and capitalization, improving grammar and language,
deleting outdated material and making note of missing material. There will also be a legal
review to identify obsolete and legally questionable material. Any substantive changes in the
text will require City approval. Of the 207 ordinances passed to date 109 will be codified. The
remainder have been incorporated into the development code.
Customer response system – Judi & I have submitting information on the request types and
routing. Additionally Qsend has worked with Bolton & Menk to add mapping to the portal. The
next steps will be scheduling training on the administrative side of the portal which will allow
for future maintenance of the system. The goal is to have the portal fully functional and
available on the website by April 1.
Classification and Compensation study – Based on position analysis questionnaires completed
by employees and reviewed by their supervisors, Springsted has setup a database and is
working on the positions comparisons. Review of the information by Springsted is anticipated
in the next week.
Administrative citations – As Eric Sherburne mentioned at the last meeting the next step in the
implementation is the designation of a hearing officer(s). Mike Welsh has expressed an interest
in serving as hearing officer but is checking on whether this would be a conflict of interest in his
role as prosecutor for the City.
Council Chamber audio – Colleen met with EMI on 2/15 regarding the audit for the Board
Room. EMI was the company utilized by Lakes Area Television on a similar project to provide
audio to the board room in Columbus.
Web site – Judi has added a separate calendar on the home page for community event. All City
events on a separate calendar labeled accordingly.
Tourism Assessment – Tammy Koerte has left the University Extension and Cynthia Messer is
working on completing the report. She hope to finish the draft by the end of the month and
will then send the report on for editing. Their delivery of the draft for review is estimated by
March 28.
Labor management Committee – Staff has been working with the State Bureau of Mediation
Services to establish a labor management committee to serve as a forum to discuss labor -
management issues and work on improving work relationships. The committee is not a
collective bargaining forum and can only make recommendations for consideration into the
collective bargaining process. The initial meeting was held on February 1 to establish a mission
statement and bylaws. Future meeting will be held on a monthly basis.
Capital Improvement Committee & Wastewater Advisory Committee – There were no
additional response to the announcement that the City is seeking applications for residents to
serve on the Capital Improvement Committee. Applications were due by noon on Thursday,
February 14th, I have extended the deadline to February 28th so the Council can review the
application at the March work session.
Liquor License Compliance – The City has received notification that the Brookside Pub failed an
alcohol compliance check in October. This case came on for hearing on January 16, 2019. No
resolution was reached and a scheduling order was issued setting the above matter for an
omnibus hearing on March 6, 2019; pre-trial conference on April 2, 2019; and jury trial for
Monday, May 13, 2019. Once the matter has been resolved the discussion on the penalty will
be brought to the Council.
Request for guardrails – We’ve received requests to install guardrail along the south side of
228th Street east of Lofton based on vehicles leaving the road in that location this year. I’ve
requested an accident history for this location and comments from the City Engineer. Ryan
noted that they are placed in locations that if the vehicle left the road the driver would be in
immediate danger of their lives because of the elevation differences.
Correspondence of interest – Following this report are a report from Xcel energy on
community energy consumption in 2018, information from Washington County Recycling
regarding a durable compostable bag program for separated organics, a report on Washington
County’s legislative priorities, and notice of the reappointment of John Waller of Hugo to the
Rice Creek Watershed District Board of Managers.
