City Enacts Two New Policies

The City Council has approved two new policies – one establishing a policy to provide for the placement of banners on the crosswalk over S. Main St. and another approving a policy on sprinkling meters within the City.

The banner policy establishes guidelines for non-profit organizations who wish to hang banners from the crosswalk..  Such organizations must submit a sign application and pay an application fee of $75.00.  The policy calls for the banners to be submitted with the application, and a minimum height of two feet with the smallest font being at least five inches in height.  Banners must be in good condition, free of rips or tears or visible signs of wear and may be hung no more than two weeks prior to the event and are to be removed as soon as practical after the event.  Up to two banners may be hung from each side of the cross walk at any one time.  Approval for all banners in on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The policy on  sprinkling meters came as a result of wishing to establish a uniform process for the installation, use and billing for sprinkling meters that may be utilized by City residences for exterior use such as lawn sprinkling, swimming pool filling and garden watering.  The policy serves as an alternative to paying the full sewer charges on water used for such purposes.

With the passage of the sprinking meter policy the City will no longer continue the practice of providing pool filling credits effective July 1, 2011.

The City Council encourages City residents to install a sprinkling meter and associated back flow preventer at the resident’s expense to be used for the specfic purpose of measuring water used for outside purposes.

The following rules have been established for the installation, use and billing for sprinkling meters:

• All meters installed must meet standards as established by Chaper 38 of the City Code.
• Fees for meters of various sizes will be determined by the City Council from time to time; but generally in conjunction with the City’s budget adoption.
• The Utility Billing Clerk is charged with invoicing those residents utililizing sprinkling meters for the actual usage reported by the DPW.
• The fee to be charged for water used through a sprinkling meter shall be the commodity charge only as set by the City Council from time to time.  Since the sprinkling meter is a secondary meter at a residence, a second facilities mintenance charge (debt service charge) shall not be charged for water used through a sprinkling meter.

Please contact DPW Superintendent Thomas Stressman at 616.696.1330 X 108 with any questions.