At the Paynesville City Council meeting Wednesday night, Ron Mergen explained the written evaluation dealt with the physical condition of the treatment system, collection system, treatment system operation, main-tenance, and financial status.
MPCA officals did an on-site examination as part of their evaluation earlier in the year.
The city received a zero rating (the best) in all areas except one. The only area the city did not receive top ranking was in the financial and ordinance status. "They feel our rates are too low for their standards," Mergen said. The city received 14 points out of a possible 100 point rating. (Zero is the best and 100 the poorest rating).
Under future needs, Mergen said the irrigation system could be upgraded. "To save money we could change to a low pressure system, but as long as the system is in good working order, we won't make any changes at this time," he added. "It would take 30 years to recoup our expenses."
In other business:
•The council reviewed the 1998 consumer confidence report required by the Minnesota Department of Health.
The report compares costs of bottled water versus tap water. Nine different brands of bottled water were used in the comparison.
The national average for municipal water per 1,000 gallons is $2.96. The city of Paynesville produces that same amount of water for $1.32.
The city of Paynesville has an average daily consumption of 547,000 gallons of water per day with 875 service connections.
•Officers of the Firefighters Relief Association presented the council with their annual financial report. The association has a surplus of $14,351 on which to draw from.
Since the fund has a surplus, the council approved an increase to the firefighter's retirement fund from $1,000 to $1,050 per year.
•In reference to the lack of a picture on Channel 9, a letter from Triax Cablevision informed the city that Channel 9, KMSP, is upgrading their station signal in preparation for digital television.
While they work on their tower, the signal strength is significantly reduced for safety reasons, thus the service interruptions can be expected for a three to four-week period.