Electric metric tons CO2/ MWh [2]
Gas metric tons CO2/ Th [3]
Resource Contribution
30.00%
12.00%
18.00%
6.00%
1.00%
29.00%
3.00%
1.00%
Number of Customers [5] Energy Consumption (kWh)
Carbon Emissions (metric
tons CO2) [6]Revenues Billed [7]Customers Removed from
Dataset [8]
129 3,304,299 1,229 $420,268 1
1,341 14,463,097 5,380 $1,865,605 0
n/a 25,675 10 $1,888 -
n/a 3,900 1 $189 -
n/a 4,220 2 $2,704 -
1,470 17,801,191 6,622 $2,290,655
Number of Customers [5]Energy Consumption
(therms)
Carbon Emissions (metric
tons CO2) [9]Revenues Billed [7]Customers Removed from
Dataset [8]
71 86,150 457 $70,572 2
1,102 1,011,642 5,362 $749,811 0
1,173 1,097,792 5,818 $820,383
Total:
Natural Gas
Business *
Residential
Total:
Programmatic Data [10]
Electricity
Business *
Residential
Street Lighting - Metered
Street Lighting - Non-Metered/Customer Owned
Street Lighting - Non-Metered/Xcel-Owned
Hydro
Solar
Nuclear
Bio Mass
Other
Energy Consumption Data [4]
0.3720
0.0053
Resource Mix
Coal
Gas
Wind
ANNUAL COMMUNITY ENERGY REPORT BY XCEL ENERGY
Community: City of Scandia
Year of Data: 2017
Utility System Characteristics [1]
Number of Customers Subscribed Energy (kWh)
1 2,000
36 130,488
330 27,759,238
52,379 129,395,010
Total Installations Installations During
Reporting Year
Total Capacity
(kW)
Capacity Installed During
Reporting Year (kW)
Total Energy Produced
(kWh) [11]
Total Incentives
Paid ($) [12]
2 0 44 0 26,978 $0
9 3 81 33 15,799 $0
771 195 19,680 4,487 11,152,184 $123,624
2,070 597 14,610 4,676 5,553,194 $181,610
Total Installations Installations During
Reporting Year
Total Capacity
(kW)
Capacity Installed During
Reporting Year (kW)
n/a 0 n/a 0
n/a 0 n/a 0
n/a 24 n/a 3,623
n/a 5 n/a 109
Number of Customers Subscribed Capacity
(kW)
Subscribed Energy
(kWh)
1 4 3,160
3 29 22,834
1,164 239,767 124,949,510
5,142 31,994 13,323,072
Number of Projects Electric Energy Savings
(kWh)
Electric Demand Savings
(kW)
Natural Gas Energy
Savings (Th)Rebates or Incentives Paid
4 306,882 52 3,369 $21,140
96 43,708 20 6,300 $17,362
13,338 438,000,000 193,473 5,192,765 $51,323,090
87,549 181,000,000 193,517 3,176,576 $17,807,144
Number of Customers Available Capacity (kW) Rebates or Incentives Paid
10 268 $1,270
Minnesota - Residential Total
Load Management (Demand Response)
Community - Business Total
Minnesota - Business Total
Minnesota - Residential Total
Energy Conservation
Community - Business Total
Community - Residential Total
Minnesota - Business Total
Community - Residential Total
Minnesota - Business Total
Minnesota - Residential Total
Solar Gardens (PV)
Community - Business Total
Community - Residential Total
Community - Business Total
Community - Residential Total
Minnesota - Business Total
Minnesota - Residential Total
On-site Solar (non-Solar*Rewards)
Community - Business Total
Windsource
Community - Business Total
Community - Residential Total
Minnesota - Business Total
Minnesota - Residential Total
On-site Solar (Solar*Rewards)
538 330 $36,909
17,103 407,597 $4,994,234
390,570 230,451 $22,863,919
[12] Incentives Paid are those Solar Rewards incentives paid by Xcel Energy only. Does not include Made in Minnesota payments.
*As described in note 8 above, an asterisk represents a row of values for which one or more customers were removed due to implementation of Xcel Energy's Privacy Policy.
The information contained in this report relies on various assumptions, including some identified in footnotes, and is intended for general informational and instructional purposes only. The report is not to be relied upon for any other
reason, including any litigated or other contested proceedings. Any customer data removed from the report is done so in compliance with Xcel Energy’s Privacy Policy and applicable state commission customer information and data
privacy requirements.
[6] Estimated total carbon emissions from electricity for a customer class are equal to the total kWh consumed by the customer class, multiplied by the CO2 emission factor for the Xcel Energy system in the applicable region. This does not account for
transmission and distribution system line losses or for the fact that some customers within a class may be participating in voluntary renewable energy programs.
[7] Revenues are the bill components associated only with metered energy and demand
[8] To protect individual customer confidentiality, Xcel Energy applies the "15/15 rule" as an aggregation standard to the energy consumption section of this report. So long as a given aggregated value contains 15 or more customers and no single
customer makes up 15 percent or more of the aggregated value, the value can be publicized in this report. If these conditions are not met, customers will be removed. The number of customers removed is presented for informational purposes. For more
information about Xcel Energy's Privacy Policy, please visit https://www.xcelenergy.com/billing_and_payment/customer_data_&_privacy/privacy_policy_&_customer_data_access
[9] Estimated total carbon emissions from natural gas for a customer class are equal to the total therms consumed by the customer class, multiplied by the standard CO2 coefficient of 11.7 lbs/therm.
