2004-96 AMENDING CITY CODE - CHAPTER 74 - SEWER CONNECTIONS - CHAPTER 75 - WATER AND SEWER SERVICES AND CONNECTIONS

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; t i COUNCIL COMMUNICATION FORM Engineering & Infrastructure Memorandum NO. 2004 - 92 December 1, 2004 TO: Honorable Mayor Osborne and City Council FROM: Steve Garman, City Manager Stephen Swanson, P.E., Director of Engineering & Infrastructure SUBJECT: Chapters 74 and 75 of the City Code SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION: I It is recommended by City staff that the City Council approve that attached ordinance modifying and amending Chapter 74 and Chapter 75 of the City Code of the City of Decatur, Illinois. BACKGROUND: City staff has prepared extensive revisions to Chapter 74, Sewer Service and Connections, and minor revisions to Chapter 75, Water and Sewer Connections and Services, of the City Code of Decatur. These revised chapters were forwarded to the City Council in October for its review in advance of staff requesting the adoption of the amended chapters by the City Council. City staff's decision to make major revisions to Chapter 74 came about largely as the result of comments by engineers from Bainbridge, Gee, Milanski, & Associates (BGM). The City has within the last few years contracted with BGM to perform a number of sewer capacity studies for areas of the City that frequently encounter sewer backups. It has been necessary for BGM while in the process of preparing its recommendations for these studies to determine what regulatory controls exist for sewer service and connections in the existing City Code. It has been suggested to City staff, by BGM's engineers, that the City should update its sewer service and connection codes to be more consistent with those of the Sanitary District of Decatur. In addition, it was noted that this becomes important should the City decide to apply for Illinois Environmental Protection Agency revolving loan funds to aid in financing major City sewer projects. City staff has over the last several months prepared the recommended revisions to Chapter 74. In this effort it was decided to revise Chapter 75, as well, to remove sections discussing sewer service and connections and incorporate them into the revised Chapter 74. The revised Chapter 75 would then be limited to water service and connections. The separation of sewer and water regulations into separate chapters should simplify the use of the City Code for matters relating to services and connections for City water and sewer.