2 13 06 City Council Proceedings Official
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
OFFICIAL
City Council, Special Session, February 13, 2006
Council met in Special Session at 6:30 P.M. in the Library Auditorium
Present: Mayor Buol, Council Members Braig, Cline, Connors, Jones, Lynch,
Michalski, City Manager Van Milligen
Mayor Buol read the call and stated this is a special session of the City Council
called for the purpose of discussing various City departmental budgets.
The budgets for the following City Departments were discussed: Water
Department, Water Pollution Control Plant, Public Works Department, and
Engineering Department.
Water Department: Michalski questioned why the level of usage was going
down when the City seemed to be expanding. It was explained that a
comprehensive survey for leaks had been conducted and the problem areas
repaired and also that many businesses had made improvements to their
operations, which resulted in a cutback on usage. Michalski also questioned the
increase in chemical costs and Water Department Manager Bob Green
responded that this trend would continue as some components were becoming
more difficult to acquire.
Water Pollution Control Plant: Connors questioned that if the life expectancy of
the incinerators was estimated at twenty years and were now going on thirty
years whether the replacements would be significantly different with regard to
technology. Water Pollution Control Plant Manager Jonathon Brown commented
it would be and that the decisions made now for the replacement incinerators
would affect the operation of the plant for many years in the future. Buol asked
about how enactment of the1972 Clean Water Act would affect Dubuque. Brown
replied that this would not have any impact on the City's facility, but could impact
the Airport lagoon. In response to a question, Budget Director Dawn Lang
explained that the Water Pollution Control Plant was an enterprise fund, which
meant that it was self-supporting, with no property tax support.
Public Works Department: Braig questioned what the "food scrap recycling
program" consisted of. Solid Waste Supervisor Paul Schultz explained that this
was a separate recycling bin for the purpose of collecting food scraps which
would be collected in the same manner as yard waste. This would be a pilot
program with three hundred participants initially. Public Works Director Don Vogt
commented that the metropolitan area landfill is self-supporting while most
around the State are subsidized. Buol urged that the department be pro-active in
the area of nuisance clean up.
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Engineering Department: City Engineer Gus Psihoyos explained that as a
requirement of the NPDES permit, an erosion control policy will be coming to the
City Council within the next few months. Steve Mosiman, 1000 Clarke Drive,
requested that the HodgdonNVest Locust Street Sidewalk/Step Replacement
Project be moved up to Fiscal Year 2007. He stated this project was first
introduced in 2001 and keeps getting pushed back farther and farther.
There being no further business, upon motion meeting adjourned at 8:13 p.m.
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Jeanne F. Schneider, CMC
City Clerk
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