[10] This section simply reports participation by customer class, within the geographic boundaries of the community or state being reported, in various voluntary wind and solar programs. No representations are made as to the ownership of the renewable
or CO2-free attributes of the electricity being purchased by those customers. In the case of Windsource, Xcel Energy retires Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) on behalf of the participating customer; treatment of RECs varies among the solar programs.
In general, ownership of environmental attributes is either with the customer or remains with Xcel Energy, unless specifically transferred to the community, so cannot be claimed by the community. In addition, our accounting methods do not allow us to
adjust the system CO2 emission factors for individual jurisdictions to remove the effects of any CO2-free kWh transferred to customers under our voluntary programs
[11] For Solar*Rewards customers, the energy production value shown reflects that of customers who have a dedicated production meter for their photovoltaic system as well as an estimated value for those that do not. For those customers that do not
have a production meter, the estimated production value is based off of the average generation per nominal capacity of production-metered systems multiplied by the known nominal capacity of the customer system. Number includes Made in Minnesota
production.
Footnotes
[1] Available in the latest Energy and Carbon at a Glance Sheet at: https://www.xcelenergy.com/Environment/Policy/Carbon_Policy. See the table on page 3, which shows our latest CO2 intensity by region in metric tons/MWh and lbs/MWh, as calculated
using The Climate Registry’s electric power sector protocol. Note these are system-wide metrics and do not reflect differences between communities.
[2] Note that the CO2 emission factor for electricity is a preliminary estimate, as calculated using The Climate Registry protocols but not yet third-party verified. This reflects the most accurate and current emissions information available, but sometimes
emissions data changes slightly as our power suppliers send us revised information, as our emissions go through third-party verification, or as reporting protocols improve. Note also that this emission factor does not include biogenic CO2 from biomass
power generation, which is reported separately under The Climate Registry protocols.
[3] In the customer energy usage section, if minimum aggregation standards are not met, Xcel Energy will combine Commercial and Industrial classes into one "Business" line before not presenting data.
[4] In the customer energy usage section, if minimum aggregation standards are not met (see note 8 below), Xcel Energy will combine Commercial and Industrial classes into one "Business" line before not presenting data. Commercial Customers are
classified by 2-digit NAICS sector falling between 1 and 49, while Industrial Customers are classified by 2-digit NAICS sector falling between 50 and 98. These classifications are collected by Xcel Energy through a voluntary third party customer survey.
Due to the fact that not all customers respond to this survey, where no other information is available, Xcel Energy assigns those customers to the Commercial class.
[5] The number of customers represents the number of active service connections during the reporting year. The number of actual business or residences within the jurisdiction is smaller than that shown due to the fact that more than one service
connection can be assigned to one customer at a given location.
Community - Residential Total
Minnesota - Business Total
Minnesota - Residential Total
www.MoreValueLessTrash.com
Collecting Source Separated Organics:
Durable Compostable Bags
Why is Recycling & Energy (R&E) interested in collecting organics curbside?
The State of Minnesota requires Ramsey and Washington Counties to achieve a 75% recycling goal by
2030. Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy (R&E) is committed to assuring that organic wastes,
primarily food wastes, are separated by and collected from residents and businesses for the purpose of
recycling more.
Recent waste sorts show that food waste is about 25% by weight of trash collected in the two counties.
When other organics are included (like paper towels and compostable cups and cutlery), the total is
close to 40%. Ramsey and Washington Counties are moving forward to capture the resource value of
food waste. Recovering this material from trash will help us in reaching the state’s recycling goal and
provide residents the opportunity to recycle more than is possible in a backyard compost bin.
What is the concept for collection using durable compostable bags?
R&E’s efforts are focused on collecting organic waste from residents and small businesses using durable
compostable bags (DCBs) co-collected with trash. With DCBs, bags of organics and bags of trash all go in
the same trash cart.
STEP 1: Organic waste will be collected in durable compostable bags inside a resident’s home or at a
small business and then placed into their trash cart for collection on their scheduled trash collection day
by their trash hauler.
STEP 2: The bags with organic waste would then be separated from the bags of trash at either a transfer
station or at the Recycling & Energy Center.
