Title
Pertaining to the adoption of a Leak Adjustment Policy to provide partial relief for customers who have experienced a high usage charge due to a catastrophic leak at a point beyond the water meter.
Body
WHEREAS, the Board of Water Commissioners of the City of Saint Paul had selected from the committee of the whole three commissioners to serve on a subcommittee to consider the implementation of a policy that would allow relief to those customers that are confronted with extraordinarily large water charges due to a leak in plumbing downstream from the meter; and
WHEREAS, said subcommittee has developed a list of guidelines, limits, and requirements which would qualify a customer to apply for relief of a certain portion of their water charges (“Leak Adjustment Policy”); and
WHEREAS, said subcommittee recommends the funding of such relief be paid through a separate account to be funded by a portion of all other active water service charges; and
WHEREAS, staff has drafted a Leak Adjustment Policy which contains all the parameters developed by said subcommittee; and
WHEREAS, approval or denial of such applications is to be determined by the General Manager of Saint Paul Regional Water Services (“SPRWS’ General Manager”) or their designee; and
WHEREAS, the Board is willing to grant such relief as determined by SPRWS’ General Manager to those customers that are eligible within the confines of the Leak Adjustment Policy; and
WHEREAS, the assistant city attorney has reviewed and approved said Policy as to form; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Board of Water Commissioners of the City of Saint Paul does hereby approve the attached Leak Adjustment Policy governing how a customer may apply for relief of a portion of their water charges due to a leak in plumbing downstream of the meter; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that SPRWS’ General Manager is hereby directed to appoint appropriate staff to report all such applications with a recommendation for approval or denial in a timely manner for consideration by SPRWS’ General Manager; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that SPRWS’ General Manager is hereby authorized to determine, on a case by case basis, whether any such application is approved or denied and thereby determining whether such relief is granted; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Finance Department of Saint Paul Regional Water Services is hereby directed to create, fund, and maintain a dedicated account from which payment of a certain portion of qualifying water service charges, as governed by the Leak Adjustment Policy, is to be made directly to each corresponding water service account.