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 Roger Belknap at 616.696.1330 X 108 with any questions.
The discussion of sprinkling meters have taken place from the time the waste water treatment plant was constructed and the sticking point was impact on future revenues for the water and waste water utility funds. I do not think there will be a rush on installing sprinkling meters so little impact will be felt on the two funds but long term impact must be considered. With the shallow well ordinance in effect the citizens certainly have options if they do not want to pay the sewer rate for water used that will not be sent to the waste water treatment plant. The critical question is how effective is the inspection process not just at the the time of installation but regular inspections to make sure the water distribution system is not being compromised. I would like to see the the inspection periods written into the Ordinances. One knows that a ordinance is only effective as its enforcement.
Pleased to see work is going on for the renovation of Cedar Creek and habitat to make the Creek more trout friendly. I miss the water fountain in the pond at North Park.
You’re right Ronny…there hasn’t exactly been a run on sprinkling meters. It is unnecessary to write the inspection process into the Code of Ordinances, because those inspections are regulated by the State of Michigan. Our DPW employees must document all sprinkling meters and inspections and report to those inspections to DEQ to ensure there is no cross-connection or possibility for back-flow into the City’s water system.
You will continue to see work done over the next month or so on the Cedar Creek. Josh Zuiderveen from Streamworks LLC has truly been a friend to the City of Cedar Springs. If you see Josh, be sure to tell him “thanks” for all of his hard work.
Regrettably, the cost to operate the fountain at North Park didn’t justify it’s installation this summer. Considering that we have had to layoff staff and reduce other more critical services to residents, taxpayers and even the Red Flannel Festival, it was a decision that could no longer be avoided. We hope that our revenue stream improves over the course of the next couple of years and that we can bring it back.