STEP 3: After separation from trash, the bags of organic waste would be delivered to compost sites or
anaerobic digestion facilities. The remaining trash would be processed as usual.
R&E is exploring the most effective means to separate durable compostable bags from trash following
collection curbside. Equipment that can mechanically separate the bags from trash is being evaluated.
R&E would modify the contracts it has with transfer stations to require the transfer stations to separate
DCBs from trash received from the two counties and would also contract with end markets for
composting or anaerobic digestion of organics collected in DCBs.
What are the benefits?
R&E believes that the use of durable compostable bags is likely to be an efficient and cost-effective
method of collecting organics from residences and small businesses. Some benefits of this method
include:
• Does not require an additional collection cart
• Does not require a separate collection day
• Does not require additional hauling trucks
www.MoreValueLessTrash.com
• Works in communities with and without waste hauling contracts
• Would have little impact on current waste hauling services
How will the bags be distributed and who will pay?
R&E would ensure that organics collection service is available to residents throughout the two counties,
and would contract for the manufacturing and distribution of durable compostable bags to residents.
R&E estimates a year’s worth of durable compostable bags and processing costs to be $40 per
household (60 bags per year per household). Payment for DCBs has not been finalized. The options are:
• R&E provides bags and service at no cost to residents
• Residents pay part of the cost of bags and service (R&E pays the other part)
• Residents pay the full cost of bags and service
Distribution could occur:
• Through online ordering and delivery to the residence;
• By partnering with retailers; or
• Having bags available at convenient locations like city hall or other public facilities.
What is the timeline?
R&E is intending to launch this service in the spring of 2021.
This is a local partnership!
Ramsey and Washington Counties would work with municipalities, waste haulers and others to provide
outreach and education, and would provide drop-off sites to supplement the collection of DCBs.
Municipalities would support outreach and education to residents, and would partner with the counties
for drop-off sites and potentially in the distribution of DCBs.
Government Center • 14949 62nd Street North • P. O. Box 6 • Stillwater, MN 55082-0006
Telephone: 651-430-6001 • Fax: 651-430-6017 • TTY: 651-430-6246
www.co.washington.mn.us
Washington County is an equal opportunity organization and employer
Board of Commissioners
Fran Miron, District 1
Stan Karwoski, Chair, District 2
Gary Kriesel, District 3
Wayne A. Johnson, District 4
Lisa Weik, District 5
February 12, 2019
John Waller
14010 Homestead Avenue North
Hugo, MN 55038
Dear Mr. Waller
At its meeting of February 12, 2019, the Washington County Board of Commissioners reappointed you
to the Rice Creek Watershed District Board of Managers, to a second term expiring January 17, 2022.
We appreciate your willingness to continue to serve on this important watershed district position and
hope you will enjoy being a part of the County's committee process.
Sincerely,
Stan Karwoski, Chair
Washington County Board of Commissioners
c Board of Water and Soil Resources
Patricia L. Preiner, President, Rice Creek Watershed
Phil Belfiori, Rice Creek Watershed District Administrator
City Clerks within the Rice Creek Watershed District
Stephanie Souter, Senior Planner, Public Health & Environment
Maureen Hoffman, Planner, Public Health & Environment
Washington County Commissioners
Commissioner Fran Miron 651-430-6211
District 1
fran.miron@co.washington.mn.us
Commissioner Stan Karwoski 651-430-6212
District 2
stan.karwoski@co.washington.mn.us
Commissioner Gary Kriesel 651-430-6213
District 3
gary.kriesel@co.washington.mn.us
Commissioner Wayne Johnson 651-430-6214
District 4
wayne.a.johnson@co.washington.mn.us
Commissioner Lisa Weik 651-430-6215
District 5
lisa.weik@co.washington.mn.us
Washington County Administration
County Administrator
Molly O’Rourke 651-430-6002
molly.o’rourke@co.washington.mn.us
Deputy Administrator
Kevin Corbid 651-430-6003
kevin.corbid@co.washington.mn.us 14949 62nd Street North | Stillwater, MN 55082-0006
Washington County Department
Contacts
Community Corrections
Tom Adkins, Director 651-430-6902
tom.adkins@co.washington.mn.us
Community Services
Chris Sorensen, Director 651-430-6461
chris.sorensen@co.washington.mn.us
County Attorney
Peter Orput 651-430-6124
pete.orput@co.washington.mn.us
County Sheriff
Dan Starry 651-430-7602
dan.starry@co.washington.mn.us
Property Records and Taxpayer Services
Jennifer Wagenius, Director 651-430-6182
jennifer.wagenius@co.washington.mn.us
Public Health and Environment
Lowell Johnson, Director 651-430-6725
lowell.johnson@co.washington.mn.us
Public Works
Don Theisen, Director 651-430-4304
don.theisen@co.washington.mn.us
Wayne Sandberg, Deputy Director 651-430-4339
wayne.sandberg@co.washington.mn.us
Jan Lucke, Planning Director 651-430-4316
jan.lucke@co.washington.mn.us
Legislative Representative
Margaret Vesel 952-896-3371
Legislative Representative
mvesel@larkinhoffman.com
2019 Legislative Priorities
Issues of importance to Washington County
Additional 2019 General Washington County Positions
• Support for Community Corrections Act Subsidy
Funding
• Funding for Basic Mental Health Services
• State Funding for Libraries
• Early Voting Election Modernization
• Regional Parks Operation and Maintenance
Funding
• Parks and Trails Legacy Fund Allocation Formula
Protection
• Local Wetland Replacement Program Funding
• Elimination of Sunset on Health Care Access Fund
Provider Tax
• Expansion of Metropolitan Transit Taxing District
• Permanent Funding for the School Building Bond
Agricultural Property Tax Credit
www.co.washington.mn.us A great place to live, work and play...
today and tomorrow
2019 Priority Legislative Positions
Highway 36/Manning Ave. Interchange
Washington County requests a $15 million appropria-
tion to match more than $16 million in federal and local
funds for a new interchange at Trunk Highway 36 (TH
36) and Manning Avenue (CSAH 15). This interchange
is needed to address congestion and safety issues at this
intersection while preserving future mobility in this
corridor. The State of Minnesota needs to be a financial
partner in preserving and improving this interregional
corridor.
Local Property Taxpayer Protection
Washington County seeks to protect local taxpayers
from any further shifts of state costs to the county prop-
erty tax and the potential erosion in its ability to deliver
high-quality, essential services in an efficient manner.
The Legislature and the Governor should provide flex-
ibility and full funding for mandates imposed on local
governments.
Licensing Service Fees
Washington County supports legislation to increase the
fees retained by deputy registrars for completing license
transactions. The 2017 implementation of the MN
Licensing and Registration System (MNLARS) and the
2018 implementation of the new driver license system,
Fast DS, with Enhanced and Real ID-compliant driver
licenses, has increased the costs of license center opera-
tions by moving data entry from the state to the deputy
registrar offices, requiring additional background
checks for employees, and increasing transaction time.
Assistive Voting Technology
Washington County supports legislation that allows for
alternative printed ballot styles to be used in voting,
specifically assistive voting technology that creates a
marked paper ballot indicating the voter’s selection for
each office by use of a touch screen or other electronic
device.
2019 Legislative Positions
4th Street Bridge – Oakdale
Washington County requests $4 million in state funding
for general purpose lanes and pedestrian and bicycle
infrastructure on a reconstructed 4th Street Bridge over
Interstate 694 in Oakdale.
Motor Vehicle Lease Sales Tax Revenue
Washington County supports the current distribution of
the Motor Vehicle Lease Sales Tax Revenue (MVLST)
and opposes any change to this distribution.
State Funding For Safety Net Services
Washington County supports ensuring adequate state
funding for essential health and human service safety
net programs without shifts in costs from the state
budget to the county property taxpayers.
County Commissioner Appointment
Washington County supports legislation that would
allow, but not require, the county board to appoint an
interim county commissioner to fill a vacancy until a
special election can be held and a replacement elected.
Two-year Demonstration of Bus Route 363
Funds are requested for a two-year demonstration of a
new bus route (Route 363), estimated at $5.6 million,
that would provide all-day, bi-directional service
between St. Paul and Cottage Grove.
I-94/494/694 Interchange
Washington County supports the Minnesota
Department of Transportation in developing regional
partnerships in its efforts to plan and construct both
short-term and long-term improvements to the
I-94/494/694 interchange.
2019 Legislative Priorities:Issues of importance to Washington County